Touchy topic - Murdered ***warning

[Bill.L]

Hi all,

Consider the thousands of years of human habitation that has occurred where most towns and cities are located, consider the number of deaths (murder and otherwise) that occurred.

Why does recent death have more meaning?? Simple superstitions.

Would I live there?? Yes.

Would I buy there for investment?? Probably no, because the superstitions of others will reduce my likely market (both tenants and re-sale), unless of course I could pick it up as a real bargain.

bye

 

[wylie]

Would I buy there for investment?? Probably no, because the superstitions of others will reduce my likely market (both tenants and re-sale), unless of course I could pick it up as a real bargain.

This is how I feel too (with my professional hat on). Of course, it doesn't matter how much of a bargain it was for you if you find it hard to find a tenant or buyer.

We have one IP that had such a run of "less than satisfactory" tenants when we first bought it that the neighbours suggested we have a "cleansing ceremony". Of course, they wanted better neighbours just as much as we wanted better tenants.

A house with a "history" for whatever reason will likely have a bigger tenant turnover, with longer vacancy than a house without any such issues.

This house of ours had no "history" but the less than ideal tenants were really a product of our need to get the rent flowing so we didn't listen to our "gut instincts" as we would normally do.

My point is that our IP became a bit of a talking point for the neighbours. Once a house is "tagged" as a problem, it is hard to shake that off. We are particularly careful with that house now as we don't want problems, but at the time we had a run of dubious tenants, we had to keep letting them go at the end of the lease, which meant sometimes a week's vacancy each time. That will eat into a "bargain price" slowly, depending on the history attached.

Ultimately, a "problem" house, even when bought for a bargain price, can cost more in the long run than a better chosen house. Again, just my opinion.

 

[marg4000]

A most interesting thread.

I am thinking of the Singh children/young adults who were murdered in Brisbane several years ago and their bodies placed in a spa and the hot water left running to eradicate forensic evidence.

I could never live in that house, even if that bathroom was completely gutted and replaced. I am not superstitious (mostly!) but I don't think I could ever enter that house without feeling overwhelming sadness about the events that happened there.

However, again speaking personally, I could live in a new house built on the same site if the original house was totally demolished. In my mind that would change things sufficiently to break the link with the crime which was committed in the house.
Marg

 

[wylie]

I feel the same Marg. It would be the sadness associated with the room involved that would be too much for me. I don't know how that family can stay in that house. I don't think I could do it.

I think the idea that some people have that I (or others) are scared of ghosts is too simplistic.

 

[marg4000]

I've seen interviews with the children's mother and she has kept their rooms exactly as they left them and finds comfort in living with her memories.
Marg

 

[wylie]

I have read that too but just could not live there. I suppose we don't know what we would do in such circumstances and hopefully we never will find out.

 

[kathryn d]

We were seriously considering buying a former funeral parlor this year.
It is now a family home, but when you try to explain to someone in the town which house it is, and then say it is the funeral parlor, they automatically know.

We would have run it as a guest house/b & b.
We thought about using its history as a selling point.
We thought their lease/guest reservation could be in the form of a death certificate.

If a house has a problem, try to make it work for you. There is always a way.
Furnish it and call it haunted. Charge extra. Have holograms and sounds appear in the middle of the night....

 

[Ausprop]

there are some new apartments near here that had a girl thrown over the balcony recently. would the apartment be considered to have bad history? or the area at the bottom?

 

[65fbk]

People certainly do "tag" houses. I have seen it and know of houses that are so "tagged" for many years.

I just think a murder house and a house that may have had termites or been flooded are so far apart that they should not be compared.

Happy that others disagree though .

Hey Wylie,

I don't totally disagree and can understand your point.
The original question was:

Basically what i want to know is

- Do i have to disclose to future buyer (few yrs down the track)
- I am assuming that any tenant doesn't need to know as their is some chick living in this place now

I was more so responding to the first part, about disclosing to a future buyer, hence my correlation to flooding and termites etc. I realise these issues are much less of a concern to a tenant.

I can't be sure I'd be comfortable living in a 'murder' house either, but it wouldn't stop me from buying it for an investment.

 

[propertyVIC]

No probs...

I'd buy at the right price... and disclose to tenants & future buyers.

You could reduce the associated problems by:
- repainting etc to give a fresh feel and 'new' start
- getting a priest and/or buddhist to cleanse and bless the place

Or if the price is really low it might be a great development site for rebuilding.

The only thing that would make me hesitate was if the murderer had not been apprehended. Also, if it was in a very violent part of town.

 

[Aaron Sice]

spot on - my first Q was - is it a devvy site?

if so, no disclosure necessary.

the minute you renovate it, it becomes a changed home and disclosure isn't required.

 

[ARF]

The only thing that would stop me from buying a murder house as an O/O (that I planned to live in for a long time) would be the motive for the murder. I'd want to find out if it was the person they were targetting, or a random act or someone specifically targeting the property (for whatever reason).
So long as there is little chance of the murderer returning I'd be fine. People die in houses all the time. So long as the forensic cleaners did a good job, and you don't find blood on the carpet underlay or something...

 

[Ridin-High]

spot on - my first Q was - is it a devvy site?

if so, no disclosure necessary.

the minute you renovate it, it becomes a changed home and disclosure isn't required.

Hi Blue not feasible to develop.

Ummm so with reno then i don't need to disclose murder? Is this is writing somewhere (just wanna make sure before i commit)

Regs,

RH

 

[marg4000]

I think you would need legal advice as to whether a reno cancels the requirement to disclose. "Reno" is a fairly inexact term and covers a huge range of actions.

And NEVER base actual decisions on opinions expressed anonymously on any forum. We could all be axe-murderers!!
Marg