‘Haunted’ houses a Halloween treat for first time buyers

Over half of first time buyers (54%) would not be put off buying their dream house even if it was haunted, according to a Halloween property survey by Yorkshire Bank Mortgages. Just 19% of those saving for their first home said spooky stories of supernatural sightings in a property would make them reconsider an offer. And over a quarter said they would be more inclined to view a ‘haunted’ property out of sheer curiosity.

Despite their apparent disregard of things that go ‘bump in the night’, 44% of first time buyers admitted it wouldn’t stop them using a resident ghost as a bargaining tool.

Gary Lumby, Yorkshire Bank’s head of retail, said: “We all know to look out for damp patches and cracks in the walls when viewing a home, but it could prove a little trickier to spot a supernatural problem with your potential property! Doing your research in the local area can really pay off when it comes to negotiating a sale price.”

Yorkshire Bank’s research found that currently 10% of homeowners think their home is haunted. Interestingly, 79% of people didn’t view sharing their home with a ghostly presence as a reason to sell up.

Not so superstitious in the South

Just 7% of Londoners believe that their house may be haunted, compared to 15% of residents in the North East

Buyers in the North West are the most likely to pull out of a ‘spooked’ sale, with 43 % saying they would consider withdrawing their offer (national average - 30%)

More than twice as many North East residents (43%) would consider selling their ‘haunted’ house than those in the South West (14%), who are the least likely to sell up and leave their ghostly resident behind

59% of people in the North West would be too scared to put in an offer on a ‘haunted’ property, 11% more than the national average of 48% and 20% more than those in the South East (39%)

39% of East Midlands residents would be more inclined to view a ‘haunted’ property, the highest proportion of ‘ghost house hunters’ in the UK

Only 1% of those in the South East would be put off making an offer on a property if they thought a black cat had brought them bad luck by crossing their path on a viewing