It is still October. It is for that reason, I am not only obligated, but also delighted to bring to you more tales of real estate terror from the deepest, darkest corners of our very own homes. While we know there is a market for the specified haunted house, I was quite curious how many people had experienced any incorporeal apparitions in their homes, without having summoned them or having previous knowledge they existed there. Thus, in preparation, I took to the streets (or rather social media) to see if I could solicit a response. The feedback was overwhelming.

Admittedly, I am a self-proclaimed skeptic of all things spooky. If there were a ghost right in front of me, I would cluelessly walk right through it, all the while asking why everyone else was freaking out. Dare me to spend a week by myself in a monikered haunted house and I would jump at the chance. I would pack my books, a couple of puzzles and my favorite blanket and enjoy the entire experience, while sleeping well every night. The veil is thick for me. It seems, however, that many others have much more of a heightened awareness surrounding the ethereal, especially when it occurs within their own homes.

One friend shared an experience of a time when she was younger and living in a home with her mom, brother and baby sister. They had just moved into the home and, as we know, neighbors talk. After having found a bloody mattress in the garage, which they immediately disposed of, they learned that the home had previously been rented by a group of people who would often display upside down crosses on their walls and exhibit strange behaviors at night. From the day my friend moved in, she reported that they all noticed strange things happening. They heard random stomping in the home, and the television would change channels by itself periodically. My friend would return home from school and find the pull cords from her blinds tied around her bedposts. After the family all reported seeing a reflection of an old lumberjack in a mirror and hearing a raspy women’s voice on their answering machine, they decided to move out. They never looked back, but they never forgot what happened there.

I heard from several people who had babies or toddlers who would seem to laugh, play and talk with the unseen on many occasions. Strange and unaccounted for noises, including stomping, singing, and laughing were also common occurrences. One woman reported her indifference to a ghost in her house. She said, “The house we lived in in Florida was ‘haunted’ for lack of a better word. It was not scary at all. I saw a spirit several times going from one room into another. It was a man with dark hair, about 5’7″ in height.”

With all the homes I have been in, one would think I would not be so skeptical. In fact, I have had some experiences, I just refuse to attach the word “haunted” to them. Much like the aforementioned woman. I remember a time a few years ago when I had listed a home by a widowed woman who had mentioned her husband had recently been shot and killed in the main upstairs bedroom. She had told me it was determined he had done it to himself, though he had never experienced any depression or suicidal thoughts that she was aware of. A few days later, as I was showing the home, the couple looked at me and asked if something bad had happened in the home. She said she could feel that something wasn’t right here. Having knowledge of what happened and knowing that it must be disclosed if asked (but only if asked), I informed her of what had occurred in the home. They left immediately. The house sat vacant for a year before the seller finally gave it to her son. It never sold. A few years later, I learned that the seller had passed away shortly after that. I also learned that she had been investigated for the murder of her husband. That was real.

In other news, my friend from England reported that he has a ghost that randomly does his laundry and cleans his house. When I informed him that his wife didn’t get that same service from the ghost, yet she did perform that service for him, he was incredibly disappointed. Sorry to burst the bubble dude, but that’s what you get from a skeptic. Happy hauntings.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.