What to consider before buying a home with a haunted past

By JIM TRUEBLOOD
Guest Columnist

With Halloween approaching, it’s a good time to answer a question buyers sometimes ask: would you buy a home where a murder happened, or one next to a cemetery?

In Hamilton County, the cemetery question is the more common one. As farmland in Fishers, Westfield, and elsewhere has turned into subdivisions, some new homes now sit beside pioneer and family cemeteries that are a century older.

The murder question is rarer, but I’ve faced it. Years ago, I represented buyers interested in an Indianapolis home. After a showing, the owner told me a murder had happened there. My research showed the house had belonged to Marjorie Jackson, who was known for keeping large amounts of cash at home and was killed in a robbery in the 1970s. The case drew national attention.

I told my buyers what I’d found. They spent about a month weighing the home’s history against its location and features, then bought it.

Homes tied to a murder, death, or other troubling event are called stigmatized properties. They can work for or against a buyer.

In a competitive market like Hamilton County’s, where a well-priced home can draw multiple offers in a weekend, a home’s history can reduce the number of competing buyers. That can give a buyer more room to negotiate.

That does not make it a good deal. Value still comes down to location, condition, comparable sales, and demand. And a history that doesn’t bother you may bother the next buyer, especially if the event was widely publicized, which can make the home harder to sell later.

Here is what I recommend to buyers:

• Do your homework. Indiana sellers generally aren’t required to disclose a murder or other psychologically affecting event, so ask questions and research the property yourself. If the home borders a cemetery, review the survey and plat. Indiana requires a state-approved plan to dig within 100 feet of a cemetery, which can limit a future pool, fence, or addition.
• Evaluate it like any other home. Get an inspection, check comparable sales, and make sure the price fits the market.
• Know your comfort level. Some buyers would never live in a home with a violent past. Others are not bothered by it.

My clients who bought the Jackson home had the facts, took their time, and made a decision they were comfortable with. That’s my job as an agent: not to tell buyers how to feel, but to help them understand what they’re buying, what it’s worth and how it could affect them later.

Jim Trueblood is the founder of Trueblood Real Estate.