Living in a murder house. Would you?
Living in a murder house. Would you?
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Wildcat45

Original Poster:

8,159 posts

218 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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I'm in the process of selling a 120 year old house. Unusually, I know it's entire history, the names of everyone who lived there etc. Nothing bad has ever happened here.

Would you be put off or consider living somewhere with a dark history? I'm not talking about ghosts, but just the knowledge that something really bad happened there.

I once had to go to a house where several people had been murdered. The old lady who lived there had been on holiday when the crime took place. It was a lovely house. I think I
would have been happy to live there.

There is a house a mile or so from me where a woman burned to death. It was a house fire many years ago. It has long since been repaired and sold on.

In the same town a house bombed in 1940 where several people died. It was rebuilt. In 2006,there was a gas explosion there which killed the householder. It's been rebuilt for a second time.

What about a house owned by someone infamous? Jimmy Savile's flat, the Yorkshire Ripper's house.

liner33

10,861 posts

231 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Back in the 90's I rented a house where a murder suicide happened although we had no idea when we moved in and in 2001 when we were scoping builders for an extension to our house he took us to a house he built locally and showed us around, in 2003 the husband shot his 17yr old son, his estranged wife and then himself in there, the house was stunning but unsurprisingly stayed on the market for a long time before eventually getting rented to a dutch couple whose kids became friendly with my son. I had no idea until dropping him there one day with him directing and we pulled up outside, then it was OMG THIS house ! .

So no , I wouldn't ever buy a house that a murder had taken place in

Mafffew

2,149 posts

140 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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So long as it fits all other requirements, it wouldn't bother me.

Spare tyre

12,556 posts

159 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Wouldn’t bother me, but would my wife

Gary C

15,240 posts

208 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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If it was something like Fred West's house (yes I know its been knocked down), I would probably think twice about it but only because it might attract some real weirdo's.

The actual 'creepy death house' thing wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

DanielSan

20,004 posts

196 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. It usually means you end up with a house considerably cheaper than those around it because a lot of people are put off

Desiderata

2,738 posts

83 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Not a murder, but I'm actually sitting right now in the exact spot where I found my neighbour's dead body about 10 years ago. We bought the house from his estate about six months after I broke in and found his body. Nothing gruesome, he died of natural causes and I don't think much about it.

Krupp88

609 posts

156 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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On the same theme my parents looked at a property once and then found out the precious occupant had committed suicide by putting their head in the oven.

I always found it a bit strange that the parents of a friend had never changed the toilet that the previous owner had died sitting on (no not Elvis).

Buying a house with a tragic or infamous back story would be less of a concern over bad vibes but more of worry over future resale and the potential of irritation from people coming for a visit (the later owners of ‘High Hopes’, the Amittyville house had to put up with all sorts of devotees to the story).

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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I wouldn't. Theres plenty of other houses that people haven't been murdered in

liner33

10,861 posts

231 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Krupp88 said:
I always found it a bit strange that the parents of a friend had never changed the toilet that the previous owner had died sitting on (no not Elvis).
The house we rented still had a blast pattern on the woodchip wallpaper where the guy had shot himself , they didnt even change the carpet just had it cleaned !

Jonmx

2,922 posts

242 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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There's a house in Exeter where a family recently perished in a house fire, through smoke inhalation I believe. Literally a stone throws away is a house where a chap beat an old boy to death with a hammer a couple of years ago. After killing this guy he walked a mile or so to another house and killed two elderly brothers by beating them to death with a shovel. All the properties are vacant and well known locally. I believe the brother's house is due to be demolished, but the other properties are terraced and inevitably will be inhabited again.
As someone who works in the property industry, I'd suggest property misdescriptions means you're obliged to tell potential purchasers/tenants of any recent incidents such as the above. Personally it wouldn't bother me too much, but I often get asked by potential tenants if anyone has ever died in the property they're viewing.

jimPH

3,981 posts

109 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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If its got a big garage, I'd consider it.

Gary C

15,240 posts

208 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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liner33 said:
The house we rented still had a blast pattern on the woodchip wallpaper where the guy had shot himself , they didnt even change the carpet just had it cleaned !
Wow !

Wacky Racer

41,306 posts

276 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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My cousin was Ian Brady's paperboy when he was ten and used to go in his house for sweets. (Lucky he's still alive)

Brady's house at Wardle Brook Avenue, Hattersley, Hyde was demolished years ago.

Hyde is where Dr Shipman's surgery was btw.

WolfAir

456 posts

164 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Theres a house on the road behind ours where a man had found out his wife was having an affair.. so he killed her and his 2 children in their beds and tried to get away but due to excellent police work, was found in thailand.

House was for sale a full 50k off asking... plus offers considered for years

blindspot

353 posts

172 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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liner33 said:
Back in the 90's I rented a house where a murder suicide happened although we had no idea when we moved in and in 2001 when we were scoping builders for an extension to our house he took us to a house he built locally and showed us around, in 2003 the husband shot his 17yr old son, his estranged wife and then himself in there, the house was stunning but unsurprisingly stayed on the market for a long time before eventually getting rented to a dutch couple whose kids became friendly with my son. I had no idea until dropping him there one day with him directing and we pulled up outside, then it was OMG THIS house ! .

So no , I wouldn't ever buy a house that a murder had taken place in
Cold Ash?

Type R Tom

4,310 posts

178 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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Kind of related but 2 years ago we stayed in the hotel where the 2015 Sousse, Tunisia mass shooting attack took place. When doing my due diligence, I didn’t pick up this issue as the hotel has changed name and owner twice. We did feel quite uneasy and considered cancelling but went and had a great time. Staff were excellent, good food / drinks. In hindsight it did explain why it was cheaper than everywhere else!

Krupp88

609 posts

156 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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liner33 said:
The house we rented still had a blast pattern on the woodchip wallpaper where the guy had shot himself , they didnt even change the carpet just had it cleaned !
Christ! Just throw down a £3.99 sq/mt Carpetright special in that circumstance!

liner33

10,861 posts

231 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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blindspot said:
Cold Ash?
Classed as Hermitage , guess you know it

Buzz84

1,700 posts

178 months

Thursday 3rd June 2021
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jimPH said:
If its got a big garage, I'd consider it.
Just don't take off the pit cover...