Some might say that there are a lot of scary things happening in the market right now, but apparently for a sizable percentage of us, living in a haunted house is not one of them.

About one-fourth of Americans (24%) believe they've lived in a real haunted house, according to a new report by Clever released this week. This number is actually down from 44% who said the same in the 2021 report, when people spent more time at home. 

The report surveyed 1,000 Americans and found that 69% of Americans believe in the paranormal, down from 76% in 2021 and 70% in 2020. About 60% of respondents say they’ve personally experienced a supernatural event, with more than 1 in 4 people (28%) saying they’ve seen a ghost and 1 in 7 people (14%) saying they’ve seen a UFO. Of those that haven’t shared a home with a ghost, two-thirds (67%) still believe it's possible for a home to be haunted. 

Spooky highlights:

• Of the 24% who have lived in haunted houses, nearly 1 in 3 people (31%) knew the home was haunted before they moved in and still chose to live there.
• About 58% of home buyers say they'd consider purchasing a haunted home. Of those, more than 2 in 3 buyers (69%) would only consider purchasing a haunted house for a lower price in this scary market—a 10% increase from buyers who said the same in 2021.
• Cat owners are a superstitious bunch, with three-fourths (76%) saying they believe in the supernatural, and they are 53% more likely than non-cat owners to say they’ve lived in a haunted house.
• Nearly two-thirds of sellers (65%) would only disclose a haunting under certain circumstances, while 8% would refuse to disclose a haunted home, even if it was required by law.
• If a haunted home matched all their criteria, 59% of buyers would still offer less than market value, while 1 in 6 buyers (17%) would actually pay above market value.
• Nearly half of Americans (47%) would rather purchase a haunted house than live in a former meth lab.

Frightening conclusion:

While ghosts are frightening, the report found that 94% of homeowners are more afraid of home repair issues, such as mold (63%), termites (63%), and foundation problems (60%).

“Purchasing a haunted home is the least of buyers’ worries. The scariest aspects of homeownership are unexpected costs (54%), nightmarish neighbors (44%), and an inability to pay their mortgage (39%),” said Jaime Dunaway-Seale, content writer at Clever and author of the report. “Despite widespread fears, few Americans take steps to ensure their safety. One-third of Americans (31%) fear house fires, but 40% don’t have a fire extinguisher. Yet 1 in 10 Americans have equipment to detect a supernatural presence.”

For the full report, click here. 

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