I Was a Paranormal Investigator — Avoid Homes with These Spooky Red Flags
As a former paranormal investigator and lifelong ghost nut, I think the idea of moving into a haunted house is enticing and thrilling. But I do realize that not everyone shares my same fanatical joy of the spooky. As an expert in what makes a house haunted, take my advice: If you’re touring homes with the intent to purchase and don’t want one that might already have some ethereal residents, watch out for these ghostly red flags.
You feel weird when you step in.
Pay attention to how you feel when you enter the home for an open house or a house tour. Do you feel dizzy or nauseous? Nervous or suddenly depressed or angry? Bodies interact with energies inside a home in ways that you don’t fully comprehend. If you’re butting up against some spiritual influence in a space, it can make you feel a little bit weird. Trust your gut.
The property history is a bit alarming.
Do a little research on the properties you’re going to see before you put in an offer. Has the address or home been in the news in the past for nefarious goings-on? Not every state requires that real estate agents tell potential buyers if something bad happened in the home — so ask them first, and then go find out on your own. This isn’t to say that every house with a deadly past will be haunted. But with a rough history, there’s definitely a higher chance.
You see things out of the corner of your eye.
One of the hallmarks of the haunted house experience is seeing things out of the corner of your eye that seem to disappear when you look directly at them. Perhaps it’s a little ghostie trying to say hello? Or it could be mice, which you’d probably want to get checked out anyway.
The electricity might seem a little haywire.
One of the ways spirits communicate is by using electrical energy. I suggest turning on all the lights in the home when you arrive for a tour, and leaving them on for the duration of your time there. If they start to flicker or randomly go on and off, and you can’t find a reasonable explanation for it, there might be something ghostly afoot.
It feels like someone’s watching you.
This applies to both inside and outside the home. One tip I have? Try walking behind the real estate agent and other people touring the space with you. If it feels like someone is following you, or creeping on you from a distance, that’s your body trying to warn you that something isn’t completely right. This pairs really well with seeing things out of the corner of your eye. The two together are a pretty common phenomenon for haunted houses.
Honestly, if you’re worried about ghosts, you could also walk next door and ask the neighbors if they’d ever heard of anything strange going on at the property. If they haven’t, and you don’t experience any of the above, you’re probably good to put in an offer.
Further Reading
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