That time a buyer asked if the house came with the ghost free of charge

Last month I was showing a fixer-upper in Phoenix and this couple seemed really into it until the wife got real quiet. She finally asked me if I had to pay extra for the ghost in the hallway or if it was included with the closing costs. I thought she was joking but she was totally serious and even pointed to where she saw it. I ended up telling her that spirits are usually a free bonus feature but I don't think she bought it. Has anyone else had buyers ask about weird stuff like that during a showing?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wyatt1mo ago

Man, that's one of the weirdest things I've heard at a showing, but I totally get why she'd be freaked out. Old houses can have that creepy vibe, especially in the heat of Arizona where things look extra strange in the afternoon light. You handled it well with the free bonus line, that's about all you can do when someone's seeing things (literally).

charliestone8d ago

Yeah totally agree with you on that. "see what they're seeing" is right, I think that's the only move. Actually had a buddy tell me about a showing he did in Ohio once, this old farmhouse with a creepy cellar. The buyer swore she heard breathing coming from a closet. My friend, without missing a beat, just goes "Oh that's the house sighing, it's happy to see you." She ended up putting in an offer that same day. People are weird man, but you just gotta go with it.

the_oscar1mo ago

Oh wait, I gotta jump in here. That whole "heat of Arizona" thing - that's actually not quite right. The lady's in Minnesota if I'm remembering the original post right. Different kind of creepy vibe up there, all that humidity and those old Victorian houses with their weird shadows. Arizona heat doesn't do that wavy distortion thing the same way, least not in my experience. But yeah, the free bonus line was genius. Sometimes you just gotta roll with whatever the client's seeing and make it sound like a feature instead of something that'll give them nightmares.