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I’ve shared previously that I am an Intuitive. From birth I’ve had the ability to sense and perceive energy that many people are unaware of. It’s been a long journey, accepting that truth about myself. However, I now fully accept who I am and embrace my quirky and unusual gifts.
I am also a realtor, helping people buy and sell houses. It’s from that interesting space, where real estate and intuition overlap, that this blog post is born.
House Hunting Haunting
Do you believe in hauntings?
I’ve learned that there are many ways for a house to be haunted. Primarily, it’s old energy that gets trapped in a space. Grief, fear, pain, anger and despair can pool in a house and affect it, creating feelings of uneasiness or heaviness. Sometimes energy gets caught in a loop, and plays over and over again like a song stuck on repeat. For example, the sound of footsteps goes up the stairs every night at 1:00 am and a door slams.
And sometimes the haunting is caused by a presence that can be benign…or not.
Missouri realtors are not required, by law, to disclose that a house is haunted. It is considered stigmatizing to the property to reveal such information.
Do I think it’s a good idea for my clients to know what I’m picking up, intuitively, about a house? Yes, but it also depends on the clients. If they consciously or unconsciously react to what I can feel, I share. If they seem oblivious or closed off to hearing that the house has a presence, I refrain and trust that they will make a decision that feels right for them.
Haunted House Stories
From my 16+ years as a licensed realtor, I present my top three haunted house stories. Names, addresses and actual photos are omitted or changed, to protect my clients. These true tales feature real houses in the Joplin area, owned, sold, bought, and lived in by real people.
This is MY House
I felt unsettled the first time I walked into this large, vacant house. When positive energy such as love, joy and comfort fills a home, my scalp tingles pleasantly. When there’s negative energy, such as deep regret or fear, I get tingles of energy across my upper back. This three story home with a basement created intense ripples across my back.
When I learned that the current owners had moved out, and rented another home nearby, I knew they had experienced a haunting. During a phone call, one of the sellers admitted the old house had a problem.
Soon thereafter, I met the “problem” during a showing. Because of my own discomfort I stood near the open front door while my buyers climbed to the third floor. From the empty, shadowy kitchen a petite woman suddenly appeared, dressed in an old fashioned dark colored dress. And she expressed displeasure. After telling me her name she declared that this was her house, and no one else could live there.
A Possessive Energy
That night I researched the house, using the name I received, and found the information was accurate. I also discovered that the house was built for the woman, a century ago, by her husband. She only lived there a short time before she died. Possessive energy lingered in the home.
The next time I showed the house, I waited until the buyers were on the top floor, and then I stepped into the kitchen. I felt drawn to a small room off of the kitchen that led to a very dark basement. Being the lowest point in the house, basements often collect negative energy, which is more dense. I don’t like basements and I refused to go down the stairs.
Suddenly I felt a whoosh of air near the left side of my head and heard a loud smack against the wall behind me. I jumped, but refused to be intimidated. Instead I talked quietly and calmly about sharing the house and allowing other people in, who would love the property as much as she did. A bit of lightness flowed into the room as I talked, and some of the heaviness lifted.
I had not received any offers yet on this property, and the house was listed previously by another real estate company. However, after my chat in the kitchen, I received three offers in the days following. One was accepted. I hope they all continue to live happily together.
Haunted House Stories: The Ghost on the StairsThe Ghost on the Stairs
This haunted house, also vacant when I listed it, suffered from a dark and tragic history. One family lived in the house for many, many years, until there was no one left to occupy it. I could not be in the house alone, so heavy and troubling was the energy, and I limited my time within it. I learned from a friend of the family that a son committed suicide in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The sadness and despair in that room felt overwhelming and seemed to follow me down the long upper hallway whenever I gave a tour of the house.
One afternoon, I stood in the home’s dining room on the first floor, while a curious buyer explored a bedroom off to my right. Greg, who volunteered to accompany me that day, stood in the foyer near the living room. I heard the sound of heavy footsteps upstairs, even though I knew no one was up there. As I listened intently, the footsteps moved to the top of the enclosed stairs, and started down…clomp, clomp, clomp…toward the dining room.
Who or What Approached?
I experienced a moment of panic, wondering what my buyer must be thinking. However, glancing at her, she seemed oblivious. Greg did not look my way either. Apparently I was the only one who could hear the footsteps as they descended. Freakishly, the sound grew louder and the ghost seemed to be moving faster as it neared the bottom of the stairs.
I watched, fascinated, to see who, or what, approached. A shadowy figure appeared at the base of the stairs, crossed the dining room in front of me, and passed by Greg in the foyer before disappearing. As the figure traversed the rooms, the sound of footsteps accompanied it.
Well, that ought to discourage the buyer! I thought. But she didn’t notice. She never said a word about the sounds or the shadow, choosing to pass on purchasing the house due to the extensive repairs it needed.
The house eventually sold. The buyers’ agent and I discussed the house at length and I shared my experiences. His clients bought the property anyway and moved in. A short time later they moved out and had the house torn down.
A Country Haunting
The most haunted house I’ve experienced locally was an old farmhouse out in the country. I strongly advised my clients to pass on the property, as they looked for a fixer upper to purchase. The strong negative energy in this two story home prevented me from remaining in the house for more than a few minutes at a time. I could not go upstairs at all. As I stood in the yard, while my clients toured the vacant home, the neighbor walked over and confirmed what I could feel.
Many bizarre tragedies occurred within the house. The nervous neighbor whispered stories to me of neglect and abandonment, despair and fear. Ghosts roamed the attic at the top of the house, he said, and tormented the former occupant.
Don’t Buy
Against my advice, my clients purchased the home. One week later, the wife called me, in tears. They encountered all kinds of strange problems as they tore out walls and hauled out trash and attempted a remodel. “You are right,” she said. “This house is haunted.” She called me again, a short time later, crying as she sat in the house, her husband at work. “Do you hear that?” she asked, holding the phone away from her ear. I couldn’t identify the noise. My frazzled client shared that someone was walking around, in a house that she alone occupied.
My clients moved out of the house and into an RV, parked in the yard, while they finished the remodel. I found them another house to buy, and they relocated, leaving me to list a house that I could barely enter. I found it difficult to take good listing photos of the home’s interior. Strange distortions, large orbs and streaks of light filled the rooms.
Open houses challenged me as well. I sat outside on the deck and watched for visitors, only stepping into the house while potential buyers looked around. Children cried from fear. Adults felt uneasy in the house. I thought it would never sell, in spite of the beautiful remodel. At last it did, to a couple who didn’t feel a thing in the house. They appeared to be the perfect new owners.
More Haunted House Stories
There are many, MANY more haunted house stories to share. I could write a book about the haunted houses I’ve shown, listed and previewed. I pitched such a book idea to a publisher and received warm interest in anything I wrote on the subject. Perhaps someday I’ll write all the haunted house stories down, and collect them into a book.
I’m a realtor and an Intuitive who learned to overcome fear. I can show you a house, point out the features, gather all the info. And…I can tell you whether it is haunted, or not, if you really want to know.
Do you have haunted house stories? Share them in the comments below.38 Real Haunted Houses
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OMG, what a creepy good read. Interesting that you do not have to disclose hauntings – I wonder what CA realtors have to do – oh my!
It varies state by state. I want my clients to be fully informed. However I also keep their beliefs in mind. Some people simply don’t want to know!
If you do write a book about this I would love to read it! I love stories about haunted houses and things.
I’ll keep you posted! And than you for the encouragement.
Interesting. You work in a field that involves you very instantly into people’s emotions and i imagine that leaves imprints in place. after all when people move it is because of major change…divorce, new job, death…. interesting read
Yes strong emotions can linger for years in a house, creating a very common type of haunting. There’s no presence involved. Just a very strong impression. I encounter a lot of strong energy in places like hotel rooms, hospitals and other places where people feel powerful emotions.
Wow, Cindy. I am not intuitive to the degree you express but consider myself an empath. Learning to curb your emotions during these heightened moments must have been difficult! Are most of your encounters with negative energies or do you encounter positive ones as well?
Growing up…and up to age 40…I was most aware of negative energies. I think my fear attracted them, which of course created more fear. It was an ongoing cycle. Once I accepted my abilities and faced down fear, everything shifted. I still encounter some negative entities but I’ve learned how to deal with them. Now it’s mostly positive energy…family members in spirit and benign ghosts. I’ll always have to keep myself aware and in a good frame of mind, so that I don’t invite fear back in.
This was an absolute great read! Please write that book on the haunted houses, I would be so intrigued to read it. Loved this.
I intend to! Thank you for the encouragement.
Supernatural things freak me out so I don’t think I could handle being in these houses.
People could certainly sense things in these houses, even when they weren’t sure why or what was happening.
Wow, wow wow… I felt shivers as I read this and I know I would have felt something strange. I don’t “see” them but I have in the past felt them, heard them. I often speak to them to so I can at least stay my lease. One home had stairs from the roof/ceiling to a bedroom. At night I would hear someone with heavy boots walking up and down them. My dogs the hair would stand up on their backs. My bedroom was cold. A friend visiting once saw an angry man sitting in my lounge room. Funny though when I first went through the house I felt nothing. Then I took a photo of everything so I could at the end of the 12 months lease get my bond back. One photo was of the door of the fire box. One photo you could see right through to the back door. The next was a mans face in it. I had already signed the lease! I stayed 12 months, the next tenants were lucky to stay 3 months. #SeniSal
Wow you’ve had some experiences too! One property I lived in had an angry presence on the stairs. I could feel it but not see it. My tiny granddaughter could see him and she would say, every time she went up the stairs, “Shhhh…we have to be quiet.” People often fell on that exact spot. And my daughter’s dogs refused to walk on that part of the stairs! They had to be carried past that spot.
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. ❤
Thanks for reading!
Oh my goodness…you should write a book! Amazing and scary stories..thank you for sharing this!!
I really do want to!
This totally gave me goose bumps! Perfect for this Halloween season haha, This was so interesting to read!
Kileen
cute & little
It is the time of year to share such stories!
These stories are bone-chilling1 I never experienced a haunted house but love good stories!
I have a bunch of them!
I find these stories fascinating.
When I moved in to my house, weird things would happen. When I’d be making dinner, the lights would go out (we had it checked, nothing wrong with the electricity). We found straight pins everywhere! The home had only one owner before us, a family who built the house back in 1952. I never did see anyone but felt strongly that the woman of the house, Evelyn (who was a talented seamstress), didn’t want us there. She wasn’t possessive in a bad way, I just think she wanted me to know she was there first. One night, while preparing dinner, the lights went out. I said, “listen Evelyn, I’m just trying to make dinner for my family. We love this house and we only want to care for it and live in it the same way you did.” After about 4 seconds, the lights went back on, and never went off again. Haven’t seen any straight pins either. Coincidence, I don’t think so.
You’re stories were awesome, thanks for sharing!
Great story! And a common type of haunting. A former occupant wants to stay in the house. It’s great that you learned to co-exist. You handled the situation perfectly!
This is so fascinating to me. I’ve never experienced anything like this. Are there any ways to un-haunt a house?
There are ways to clear negative energy. When it’s a presence it can be more difficult if they have a strong attachment to the house. If they are benign the owners can learn to accept them. When they aren’t, it’s a challenge. Negative entities create fear as an energy that makes them more powerful.
I used to live in a trailer across from my sister that was haunted, the “lady” and I got along well, except when I let a childhood friend down on his luck move in. She did not like him at all and was not nice to him. My ghost was very protective. My sister had a male ghost and he was completely opposite. She had to just tell him this was her house and she was sorry they built the trailer park next to his resting place. He eventually left, but mine remained the entire time I lived there.
They can be good housemates! Every house I’ve lived in has had ghosts, not all of them polite. Truthfully, most houses have spirit in them or around them. Often they are family members who have passed on.
Wow crazy spooky stories! I’m not sure I would be able to keep my cool in those situations. YIKES!! Hope the buyers are enjoying their new space!
I hope they are! None were my buyers so I haven’t checked back. I know the one couple moved out and tore the house down, much to the relief of the neighbors.
Wow, these are creepy stories! Is there any way to clear bad energy from houses?
Yes most of the time the energy can be cleared. Sometimes it’s as simple as telling a presence to go on or to stop causing problems. If it’s negative or heavy energy saging, also called smudging, works well. You light a sage stick, blow out the flame, and walk through the whole house allowing the smoke to drift through each room. And sometimes I can’t clear a house. In that case the owners have to learn to live with it or move out.
I am not as intuitive as you are, but from time to time I feel uneasy feelings and I believe I am sensing spirits. I would definitely not be able to go into these homes!
Sounds like you are sensing spirit!
I’ve never thought to read books about haunted houses. But I need to look into it! Thanks for this post.
There are a lot of good books out there!
In our first apartment in New Mexico, we had a good spirit. I know it was old, and happy. I would wake up at night and see it “drawing” pictures like petroglyphs in the the air of flowers and animals. In our last house, we had a spirit named Daisy who whever she would appear, the rooms always looked lighter and you feel happiness.
Awww those are the best spirit visitors to have! I love that the one drew pictures!!
Fascinating! I love you stories!
Thank you for reading!
Oooh, creepy! Thanks for sharing your stories and experiences. You excel at storytelling. I have had uncanny things happen to me, but nothing like what you describe. Your stories gave me chills! Love it!
Thanks for reading! I appreciate the kind words. I think everyone is intuitive, to different degrees. I’d love to hear your stories!
Great stories of your experiences! We lived with a ghost for over 3 years when I was around 7-10 years old. It was scary, but I never remember his energy being negative…just there. But, as a kid, that being “being there” was definitely unsettling. The neighborhood kids confirmed that a lonely man had lived there and died in the house months before we moved in. When we described what the “figure” looked like, they confirmed that it had to be “Dennis”.
That’s a great story! I grew up with ghosts in the house, so I understand. I never wanted my friends to spend the night at my house because what if something happened that scared them?! It made me feel different. I later realized most people couldn’t see and hear what I could.
OMG, this is really scary!! I do believe in energies, sometimes is just not their faults, they are just attached through negative feelings… Thanks for sharing!!
Often they are just doing their thing unaware of us!