Stigmatized Properties May Have Great Discounts
Should You Buy a Lakeland FL House If a Previous Owner or Occupant Died in It?
As a Lakeland FL REALTOR, I have sold quite a few stigmatized homes. Most of these homes have sold at a deep discount because buyers could stomach the misfortune. According to the 2012 Florida Statute 689.25, the law about disclosure reads as follows:
689.25 Failure to disclose homicide, suicide, deaths, or diagnosis of HIV or AIDS infection in an occupant of real property.—
(1)(a) The fact that an occupant of real property is infected or has been infected with human immunodeficiency virus or diagnosed with acquired immune deficiency syndrome is not a material fact that must be disclosed in a real estate transaction.
(b) The fact that a property was, or was at any time suspected to have been, the site of a homicide, suicide, or death is not a material fact that must be disclosed in a real estate transaction.
(2) A cause of action shall not arise against an owner of real property, his or her agent, an agent of a transferee of real property, or a person licensed under chapter 475 for the failure to disclose to the transferee that the property was or was suspected to have been the site of a homicide, suicide, or death or that an occupant of that property was infected with human immunodeficiency virus or diagnosed with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
History.—s. 46, ch. 88-380; s. 51, ch. 2003-164.
If, however, you want to be completely practical about buying a home then it shouldn’t hurt to at least consider the possibility of purchasing this type of house.
Get your facts straight.
What really did happen? You can’t rely on the opinions of neighbors alone, though. You should hit the local library and search for the appropriate news articles related to the property. Once you’ve found out how the person died, ask yourself if you are comfortable about buying and – eventually – living in the same place that person died in.
After all, there’s a huge difference between buying a house where its owner died peacefully in his sleep and a house where a vicious massacre took place.
Consider its relevance to the house’s level of safety and security.
Many homeowners prefer not to buy a Lakeland FL home for sale if someone had died in it for one reason alone. They’re terrified of taking the risk of being haunted or having any kind of paranormal sighting.
Now, even if you were not bothered by such possibilities you should still consider the incident’s relevance to how safe and secure you and your loved ones would be in such a house. Let’s say that the previous owner had died because of a botched burglary. Is the house easy to break into then? Will you be able to do something to make it far less accessible to burglars?
Consider its location and previous associations.
Let’s say that the Lakeland FL home for sale has remained on the market for so long because it had previously served as a drug den and only a bloody bust-up put an end to its infamous use. Even if you weren’t worried about victims coming back to haunt you, then you should at least be worried about present and living potential threats.
Is the house located in an area with high crime rates? Are suspects related to the previous incident still at large? They could still come back to your house for whatever reason.
What about old homes?
Last but not the least, if you find a Historic Lakeland FL home for sale quite charming, you should be aware that people during this particular period were usually born and died in their homes. If you are not fine about recent deaths in your future home, how do you feel about centuries-old deaths?