Every Halloween season, Norman, Hubbard, and Associates are on a search for the spookiest place in the US. And 2021 brought us some fierce competition! Appraisal work can be done on all types of unique properties.

Starting with our own home state, New York, you will find our very own haunted house in Amityville. Made famous by a book and two movies about its reported scaring of a young family who moved in over four decades ago, this one ranks high on our list.

In 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were found slain in this home. Their eldest son, Ronald DeFeo Jr., was later convicted of murdering his parents and siblings. A year later, the Lutz family moved in but quickly moved out after reports of unexplained paranormal activity — strange odors, unexplained cold drafts and an apparition that took the form of a demonic pig-like creature.

Homes like these are stigmatized by their history. A Realtor.com survey found that 49% percent would not consider moving into a haunted home, even if they were able to obtain a discount or a better home! There is no state that explicitly requires paranormal activity to be disclosed. Curiously, states like Massachusetts, Iowa, and Minnesota have specific mentions that a seller need not disclose “parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon.” These are probably the only instances where references to haunted houses are codified into law!

Our search brought us to our sister state, New Jersey, and the famous Pine Barrens located int he southern part of the state. The New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve contains approximately 1.1 million acres of land, and occupies 22% of New Jersey’s land area, including territory of much of seven counties. Anyone who has travelled through this seemingly endless collection of pine trees at night, with no streetlamps to light the way, has sensed that something lurks in this spooky forest home.

The Pine Barrens gave rise to the legend of the Jersey Devil. According to popular folklore, it is said to have been born in 1735 to a local woman named Mrs. Leeds in an area known as Leeds Point. The legend states that Mother Leeds had twelve children and, after finding she was pregnant for the thirteenth time, cursed the child in frustration, crying that the child would be the devil.

Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night while her friends gathered around her. Born as a normal child, the thirteenth child changed to a creature with hooves, a goat’s head, bat wings, and a forked tail. Growling and screaming, the child beat everyone with its tail before flying up the chimney and heading into the pines. In some versions of the tale, Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child’s father was the devil, himself. Sightings of the Jersey Devil have been reported throughout the years since.

Though it doesn’t cover every aspect that could impact a home’s appraisal value, location can certainly be a big factor. Buying a home in a “haunted” location just may not be for the faint of heart!

We continued our search for the spookiest house in the country in San Jose California.

The historic Winchester house sits on an isolated stretch of land 50 miles outside of San Francisco. It is seven stories tall and contains hundreds of rooms. Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester and heiress to a large portion of the Winchester® Repeating Arms fortune, moved there after the tragic death of her child and her husband.  According to legend, Mrs. Winchester was haunted by the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle. After her husband passed away, a psychic told her that to pacify the spirits, she would have to move out west, buy a home, and build nonstop.

The renovations began in 1886, stopping only when Sarah passed on September 5, 1922. It grew to 24,000 square feet.  Additions included 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 160 rooms, 52 skylights, 47 stairways and fireplaces, 17 chimneys, 13 bathrooms and 6 kitchens. The home contains numerous oddities such as doors and stairs that go nowhere, windows overlooking other rooms and stairs with odd-sized risers. Rather than using an architect, she reportedly communicated with ghosts in her “Séance Room” to receive instructions on how to design the unusual interior.

Renovations can improve the value of a home appraisal, but they need to be the right changes that upgrade the appearance or functionality of the property. While ghost writers may be helpful in publishing, ghost architects are not a proven way to design a home!

Next, we travelled to Cleveland, Ohio.

Franklin Castle, also known as the Tiedemann House, is a Victorian stone house, built in the American Queen Anne style. Located in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, it has four stories and more than twenty rooms and eighty windows. This imposing Victorian house is considered to be the “most haunted house in Ohio,” and it’s easy to see why. It was built in the 1800s by Hannes Tiedemann, who was known around Cleveland to be cruel and abusive.

A string of mysterious deaths in Tiedemann’s family earned this house its haunted reputation. Many who are believed to still walk its halls lost their lives suddenly in the house: His daughter Emma; his mother and three more of his children. Tiedemann’s wife, Louise, also passed away, apparently due to liver failure, but many rumors circulated that Tiedemann was responsible. It’s also rumored that he murdered other members of his family. Recent investigations have found troubling evidence of foul play, including human bones within the walls.

In Ohio and many other states, the Disclosure Form includes only material issues, not the less tangible facts that stigmatize a property. Legally, the seller is not obligated to disclose these issues, so it is up to the buyer to do their own research.

Who is our 2021 winner for spookiest location?

Salem Massachusetts! 

Our top pick for 2021, Salem is best known for the witch trials of 1692 where mass hysteria led to more than 200 people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and ultimately 20 people were executed. Throughout most of the year, Salem is known for it’s impressive collection of colonial architecture, rich maritime history, and world-class museums, shopping, and restaurants.

But for the whole month of October leading up to Halloween, Salem takes full advantage of its supernatural history. The Witches of Salem honor this time with their “Festival of the Dead.” On any given day there are witches’ markets and witch hunt walking tours. You can travel back to 1692 with “Guilty! A Salem Witch Trial” at Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre. And on the 31st, you can experience a “Satanic Tea.”

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