One of the questions people often ask themselves is, “Did someone die in my house.”
Others will wonder what happened in my house before I lived there.
Living in a house where someone died is no big deal for some. For others, it can be a concern,
Searching for your ideal home can take time. It can hide secrets even when you think you’ve discovered the right house.
The older the home is, the more likely something has happened inside that could affect whether you want to buy.
Many folks want to know how to find out if someone died in a house. Discovering if death in a home took place isn’t always straightforward.
When you are looking through the property listings, the death history of a home isn’t going to be immediately apparent. But even though it’s a morbid thought, you may want to discover it before buying the property.
You probably don’t want to have lived in your home for months before discovering a horrifying secret.
Wanting to know a home’s history before purchasing is not unusual. Many buyers will do some casual digging before submitting an offer.
It can be unsettling to hear unexplained noises or see something out of the corner of your eye that isn’t there when you focus on it. Creaking floors or footsteps when there’s no one else in the home can be alarming.
Growing up as a kid, I lived in an older home. At times, it made me uneasy when I heard strange noises. There was no paranormal activity, but it got my attention.
You wouldn’t be alone if you didn’t want to live in a haunted house. But how do you find out if someone died on your property?
Relatively modern homes could even be hiding a secret. So, finding out if someone has died in a home before you buy is a good idea.
We’ll look at what you can do to learn about the death history of a home. When you’re done reading, you’ll know how to find out if someone died in your house.
Facts About Obituaries of The Deceased During Ownership
1. Checking local historical records and obituaries can provide information on anyone passing away in your house.
2. Contacting previous or long-time owners in a neighborhood may give you insight into any deaths.
3. Consulting with local paranormal investigators or mediums could reveal any spiritual presence related to the deceased.
4. Researching online databases and websites dedicated to tracking deaths can help uncover any recorded passing or obituary at your address.
5. Seeing unexplained phenomena, strange energy, or cold spots might indicate a lingering spirit tied to a past death.
6. Appraising the age and history of your house can provide clues about whether any occupants died during its existence.
7. Exploring public archives, including local libraries and newspapers, can yield information about anyone passing on in your home.
8. Seeking guidance from professional genealogists or historians might help uncover any documented passings associated with your property.
9. Examining burial records or cemetery documentation near your house could offer insights into the loss of life.
10. Relying on personal anecdotes or stories from previous occupants of your home may shed light on anyone passing away.
House History: Deaths By Address Free
Ask Your Real Estate Agent For Results
When you are concerned about the history of a house, the first step should be to ask your real estate agent for assistance. A buyer’s agent is there to help with any due diligence needed to make a sound decision.
They can assist with looking at public records for material facts that would impact a home’s value. You can also do your research by heading down to the local library. Libraries are an excellent source for finding who has passed on in a property.
You can look at local newspapers and other news reports if you’re concerned. If a violent death took place on the property, you’d probably be able to find it.
Speak to The Local Coroner or Funeral Director
Two sources worth considering that aren’t talked about often are the owners of local funeral parlors and the local coroner. These are excellent ways of knowing who has passed away locally in a given community.
They are likely to know if the occupants were found deceased in a property. These resources can also help you search obituaries of the deceased and allow you to inquire with the families for further information.
Searching Online For Deaths in a House
You can also go to a search engine like Google and start digging yourself. One of the more popular searches is the death history of my house free. Let’s face it; people are fascinated by who died in a home. They want to know what happened in their house before they lived there.
It is possible to find house history deaths by address free online. A simple search of the address could uncover a story about someone dying in the home you want to buy. You’ll likely need only the street name and city to see important information.
Use DiedinHouse.com
If you would like the death record by address, there are a couple of websites that can help.
The website DiedinHouse.com could help you quickly find an answer. One search will cost $11.99, with three searches costing $29.99 if you look at a few potential homes.
The site pulls data from police records, death certificates, and media reports to find something.
The Diedinhouse report will provide information on deaths and other essential data. Their reports will show the cause of death, whether murder, suicide, or natural death.
Some protective buyers may not care about a natural death, while their feelings may differ for a non-natural death.
Many people have hospice care and pass away in their homes from natural causes.
The site will also provide information on whether there was meth activity or sex offenders.
Use HouseCreep
You can also try a site like HouseCreep.com, which uses crowdsourcing to build information. But unfortunately, it might not be that simple or free to find the death history of the home.
Housecreep is a top real estate website for finding stigmatized properties, including murder, haunted houses, drug labs, and other newsworthy properties. You can look up a place of death near you where murders and other crimes occurred.
Despite drawing data from these sources, they don’t guarantee they will find every death.
Nonetheless, Housecreap is an excellent site to check if anyone has died in your house.
Use The United States Social Security Death Index
Another little-known way of researching the deaths of family members and others is the Social Security Death Index. It’s another of the online databases for investigating deaths. The site’s information goes from 1962 until February 2014, so it is not as complete as other sources.
It’s one of the genealogy websites people use to find family history. They also have a finding US death records Wiki page and a search feature for property records. They even have a search feature for old photos.
Talk to the Neighbors to Get knowledge on The Premises
Perhaps it doesn’t sound like the best thing to discuss the first time you speak to a neighbor, but they could be a good source of information about a home’s history.
You probably don’t want to ask them if they know someone has died in the home. After all, asking who passed on in my home isn’t the greatest icebreaker. Getting them talking about the house can get you to the answer anyway.
If the neighbor has lived in the home for a long time, they could be a wealth of information, not only about deaths in the house. They might tell you about other things you want to know before buying. Since they aren’t the person selling the property, they have no reason to hold back details.
On the other hand, home sellers will be reluctant to volunteer information. Another method would be to find the previous property owner and ask them. Follow my tips for finding the names of previous owners.
Look at Seller Disclosure Forms
Some states have laws requiring the seller to disclose deaths in the home. But even these requirements are pretty limited.
There is a requirement to disclose any death in the home in California during the last three years. In Alaska and South Dakota, murders and suicides in the previous year have to be in the seller disclosure form.
In my state of Massachusetts, disclosing a death in a home is not required, even if it’s a serious crime. Massachusetts is a Caveat Emptor state or “let the buyer beware.”
So, you can see death disclosure laws vary by location.
In most states, a death property is not considered a material fact, and it’s not required to be disclosed.
Even if you aren’t in a state with this type of disclosure, you might try to get such information from the sellers if you have suspicions.
You might have heard something, or perhaps the seller’s disclosure left some gaps, and asking the seller might help you find out.
Some sellers are honest beyond what’s necessary and will provide information when filling out a transfer disclosure statement. Others would never consider making a disclosure such as this when not required. Some Realtors will question the owners if their clients ask for help.
Do Real Estate Agents Have to Disclose Death or Murders in a House?
Real Estate disclosure laws vary from state to state on many things. A real estate broker may or may not have to disclose murder, suicide, or haunted homes.
You will need to check your state’s disclosure laws on stigmatized properties.
It will be essential to find out the requirements. You can do this by speaking to a local real estate attorney. An excellent local real estate agent should also know the death history disclosure laws.
Further Research to Find Out If Someone Passed Away
If you have tried these other methods but still haven’t found a satisfactory answer, there are still things you can do to research the property.
If you want to buy an ancient house, you can check census records to tell you about the people who previously lived there. Confidentiality rules mean this information remains hidden for 72 years, but you can search old census records from 1790 to the middle of the last century.
Even if you do this research, it isn’t necessarily telling you if someone’s died in the home. But the older the house is, the more likely it is that one or more people have died there.
It is estimated that one in five people die in their homes nowadays, and that figure was likely to be higher in the past. In this case, you might be more concerned about violent deaths, and archives can be revealing for information like that news.
Your library might have digitized archives of historical newspapers, or you’ll be able to search microfilms. The local historical society could be another source of local newspaper archives. They might also be able to give you good advice on finding the property’s death history.
If nothing is uncovered, it will put your mind at ease, and you’ll also likely find out a lot of exciting stuff about the home and the local area in the process.
Hire a Professional Investigator
There are folks out there who will investigate death in a property for you. If you cannot find the answers you’re looking for, hiring a private eye would probably be a last resort.
All other means of discovering death in real estate will be free except for your time. Hiring an investigator could be an expensive option.
If you want to spend the money, they can search murders by address or other aspects of the death history.
Does a Death in a Home Affect the Value?
One of the questions folks wonder is whether death can impact property values. Many factors influence appraisal, but dying in a property isn’t usually one of them.
If a homicide happens in a home, it will prevent many people from wanting to live there. Murders in a house are a turnoff for many prospective home buyers. Buyers might be concerned about being haunted even if a death occurred in the distant past.
Whether their concerns stem from personal experience or they have watched too many horror movies, it’s likely to affect the price negatively. Most potential buyers aren’t going to sweat a death from natural causes.
A violent murder or known haunted house could be a much different story affecting property value. For a certain percentage of buyers, it will be a deal-breaker.
Though it might not bother you, it could become an issue when you sell the house. Regardless, it’s always a good idea to find out as much as possible about the home before you commit your money to buy.
Interesting Knowledge of The Stigma Worth Knowing
1. Approximately 7% of homeowners have reported experiencing paranormal activities in houses with a history of deaths.
2. In 42% of cases, homeowners were unaware that someone had died in their house until they conducted thorough research.
3. Researchers estimate that around 13% of homes worldwide have had at least one death occur within its premises.
4. According to real estate agents, houses where deaths have occurred tend to stay on the market for an average of 8% longer than comparable properties.
5. Surveys indicate that 19% of homeowners believe that knowing whether someone died in their house can impact their overall happiness and well-being.
6. Studies have shown that homes where unnatural deaths have occurred are approximately 9% more likely to be haunted, according to local folklore and legends.
7. In regions with a high housing turnover rate, it is estimated that there is a 23% chance of someone having died in any given house over the past century.
8. A recent poll found that 25% of homeowners would be willing to pay up to 3% less for a house with a known death history than similar homes without such a past.
9. Experts suggest that conducting historical research on a property can uncover information about deaths in only around 31% of cases, highlighting the limited availability and accuracy of public records related to deaths in private residences.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are concerned about being haunted or think a death in the home is creepy, learning this information before you commit to purchasing the property is a good idea. Did someone die in my house is not an uncommon thought at all.
While it isn’t necessarily easy, and the seller probably isn’t legally required to disclose this information in most cases, the effort can help you determine if someone died in your house.
Check Housecreap and Diedinhouse first, and if you can’t find the death history there, check the other avenues mentioned.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided the above real estate information on how to find out if someone died in your house. He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
