There are many things that must be disclosed when selling a home in Illinois, but is the presence of a ghost or other spirit one of them? This may be a question asked often in real estate transactions because many people believe their home is haunted. Some people even move due to activity in a home. However, on the other hand, there are also many people who do not believe in such phenomena, so buying a “haunted house” would not bother them.
According to Illinois Realtors, the law does not require disclosure of anything that does not affect the physical attributes of a property. So, a haunting or presence would not fall under something the law requires a realtor to disclose. However, property owners may still wish to give their realtor a heads up and let him or her know if they have a spirit in their home. In some cases, a realtor may even tell buyers just to avoid sticky situations in the future if they find out some other way.
Gatehouse Media, LLC, reports that ghost activity may be associated with murders that occurred in the home, which would again, fall under an area not required to be disclosed by the law. However, some buyers may actually purchase a home specifically because it is haunted, so it could turn out to be a selling point. If the haunting is well-known or has been detrimental to the value of the home, it will likely not need to be disclosed anyway because most people will already be aware of it.