Americans Split on Whether They'd Buy House Where Murder Was Committed

Americans are split on whether they would be willing to buy a house that the previous owners were murdered in, according to a recent poll.

A YouGov poll released last week found that 30 percent of adult U.S. citizens would be willing to buy a house that had been owned by murder victims but was in their price range and met all other requirements, while 32 percent were not willing and 38 were unsure or preferred not to say.

While most people did not say that they would buy houses that prior owners had been murdered in, realtors attempting to sell such homes may find success depending on factors that include the sale price and the state of the market.

"Some people who are more bothered by the event will not purchase such a home unless there is a huge discount in the price," Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), said in a statement to Newsweek.

"Those less bothered would not need a discount," he added. "The sold price will be determined by the number of buyers in the group not bothered, especially in an inventory stricken market like the one we are currently experiencing."

Home sales rose sharply at the beginning of 2022, while the supply of homes reached a record low, according to NAR. Home sales were also happening faster than usual, selling an average of 19 days after going on the market.

The poll found that a 39 percent plurality of women would not be willing to buy a house with previously murdered owners, while only 24 percent of men refused to rule out a purchase.

The demographic group that was most likely to refuse a purchase was Black Americans, 49 percent of whom said they would not buy a house that owners had been murdered in.

The poll also queried paranormal beliefs among adults, finding that 36 percent of all Americans believed in ghosts, while 37 percent said that they believed in psychics and demons.

To at least some extent, belief in the paranormal predicted willingness to buy a house that had previously murdered occupants. Those who said that they believed in ghosts, psychics, and demons were the least willing to buy.

Women were far more likely to believe in the paranormal than men—for instance, 46 percent of women said that they believed in psychics, while only 28 percent of men agreed.

Republicans were also significantly more likely than Democrats to say that they believe. A full 50 percent of Republicans said that they believed in demons, compared to only 29 percent of Democrats.

Religious belief was also somewhat predictive. A 52 percent majority of Protestant Christians said that they believed in demons, the highest level of belief for any group. Belief in demons was diminished among Catholics at 34 percent. However, 48 percent of Catholics said that they believed in psychics.

Far fewer Americans said that they believed in werewolves and vampires—only seven percent each, although men were more likely than women to believe in the supernatural creatures and belief roughly doubled among those aged 18 to 44.

The poll was conducted online among 1,000 U.S. adults between February 22 and February 26. It has a 3 percent margin of error.

Update 3/8, 9:14 p.m.: This article has been updated to include a statement from Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.