Selling a haunted home? That’s between you and the ghosts

Sather House, owned by Erin and Nathan Braun, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Image: Mason Trinca/The Wall Street Journal)

The Wall Street Journal

Sun, 12 Nov 2023

By Erika MailmanWhen Julia Park Tracey, 60, and her husband, Patrick Tracey, 63, bought a five-bedroom home in Grass Valley, California, in 2020 for US$280,000 (NZ$482,000) from Pennie Hughes, who was about 70 years old, she didn’t disclose on any paperwork that the house was haunted. But Julia says she told them it was haunted informally and jokingly, saying things like, “Of course it’s haunted; it’s an old house.”Then, Hughes died on the day she was moving out of the home.As soon as Julia, a novelist, and Patrick...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}