When I opened the Zillow “PRO” newsletter yesterday, I got pointed to the “most hauted houses in the U.S.” Maybe they were trying to warn real estate agents to do their homework before they next go on a listing appointment, or before they show questionable mansions.

An even better and more comprehensive directory can be found at HauntedHouses.com.   You can actually search by state (maybe before you hand in that offer on the house?).  A  secure login section is reserved for “Haunted House Owners.”   Maybe a support group?  Chat room?  Reporting tool?

Only one of the mentioned homes in the Zillow guide is local, and it happens to be… the White House.  I wonder if the Obama family was aware of the fact that the ghost of Abraham Lincoln has frequently been spotted (or “felt” — eek!) there before they started their plea for the priviledge to live there.  But then again, they might have figured it out the hard way by now, and it didn’t seem to have hurt them.  As an added bonus, Lincoln probably gives good advice.

Homes for sale that are inhabited by ghosts (and there must be a good many of them in the current market) fall under the category of “stigmatized property.”  In our jurisdiction, there is no requirement to disclose the condition.  But even if not documented, we might just know, won’t we?  I don’t know any Realtor who wouldn’t admit that they occasionally enter a house, either for  a showing or to preview, and know right away that it’s better to leave again before things get too scary.  Who is to say it isn’t ghosts who are responsible?

Does anybody remember Dennis, the ghost in Cordelia’s gorgeous rent-controlled LA apartment?  Just shows that if the price is right and the place is beautiful, people can adapt to all kinds of shortcomings.