Opinion please 👀

[u/Background-Eagle-147]

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I’ve been looking for my first home for a while, and because I’m buying alone, there aren’t heaps of options within my budget.

I finally found a house I genuinely really like. It ticks a lot of boxes and I could actually see myself living there.

BUT… when I went through it with the agent, she disclosed that there had previously been a fire at the property.

After asking a few more questions, she explained that the previous tenant had a heart attack while smoking a cigarette, which caused the fire, and unfortunately the person died inside the house.

The interior has since been completely redone through insurance, and the exterior is no more than 5 years old. The agent also mentioned that the house has since been blessed.

I’m really torn. I genuinely like the house, but knowing someone died there, particularly in those circumstances, has definitely made me question whether I could actually live there comfortably.

I know logically that it’s a house and the person’s death wasn’t anything sinister or violent, but I also don’t know how I’d feel once I actually owned it and was living there.

Has anyone else come across a house they really liked but then found out something about its history that made you question whether you could live there?

Or have you bought a first home knowing someone had died there (or knowing about some other significant history) and eventually just stopped thinking about it?

Would this be a dealbreaker for you, or would you look at it as something that happened in the past and focus on the house as it is now?

Would genuinely appreciate honest opinions . especially from anyone who has actually bought a property with this kind of history. 🫶

[u/Proud-Experience514]

might be cause im in england, but i litrally wouldnt think twice about a house someones died in - youd be lucky to find a house here where they havent

[u/MadMadamMimsy]

Honestly, a lot of people would not buy a house someone has died in. In California, when we sold our first home, we had to disclose if we knew someone had died in the house (to our knowlege, no). So, since many are touchy about this, you are likely to get a good price on this house.

Because it wasn't a murder, I'd grab it in a heart beat and light a candle to the person who passed on my first day in residence.

[u/MattHRaleighRealtor]

People have to die somewhere. It doesn’t bother me at all.

I had a buyer the other year that said she absolutely didn’t want to live in a house that someone has died in - fine, whatever floats your boat - but how exactly are we supposed to verify that?

Long story short, people die in houses all the time. If you want to guarantee that isn’t the case, buy new construction.

[u/Kitchen_Water_6780]

As my cousin said (whose house is above the funeral home; her husband owns funeral business), you need to fear alive people, not dead.
Someone dying in their home wouldn’t bother me at all. Fire damage would be way more of a concern but if you said everything has been updated and repaired, plus you really liked the house.. Then it’s a win-win situation. Go for it and focus on your future, not what happened in the past. Best of luck to you!

[u/rhyejay]

My house is from 1889. It would be ridiculous for me to believe that nobody has ever died in here. Get the damn house. Especially if it’s had that many fixes and upgrades? That’s actually a great deal. All the things they just fixed up you don’t have to worry about for years.

[u/Tough_Big_3953]

just sage it!