Every house has a story. While some properties have a long and illustrious history of happy memories, grandchildren and good times, the details surrounding other homes are laced with infamy and gruesome tales of woe. Across the nation, several homes that were previously locations of horrible crime scenes found new owners.
Recently Sold: Amityville Horror House
Courtesy of the murderous actions of Ronald DeFeo, a luxurious six-bedroom, Dutch Colonial home complete with swimming pool and boathouse in Suffolk County in Long Island (New York) has become one of the most notorious homes in national history. The tale of the “Amityville Horror” started with DeFeo shooting his entire family to death while they were all in bed. He was found guilty of the heinous crimes and is still serving jail time.
After the murders, the house was empty until the Lutzes bought the property at a significantly reduced price. As required by law the broker let the Lutzes know about the murder, but that did not discourage George and Kathy from buying the home. However, the Lutzes moved out after a brief period of time because of the paranormal activity they experienced on site. It was the reports of the freakish activities they experienced that prompted the book and movie, "The Amityville Horror."
According to Long Island newspaper, Newsday, a local Amityville resident recently bought the horror home for a whopping $1.5 million dollars. The local buyer most likely needed a jumbo mortgage to finance the purchase.
Recently Sold: Dorothea Puente Boarding House
On the other side of the country, another notorious home was recently purchased courtesy of the slashed price tags. Barbara Holmes and Tom Williams recently scored a sweet deal on a gorgeous Victorian home in Sacramento, California. The fact that police unearthed the corpses of seven murder victims did not dissuade the Williams from buying the home located at 1426 F St in Mansion Flats.
The home is known as Dorothea Puente Boarding House, and it is also the sight of the dirty work of a rare female serial killer. Female serial killers tend to kill for material gains, and Puente was no exception to the rule. The elderly Puente is currently incarcerated for her killing spree, which involved cashing the Social Security checks of her boarders and killing those who complained.
Horror Houses Sold Legally
Despite the background surrounding some of the houses of horror many of the properties are still appealing to potential homebuyers. However, when it comes to selling the homes, real estate agents have some laws they must follow. In the above cases, all buyers were well aware of the unusual history surrounding their homes.
While the laws surrounding material facts vary from state to state, brokers representing a home must disclose information that may alter a buyer's decision to buy a home. In California, a home seller must legally disclose if someone has died in a home within the past three-years prior to the sale. Additionally, if a real estate broker gains material facts regarding deaths in a home outside of a three year period, they would still have to fully disclose that information.
Regardless of you are looking to buy a condo, McMansion or even a horror house in order to achieve your version of the American Dream, Mortgage Marvel can help you find historically low mortgage rates in real time and without requiring any personal information.
