Ghostly residents sought by London's house hunters

15/10/2010

London house hunters would be more likely to use the presence of a ghost as a bargaining tool according to a new survey from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks.

The survey found that of all the house buyers in the UK, Londoners would be the most tempted to haggle over price if they'd heard the property was haunted.

With the average property price in London almost £395,000* some 58% of Londoners said they would be tempted to use the presence of a ghost as a bargaining tool to reduce a property’s asking price, and men (56%) would be more likely to try to barter than women (47%).

Despite this, a ghostly presence in London might actually work in the seller's favour by increasing the number of viewers a property gets. Almost two fifths (39%) of those that took part in the Banks' Hallowe'en survey admitted that their sense of curiosity would make them more likely to view a property if they heard it was haunted.

However, the research found an ethereal lodger wasn't for everyone with 57% of people admitting they would be put off a house by the prospect of sharing it with a ghostly tenant. And 45% of Londoners that took part in the survey admitted they would actually back out of a purchase if they discovered that the house was haunted.

It wasn't solely ghosts that might put off potential buyers in London. Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks' research found 58% of house hunters - the highest number in the UK - would be put off if they saw crowds of children trick-or-treating nearby during Hallowe'en.

The city also appears to be home to the UK's most superstitious residents with more than a quarter (27%) of those surveyed admitting to being so superstitious that they'd be put off buying a home if a black cat crossed their path whilst viewing the property.

Homeowners in the Capital were also wary of spectres and apparitions; with two fifths (41%) saying they would actually sell their home because of supernatural occurrences there. More than one in ten (12%) respondents from London actually believes their current home is haunted.

Steve Reid, Retail Director for Clydesdale Bank, said: "It appears that the idea of a house being haunted is a double-edged sword – it may attract more viewers but they are less likely to buy it or may try to push the price down."

"In reality, 99% of noises and seemingly strange occurrences have perfectly reasonable explanations – like loose floorboards, birds nesting in the loft or a dodgy boiler. The best thing any homebuyer can do is get a good survey and read it thoroughly, rather than worry about ghosts and goblins."