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This is the most terrifying thing for Singapore homebuyers

By EdgeProp Singapore

/ EdgeProp |

October 30, 2017 10:00 AM SGT

Halloween is a holiday that many of us tend to associate with the undead, so what better way to get into the “spirit” of things than to talk about ghosts. While you actually hear a lot more about them in October, they’re actually a year-round phenomenon.

So, if you’re on the lookout for a home right now, you might want to consider your threshold for the paranormal. For instance, would living next to a cemetery give you chills and what would you do if you found yourself sharing footage with a ghost?

In honour of All Hallows' Eve, EdgeProp conducted a survey* of prospective homebuyers in Singapore to find out, among other things, what are some factors that would actually scare them off a home sale and below are our findings:

It turns out that superstitions play a huge role in facilitating home-buying decisions here. For instance, up to 60% of buyers would do research to see if a property is “haunted” before making a purchase.

For many buyers, the most terrifying thing would be discovering that there was a death in the house, with 33% citing that it would scare them off a sale. Many are also horrified by odours and dirty interiors (25%), former crime scenes (23%), or with the property located nearby a cemetery or a columbarium (19%).

About 50% of buyers say they won’t pay for a haunted property, while 27% will only consider buying haunted property if they received a discount of over 40%. Just 1% of prospective buyers will pay full market value for haunted property.

Unfortunately, bad things can happen and if buyers are unlucky enough to end up purchasing a haunted home, 71% say they prefer being haunted by a sad ghost over possessed dolls (17%), demons (7%), Pontianak (4%) and vengeful ghosts (1%).

If required, 40% would hire an exorcist, with 43% saying they would pay over $500 for exorcisms (maybe it’s time for a career change).

When the hauntings get too much, 51% say they would move out and sell their property. Meanwhile, a brave 7% would stay put by getting someone to move in together, while 3% would volunteer to undergo counselling because…ghosts simply can’t be real, right?

*This survey conducted by EdgeProp ran from Sept 26 to Oct 17, and was based on a total of 124 responses from adults living in Singapore.

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