Are You Living in a Haunted House?

Home sellers don’t have to disclose whether their home is haunted under the Stigmatized State Property Act. What can you do if you encounter unwanted visitors?

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There is a funny state law that most folks aren’t aware of. It’s called the Utah Stigmatized State Property Act, and it states that home sellers do not have to disclose whether their house is haunted. What should you do if you think that you’ve accidentally bought a haunted house? Fortunately, Rita Morgan from Crone's Hollow has a few answers.

One thing that Rita encourages home buyers to do in this situation is to try and speak with the spirit of the house to let it know that they are the new owner of the home. Because the spirit may think that the house belongs to them, it’s important to let the spirit know that you are the new owner and that your rules are the ones that apply.

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Claim the home as your own.

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If the spirit is still being destructive or difficult, there are a few things that you can do to help cleanse the house. Though burning sage is a good way to begin the cleanse, it creates a vacuum, and Nature abhors a vacuum. If you’re going to use sage, you’ll need to replace the energy that you’re getting rid of with something else—like incense or Florida Water—so that the spirit doesn’t come back in.  Once you have replaced the energy, Rita suggests following up with some kind of sound, like a bell, in order to create a vibrational energy and ensure that the spirit cannot re-enter.

The most important thing you can do as a homeowner in a haunted house is to claim the home as your own. If you have things going bump in the night in your home and need advice about getting rid of or living with spirits, give Rita a call at (801) 906-0470 or visit her at Crone’s Hollow at 3834 South Main Street in Salt Lake City, just north of the intersection. She’s got the tools necessary to handle your every ghostly need.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about buying or selling a home in the Salt Lake City area, give me a call, shoot me an email or reach out to me via Ouija board. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

5 Tips to Beat the Competition in Multiple Offer Situations

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I wanted to talk today about the topic of winning a bidding war and competing against multiple other offers on a home. I have five tips to offer to help you win, because the competition right now is fierce.

1. Come in with the right mindset. Treat the list price like it's the minimum bid on eBay; that’s the least amount of money that the home is going to sell for. Odds are the price will only go up from list price.
2. Come in with the strongest possible pre-approval letter that your lender can possibly write for you.
3. Come in with 1% earnest money if at all possible. It's going to make your offer look more serious and desirable.
4. Use an escalation clause. This is my secret weapon. The biggest challenge is that none of us know what the top sales price on these homes is going to be. While I want you to win the bidding war, I don't want you to spend $10,000 more than the next closest offer. The escalation clause states that we will beat the highest offer that the seller has in writing by $1,000 or $2,000, but we won't exceed a maximum capped sales price that you decide on before submitting the offer.
5. Offer the seller the best possible terms. We ask in advance if the seller wants to keep possession for 48 hours after the close. If so, we'll insert that into the offer to stand out from the crowd.

Finally, my request to you is this: Don't get too attached to any one home in this market! Even if you follow all five tips, you might have to write several offers to finally get one to go through. No matter how much you fall in love with one home, there is another one out there that you'll love just as much.

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These tips will give you the edge over other offers.

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I hope you find these tips helpful if you're looking to buy in the Salt Lake City area. For more tips or elaboration on how to compete in this market, give me a call today! I'd love to work with you.