# What home sellers tell the buyers... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 14, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194 "2017-03-14T21:56:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/21 "2017-03-15T16:58:54Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Why does the door to the furnace room have a deadbolt, but not door knob? What is the weird bump under the carpeting? Is there a reason for the strange dead space behind bathroom wall? Hiding bodies? ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/22 "2017-03-15T17:10:09Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > I saw some Hollywood director interviewed (can’t remember his name) & he bought Orson Wells’ house. Orson Wells keeled over in the front entryway and the director who bought the home had a painter paint a white outline in the shape of the body (he had a police photo of the chalk outline of the dead body). > > But people do get freaked out over this. We have rental property and **must legally disclose that someone died in the home** & you wouldn’t believe how many people back out once they learn this. Bolding mine. Really??? That is a legal requirement? That affects the house in no way whatever. Older houses have probably had several people die in them. Are you required to disclose if any babies were born in the house? That is also a once in a lifetime event that has no affect on the house. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/23 "2017-03-15T17:23:36Z")
That does seem strange, but strange people make strange laws. My tenant was concerned that my Mother had died in the house. I explained that she didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/24 "2017-03-15T17:28:17Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > The weirdest request, which my friends agreed to, was that they allow his elderly semi-feral cat to live out her days at the house, with a litter box and cat bed in the garage. That was very kind of them. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/25 "2017-03-15T17:55:02Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > After we signed the contract on a house I purchased about 15+ years ago, the current owner when we were visiting with them, said come on I want to show you something. He proceeds to take me downstairs to one of the guest rooms in the basement, into the walk in closet. He pushes against a panel in one of the walls in the closet and the panel slides away and he turns on a light switch in the small alcove. In this alcove is a floor to ceiling gun vault capable of holding 8 long guns and shelves for several handguns, ammo, etc. Nice little bonus to go with the house. > > Years later, when I sold the house, I actually made the realtors aware of the safe so it could be shown to prospective buyers. That’s odd to me that the seller didn’t disclose that upfront. Regarding the death on property clause, that is a disclosure requirement where I am too. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/26 "2017-03-15T18:03:07Z")
For two houses I was told about water problems in the basement. First house by the neighbor who built the house (I wasn’t buying from him, there was an intermediate owner). In my current house the children and grandchildren of the builder told me. In both cases they just didn’t understand that water runs downhill. Some minor regrading took care of all of it in the first house, most of it in this one. In this house I was told the front door couldn’t be opened from outside. It had an old mortise lock with a button to control the outside knob. Pushed the button and it opened just fine. Also given a key to the old back door. Didn’t even fit in that lock. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/27 "2017-03-15T18:05:51Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > The sellers told us (not asked - told) not to cut down a certain tree in the yard because it had a special meaning for them. :dubious: I honestly don’t recall if we removed the tree or not, but the way I see it, once the deed is in our name, we’ll do whatever we want to do. Not quite the same, but… We bought our house in MA when it was 1 year old, and the builder was still building houses in the neighborhood. His brother lived across the street so we saw the builder on a regular basis. At one point my dad spoke to him about a tree in the front yard that was sickly looking and inquired if the builder (Old Man Jenks we all called him) could recommend someone to take it down. OMJ said he thought the tree would survive, but if it was still frail in a few years he’d take it down himself. Cut to five years later and a crew shows up at our front door and asks my mother (who knew nothing about the conversation years earlier) if it was a good day to cut the tree down. Much hilarity ensued. OMJ was quite a character. My dad asked him once what he recommended for water leaking into our basement. Jenks said “My basements don’t leak” and sent a crew over to fix the problem, no charge. This was probably 8-10 years after the house was built. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/28 "2017-03-15T18:37:08Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Regarding the death on property clause, that is a disclosure requirement where I am too. I don’t know if it’s a requirement where my mom lives, but her parents and her sister all died in her house. Not at the same time - really - my mom didn’t off any of them. :eek: But her parents and her mentally handicapped sister came to live with her and Dad in the mid-90s. My grandmother had a stroke in '95, and died there shortly thereafter. My grandfather died in his sleep of cancer a year later. My aunt died in 2012 of one of her many health problems - probably her heart. She just went to sleep and didn’t wake up. So there have been at least 3 deaths in 2 of the 3 bedrooms. It happens. That’s life. Heck, even if my parents had been crazed killers, it’s not like they’d convey when the house sells! And face it, it’s entirely possible that someone died right where you are this moment some time in history. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/29 "2017-03-15T18:43:57Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I don’t know if it’s a requirement where my mom lives, but her parents and her sister all died in her house. Not at the same time - really - my mom didn’t off any of them. :eek: But her parents and her mentally handicapped sister came to live with her and Dad in the mid-90s. > > My grandmother had a stroke in '95, and died there shortly thereafter. My grandfather died in his sleep of cancer a year later. My aunt died in 2012 of one of her many health problems - probably her heart. She just went to sleep and didn’t wake up. > > So there have been at least 3 deaths in 2 of the 3 bedrooms. It happens. That’s life. Heck, even if my parents had been crazed killers, it’s not like they’d convey when the house sells! And face it, it’s entirely possible that someone died right where you are this moment some time in history. Well, the disclosure rule does say only [three years prior](http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/civil-code/civ-sect-1710-2.html). ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/30 "2017-03-15T18:55:44Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Regarding the death on property clause, that is a disclosure requirement where I am too. Just people deaths? What about pets? How about bugs? Could I just say “various ants and spiders” or do I have to list each individual bug with a date and cause of death? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194/31 "2017-03-15T19:08:08Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > After we signed the contract on a house I purchased about 15+ years ago, the current owner when we were visiting with them, said come on I want to show you something. He proceeds to take me downstairs to one of the guest rooms in the basement, into the walk in closet. He pushes against a panel in one of the walls in the closet and the panel slides away and he turns on a light switch in the small alcove. In this alcove is a floor to ceiling gun vault capable of holding 8 long guns and shelves for several handguns, ammo, etc. Nice little bonus to go with the house. > > Years later, when I sold the house, I actually made the realtors aware of the safe so it could be shown to prospective buyers. > [@Icarus](#): > > That’s odd to me that the seller didn’t disclose that upfront…/snipped/. If the point of a safe is to be secret, showing it as a feature to prospective buyers negates that, don’t you think? There are criminals who pose as buyers to case houses or steal prescription meds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-home-sellers-tell-the-buyers/782194.md?page=1)