Is it Legal to Sell a Haunted House in Minnesota Without Telling Buyers?

Strange noises in the night, lights that switch on by themselves, or those mysterious creaky floors - are Minnesota home sellers required to spill the spooky details to potential buyers?

And let's turn this around - as a homebuyer, would you want to know or would it just make you lose sleep at night?

The truth is, disclosure laws differ from state to state. In most states, sellers are only required to spill the details about certain issues, like the condition of the home or any major “physical defects” - think mold, if the appliances are in working order, or if there's a leak in the roof.

Also See: Stay in Minnesota's Most Famous Haunted Airbnb

In some states, though, sellers are required to disclose what’s called “emotional defects” or “stigmatized properties.” That’s real estate lingo for homes that might make a property less desirable because of emotional defects such as death of an occupant, murder, suicide, drug production, or even if people believe the place is haunted.

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According to Zillow, only four states specifically note paranormal activity in their real estate disclosure laws and Minnesota is one of them.

However, in Minnesota, while it's mentioned in the disclosures, it actually says it does not need to be disclosed:

In Minnesota, the “buyer beware” rule still applies in many cases, meaning it’s up to buyers to dig into the details if something seems off. Ask your Realtor -  sellers and agents are obligated to be honest, but it’s on you to uncover any hidden spooky surprises.

Speaking of digging. There is a section of the Minnesota disclosures where sellers do in fact, have to disclose if there are human remains on the property.

Creepy right?!

So, the real question is: as a buyer, would you really want to know? I'm going to say no way!

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