Property Ghost Factor

Yes they do. An unnatural death will definitely devalue a house. Some are even demolished.

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I don’t think that’s completely true. Incidentally, I remember going to see a room in a small but pretty nice flatshare in the UK years ago with my girlfriend at the time. A day or two after the first viewing with the other tenant (friendly young guy, in his early twenties IIRC), when she’d decided to take the room, the rental agent stopped returning the calls and was evasive about what had happened – it turned out that the guy we’d met had killed himself in the apartment so they were still trying to sort that out. (It all seemed a bit odd/spontaneous – he’d left his work clothes and bus pass for the next day folded on the chair then apparently hung himself and/or tried to slit his wrists, from what we could gather.)

She took the room in the end, but didn’t last more than several weeks before moving out (after a couple of late-night phone calls asking if she could stay with me instead because she’d heard some noise or was uncomfortable staying there). Anyway, I don’t think this is a non-issue in Western countries.

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Or the guy didn’t commit suicide but was suicided, if you know what I mean…

That would not be my first guess, TL…

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Also was your girlfriend Taiwanese or Asian?

But I can imagine not being comfortable living in a house where someone died, as thousands of things may cross your mind. Like if there’s a suspicion the death was actually not a suicide it is natural for people to fear the killer may return to kill you.

But what if you live in a city where there was a war in the past? I imagine someone died in any houses in Berlin in the last 100 years. I mean you’d be seeing ghosts of those killed in the war, died from the Holocaust, etc…

In fact when I visited a concentration camp near Berlin (and this is actually one of the better ones), I had nightmares that night. So there is probably some spiritual energy there, after people who died in the Holocaust likely did not die in peace.

Neither. She was Peruvian (or, since shortly after, Peruvian–British), and a scientist/archeologist, if that makes a difference.

Yeah, it wouldn’t be my first choice either, all else being equal. But like you say, it’s probably hard to avoid in old houses.

Yeah, I’m guessing you’re talking about Sachsenhausen – I’ve been there too (in addition to several others). I don’t remember finding that one especially moving tbh, but I was probably having one of my apathetic/indifferent days (>90% of the time). I’ve been to Auschwitz-Birkenau as well – that one had a bit more of an effect, offset slightly by the sunny day, schoolkids running around, and guy selling hot dogs outside.

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People die in hospitals daily, and yet I haven’t seen people refuse to stay in them overnight.
my grandparents died at home peacefully in their sleep (a few years apart ) and it wasn’t a problem to rent out their place.

I guess some people could step away from a place where a gruesome death happened, but otherwise I haven’t witnessed problems.

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Happy ghosts are OK. What you don’t want is an unhappy ghost, cos they’ll stick around and hide the ketchup.

They’re slightly different. The home of a lunatic mass murderer and a home where two schoolgirls were raped and murdered.

Slightly different than not wanting to live in a house in case Old Man Jenkins’ ghost appears.

I think what’s different about the West is landlords aren’t skittish about renting to old people after age 65. In fact I think most landlords like old people because they’re quiet and more reliable.

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it’s all a question of money.
I’m sure that rich old people do not have a problem renting.
the original article quoted a poor guy who only makes 20k a month, 6 of it is government subsidies.
people whose whole income is 20K will have trouble renting even in their 30s.

Well what kind of house is he trying to rent? Taufan isn’t that expensive. Also he has a car. A car costs no less than 10,000nt a month to maintain. 8000 is really expensive for a taofan.

Actually if his WHOLE income is 20,000nt per month he shouldn’t even be able to afford a car!

“has health insurance” is probably for American readers. Taiwan has universal healthcare. Participation in NHI is mandatory.

The 6 k is most like his pension, not subsidies.

I wonder if it’s possible to buy up these ghost properties and use them as haunted house or something?

My wife has mentioned to me several times that landlords do not like to rent to old people due to the death problem. This seems to be common thinking among alot of Taiwanese.

Are you sure? There was a whole Modern Family episode dedicated to this.

It was quite funny. it was also quite refreshing to know that not only Taiwanese have these beliefs.
Anyway, they would not make an episode about it if it didn’t hit some truths.

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How about animal ghosts, pets dying in a place?

My mom grew up in a pre-Chicago fire house (at least 100 years old, but the records are gone cuz of the fire, so we don’t know how old). Her ouiji board said their house’s ghost was named Irk. For a while they gave Irk Christmas presents. Mostly it was just a joke, but it was pretty clear someone/thing would wander around upstairs all the time. Not great in the big city. But she and her siblings turned out OK. No one was murdered or otherwise harmed by Irk…

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I ask this type of question a lot. But generally speaking, people that fear typical ghost type narratives arent the most logical.