Halloween is almost here, and that only means one thing: it's time to get spooked. That means it's time to dress up in horrifying costumes, get your home decked out with chilling decorations, and carve a pumpkin of your own to create a perfectly ghoulish jack-o-lantern. Best of all, that means its time to turn off the lights, snuggle up under your seemingly safe covers, and immerse yourself in some seriously scary stories. Curbed has posted three articles with horrifying real estate stories from readers and D.C. area realtors. Now, it's time to stack them all together and pick the best of the best. It's up to you, dear readers, to choose which spooky story trumps them all, so be sure to cast your vote in the below poll. These submissions have been lightly copy-edited, but the content remains the same. If you have a better, spookier real estate story of your own, be sure to let us know in the comments.
1. From guest:
I live in a haunted house in Spring, Texas. My husband, our two adult children, and I bought the house in 2007, just built and brand new in a new subdivision. No one had lived in this house before us, and no one has ever died in this house, but ever since we have lived here, strange things have happened. Doors close by themselves, cabinet doors open by themselves, and objects like house keys and jewelry have just gone missing and can't be found. Invisible footsteps on the hallway floor can be heard, several times I have heard a soft sound of a woman's voice humming a lullaby as if singing to a baby, and when I go to see about it, it stops. I heard a voice say my name several times when no one was in the room with me, the dogs have barked furiously at something only they can see, and it goes on and on! I also have actually seen a shadow ghost walk down our hallway and through the front door! I was told by a psychic that our house is not haunted since no one has died in it, but that it is the street that we live on that the ghost wanders on and goes in and out of our houses out here, though I haven't heard anyone else say they have the same problems we do. At least the ghosts are not dangerous. They have never tried to hurt us in any way. They are just here. I am not afraid.
2. From guest:
Years ago, I went to look at a very nice property that was selling for a ridiculously low price. On five acres in the low desert and with mission style architecture, the house was built in a square that opened on to a center courtyard that had a pool. And there were out buildings for horses!
I was in the habit of taking my German Shepherd with me when I went off to meet realtors on my own, and when we got to the house, the dog would not cross the threshold. The interior of the home was beautiful, and there were some wonderful mirrors on the wall. The entire time we walked through the house, I had the feeling we were being watched. I actually thought I saw flashes of people reflected in the mirrors and the windows. The entire time I was inside, my dog sat just outside the front door, howling like someone had died.
Left the house still thinking about buying it, but then — on a whim — decided to do a little research. (We were new to the area). This was in the days before full disclosure. Found out the previous owner of the house had murdered his wife and four children before shooting himself, and the house had been on the market for three years. It never did sell. The family who had inherited the house finally had it demolished, and thirty some years later, the lot is still empty.
3. From guest:
We are a young couple, I'm 34, and she's 27. We have three children, aged 10, three, and three months. In July of 2012, we purchased an old farm house with some acreage just outside of a small town in Illinois. We knew the house was old, but not until finalizing paperwork did we find out how old. There were a couple different dates we were been told, but both are prior to the Civil War by about 10 years. I'm a firm believer in the supernatural, but at the same time remain skeptical. I don't want my beliefs to persuade my rationale. So when sounds happen, I try to think of the most likely answers. There have just been too many times already though. It hasn't even been three years, and we've both lost count for how many spooky things we've experienced. There have been battery-operated toys coming to life in the middle of the night, mysterious footsteps, and knocking on windows at 1 a.m.
Strangest of all, though, was what happened to me late one night outside. I was sitting in my car in the driveway, smoking a cigarette with the radio on as I sometimes do. I heard this faint "whoosh" sound that only lasted for a second or two, getting louder as if it was getting closer. Suddenly, my entire car shook violently. It was a clear night with hardly a gust of wind. It scared the crap out of me, and I sprinted into the house. I still have no explanation as to what it was.
More must-read articles to get you in the Halloween spirit:
Mapping the Filming Locations of The Exorcist
D.C.'s Haunted (and Otherwise Scary as Hell) Locations
This Home May Not Have Ghosts But We're Not Convinced
Boo! Imagine 6 D.C. Landmarks in Halloween Costumes
Get Spooked by the Six Scariest Statues In and Around D.C.
4. From scarymary:
I had just moved to Michigan from Arizona to live with my boyfriend he lived in flat top part of the house. We had stairs about eight feet high and a window next to the door. Every other night, I would hear footsteps like someone was coming to visit so then I would ran to window to see who was there. I couldn't believe every time I would go see, there was no one there. Then one night when he and I where sleeping something grabbed my foot. I woke up yelling, and no one was there again. A week later at night when we were laying down, we would hear cans of food falling in our kitchen. When we got up, our kitchen was clean. Nothing had fallen. It seemed to only happen at night and when we were going to sleep. If that wasn't bad enough, the other night when we were falling asleep, I was at the end of the bed and something or someone whispered in my ear, "I LOVE YOU." I started crying because my boyfriend was asleep. It seemed like it only happened to me, but my boyfriend later started to hear different things also. This is to say the least of what happened to us.Thank God we moved!
5. From guest:
The first house my husband and I bought, he found while working. Though it was in a neighborhood that our realtor was focusing on and well within our price range, she had not thought to show it to us. For the price, the home was in amazing condition, far better than the rest of the houses we had seen. Despite being vacant for a long time and full of leaves, it was welcoming and cozy. In fact, our 18-month-old daughter took off wandering from room to room as if she felt right at home. The realtor wouldn't go past the entryway (a detail I wish I had paid more attention to), and when I found my daughter hiding in a closet, she told me she was playing hide-and-seek. I assumed a harmless imaginary friend and made an offer on the home.
Shortly after we moved in, I heard a faint "Mommy" being called from my daughter's room. I started toward the hall before realizing my daughter was at her grandmother's. My husband also saw a little girl one time when our daughter was away. Soon, we realized our daughter was spending a lot of time in her room and in other parts of the house by herself. Whenever we would check on her, she would turn abruptly and stare at us and give short answers until we left her be, but when we would leave, we would immediately hear her laughing and jabbering again. When we confronted her, she told us that she had friends in the house. She said that they scared her because they were creepy looking. One of them, the one that was usually in her room, she described as a little girl. She said that she only saw her eyes, that they were black and shiny. She said that the little girl was always under furniture. When I asked her how she knew it was a girl, she said that she talks to her and has a girl's voice. I asked what she says. My daughter told me the little girl tells her to come with her under the furniture. She wasn't let out of my sight again the rest of the time we lived in that house. Turns out a young child died in that house of severe neglect and abuse.
· Spooky Stories archive [Curbed DC]