Would a murder or paranormal activity put you off purchasing a property?

New research has revealed the most common turnoffs for Brits looking for a property to purchase.

This research from regulated property buyer Good Move shows that over half (58%) of those involved with its survey would be put off purchasing a property if there had previously been a murder at the property. 44% would reject a house if there had been reports of paranormal activity.

However, more practical issues seem to be higher up on their list of concerns, such as a shared garden (73%), signs of damp (75%) or cracks (73%) and having a short leasehold remaining (76%).

The biggest red flag for those looking to buy is noisy neighbours, with a huge 85% of people saying this would put them off purchasing a property.

The top 10 issues putting house buyers off purchasing a property:

1. Noisy neighbours (85%)
2. Short leasehold remaining (76%)
3. Signs of damp (75%)
4. A shared garden (73%)  
5. Signs of cracks on the walls (73%)
6. Front Door opening onto a main road (70%)
7. No parking (69%)
8. No garden (66%)
9. Smelly (63%)
10. Busy or high-speed roads nearby (62%)  

Over 40% of UK house buyers may have admitted that they would not be put off by the fact that a murder took place onsite, but this would cause them to expect a discount of almost a third (32%) of its market value.

The research also highlighted that buyers would expect a 30% reduction if there had been reports of paranormal activity…

The top five features that buyers would expect the biggest discounts for are: 

1. Existing tenants (34%)
2. Murder (32%)
3. Paranormal Activity (30%)
4. Pets left behind in the property (26%)
5. Being next door to a cemetery (25%)

Ross Counsell, director at Good Move, said: “Although everyone has a different idea of the perfect home, it’s clear from our survey that certain things will put off most people. 

“On the bright side, some of these put-offs are easy to address, so if you are looking to sell your house, make sure you sort out small things like cracks and damp. 

“These little actions can make a huge difference and help you to make your house more attractive to buyers.”