Whoooo lived here?

BY BONNY FOURIE bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za

Your home could have been the scene of a murder or suicide, but you might never know

WHEN CHERYL* and her husband were searching for an estate home, their agents informed them that one of the properties they were interested in had been the site of two deaths, one of which was a suicide.

And although she had never felt concerned about deaths in homes before, she did not feel comfortable in the house.

The deaths were not the only reason for being turned off the property as there were other factors, but it was a large part of their decision not to buy it.

“I just didn’t feel comfortable in this home. It is a thatch house, with open rafters, which just made me feel uncomfortable as one of the deceased had hanged themselves.”

The couple’s decision is not an unusual one. Cobus Odendaal, the chief executive of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in Johannesburg and Randburg, says that as a rule, buyers would not want to live in such a property.

“More often than not, it would be bought as an investment property. Selling at a deflated price often allows for major renovations which improve security, create a new vibe and diminish the stigma.” He adds that the franchise has had “a few of these sales” in recent years, three of which he can clearly recall.

“We also see violent crimemotivated sales where, although no one died, the homeowners were traumatised enough to want to move.

“There have also been homes listed after someone committed suicide and, in one instance, there was a tragic case in which a man killed his wife and son.

“It’s always an extremely emotional situation.”

But, in many cases, the new owners will never know what has happened inside their homes. Although the sellers do usually seek advice from their agents and ask if such information needs to be disclosed, most are reluctant to do so as the general opinion is that it would push the price down. And there is no clear law in this regard, he says.

“Latent and patent defects must be disclosed and it’s arguably a defect if it can be proved that your original decision on whether or not to purchase the property would have been influenced if you had known that a murder had been committed in the property.

“It’s still an open question regarding what the outcome in a court case would be if a murder, having been committed in the home, was not disclosed at the time of the transaction.”

In cases where he has been aware of a murder within the home, Odendaal says he “absolutely” disclosed that to potential buyers.

“I know of a sale which was annulled right at the end after the incident had come to the attention of the purchaser.”

A 2020 article, published on realtor.com, lists many homes that were purchased despite horrific crimes occurring within them.

One of them, known at “The Los Feliz Mansion”, is the site of one of the most haunting and highly publicised murders in Los Angeles history.

It was bought for a bargain decades later.

“Early one morning in 1959, cardiologist Harold Perelson beat his wife, Lillian Perelson, to death with a ball-peen hammer, and then tried – and failed – to slay his 18-year-old daughter by bashing in her head with the same weapon… He then swallowed a lethal cocktail and was found dead in his bedroom beside the body of his wife,” the article states.

Some people believe that the mansion is haunted, and it remained mostly empty for decades. That was, until techinvestor Braden Pollock got it for a steal in 2020.

“It doesn’t affect me,” Pollock said of the home’s grisly history, shortly after purchasing it.

“It was a great opportunity to get a rare property like this at a good price.”

* Name changed

I just didn’t feel comfortable in this home. It is a thatch house, with open rafters, which just made me feel uncomfortable as one of the deceased had hanged themselves

Most sellers of homes that have a disturbing history will not reveal this to their agents or buyers.