Yesterday, I came across the following ad: House for sale in Tuscany, 258 m², 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms. So far, so good. Close to Montepulciano. I went cycling there, it’s sublime. 555 000 euros. Well, why not. Previous price: 995,000 euros. That’s quite a reduction, because, I quote, “The current owners are selling the house because they think it is haunted.”
And it is there, obviously, that this country house changes dimension. We move from the natural to the supernatural, a bit like in the last Irving, “The Ghosts of the Jérôme Hotel”.
So obviously, you and I, Alexandra, we don’t believe in ghosts. Especially you. And yet, this announcement is scary. It’s like the game we played when we were little, where we asked a friend to sell us their soul. Even though we were surrounded by rational comrades, very few accepted. Who wants to buy a haunted house, even at half price?
The question is serious, and yet it breaks with the laws of the market. A haunted house is rare. If we were consistent capitalists, it should be twice as expensive, not half price. Yes, but sociology teaches us that when something is perceived as real, it becomes real in its consequences. In other words, if the house is perceived as haunted, many people will not be interested. And this, even if there are very good services, as the real estate agents say. Resale may also be difficult: potential buyers will be told: “Ah, it’s you, the fool who wants to buy the haunted house!”
This is why it is probably difficult to sell a well-equipped house, equipped with all modern comforts… and one or more ghosts.
Unless, unless this is an advertising argument, and this poor, uninteresting shack, which was never worth 995,000 euros, pushes itself to 555,000 euros under the pretext that it is haunted.
In which case, I ask myself the following question: do you get a discount if, after a month, you still haven’t seen any ghosts?
