Today I got an email from Andrea Pilat, a television producer, who’s looking for some haunted real estate to feature in an HGTV show, “Haunted House for Sale”.  I think that she may have thought that I sell haunted real estate - I don’t!  I just collect the stories and share them here.  Anyway, here’s what she’s looking for.  If you can help, I’ll post her email address below, which she invited me to share.

We are looking to feature 3 haunted houses that are for sale, anywhere in the country (preferably in different states).  Each of the 3 stories would include the seller, the buyer, the Realtor, and a local ghost hunting team.  You seem to be very looped in on the haunted real estate scene, so I immediately wanted to reach out and see whether or not you had any clients with haunted homes, or knew of any others in your area or beyond. We hope to begin shooting end of June/ July, so time is of the essence for us.

Do you know of any haunted houses which are on the market (currently for sale or “sale pending”)?  If so, please jot Andrea a note at apilat@kpitv.com. 

Today I received a comment on my Live in Los Gatos blog regarding the Cats, Leo and Leona, which guard the entrance to Poet’s Canyon in Los Gatos. Is the area haunted? The writer, Kenny, heard rumors about it and is wondering if there’s more information about this available. Below are his comments. If you know anything, please leave your comment here!

Posted by: Kenny Date: Nov. 2, 2008 My English teacher told us a story about the “Stone Cats of Los Gatos”.  Back in college, he took folklore, and as part of that class, he, in a group of 5 other people, had to find a local story or legend and make a presentation.   Well, they heard the story of these stone cats of Los gatos.  They’re on either side of a gate off highway 17 just before the Los Gatos exit headed towards Santa Cruz.  They decided to take a trip up there one night to see the cats and head up the road beyond them.  The local legend had it that in the forest beyond the cats lived a troupe of albino cannibals.  So, these 6 idiot college kids found the gate, popped it open, and headed up the road beyond.  about a mile in, they start to see a shitload of red eyes in the forest around them.  Everybody starts freaking out.  Then suddenly, their truck dies.  So the three guys in the group (my teacher included) decide to head up the road (not back the way they came, remember: idiot college kids) to find a house to call for help.  Sure enough, they find a house.  My professor insists that he remembers this house vividly, and the other two guys say they saw exactly the same thing.  They get 50 feet away from the house, and it vanishes.  The three run back to the truck down the road, scaring the heck out of the girls in the truck.  They eventually get the truck started, and haul back down to the highway.  As they exit the gate, they look back at the stone cats.  The eyes of the cats are glowing red. Whats the scoop on stuff like this?

Today’s entry comes to me from Pat Christenson, who is a friend of my friend Deb Wible:

Here’s my story. My 2 sisters and I were staying at the Don CeSar
Hotel in St. Petersburg Beach, FL. We took a tour of the hotel (which used to be a hospital) and learned about 3 ghosts, one of which is the original owner/builder of the hotel. They told us he sometimes talks to guests. A couple hours later, my sisters and 2 men got on the elevator. A male voice said,
“Two please” so one of my sisters pressed the button for 2. When they
reached the second floor, no one got off. The two men each thought
the other had said, “Two please.”

Bonnie Vent, of SD Paranormal, emailed me yesterday about her new approach to helping buyers and sellers of haunted real estate, so I thought I’d pass this on to you. I have her OK to copy and paste from the email. - Mary Pope-Handy

Hi Mary,

I have taken my haunted house listings to the next level.  I have a radio spot called “Paranormal News” and I am selling ad spots for those that wish to sponsor the show.  The first ad sold was from a woman in Indiana that has a haunted house for sale.  She is thrilled with the results since the ad goes out to the paranormal enthusiast communities; a targeted audience for any haunted property. 

The audio feeds are currently playing on:  

Para X Radio network - www.para-x.com

Ghostly Talk Radio - www.ghostlytalk.com

Coming soon will be Planet Paranormal - www.planetparanormal.com

As well as ITunes, Yahoo and Google and several podcast directories as podcasts.

The feeds are also stored indefinitely on my own podcast page:  www.paranormalnews.mypodcast.com

The text feeds are seen by thousands as they are on many paranormal websites, several Yahoo Groups also receive the feeds and some people also subscribe via email.  They all receive updates automatically every time I update the feed. 

Here are a few examples:

http://www.beyondrealityradio.com/westcoastnewsfeed

http://parahub.org/files/News.htm

http://www.paranews.co.uk/modules/paranews/index.php/b13 

Please pass this along to clients and fellow agents that are interested in buying and selling haunted property.  If they are interested in sponsoring a broadcast or placing an ad they can reach me at paraxnews@aol.com  I can do the ad for them or they can send a mp3 file which I will incorporate into the show. 

There are plans to turn this into a radio show.  This will of course depend on how much of a response we receive. 

Thx so much,

Bonnie Vent

San Diego Paranormal Research Project

www.sdparanormal.com

 Today’s post is shared by Frances Flynn Thorsen, who is a Realtor in PA and AZ and is the managing editor of Real Town.

Ghosts? Haunted Houses? I confess that I love to read the stories here and elsewhere. I have two personal stories that may be about haunted houses. Perhaps they are NOT about haunted houses. I do not pretend to have an explanation for strange events, but I will share one story here and let you decide for yourself.

The morning was quite bleak, cloudy overcast sky threatened rain. Spirits were soaring as we approached the first house on our round of showings that day. A retired couple from Northern New Jersey was planning to move to the Lehigh Valley, PA, and we embarked upon our second appointment to view properties in search of their new home.

The first home on our itinerary was a detached, single-family, two-story farmhouse in a semi rural corner of Bangor. The house was vacant and the property listing remarks said that there were repairs and renovations underway. There was a great yard and the property had all of the features on the couple’s “Wish List.” We were cheerful and optimistic when I opened the lockbox, inserted a key, and opened the door.

There was no furniture in the house, the ladder in the corner and a set of scattered tools was evidence of work in progress. The rooms were large and windowed to a park-like setting in rear and side yards.

The male spousal unit headed for the basement for a close look at the mechanicals. A retired engineer in search of a “fix” was like a kid in a toy store with an opportunity to roam at will to trace the wires and pipes in the subterranean crevices of a hundred-year-old home.

We left him alone with the furnace and fuse box and proceeded to inspect other areas of the home. The kitchen was large and modestly appointed, and it offered a splendid eating nook with an inviting view of the patio and yard. It was time to see the second floor. As the wife and I started to ascend the stairs we heard a man’s voice. We were surprised. There was no car in the driveway when we arrived. I guessed that the voice belonged either to the owner of the home or to a contractor who was busy upstairs.

The sound of the voice became louder, it sounded like the man was very angry and he was yelling at another person there. I yelled, “Hello! I am a REALTOR and I am showing the house. We are coming upstairs.”

The yelling continued, followed by the sound of a slamming door and a series of crashes. I continued to issue loud greetings and we climbed the stairs. I was concerned that someone was seriously hurt and somewhat fearful that we heard an episode of violence.

Suddenly there was silence. We stepped into the hallway, stopped, and listened. I called out again, “Hello! This is the REALTOR. Is everyone all right?”

There was no response. We gingerly stepped down the hall and looked into the bedrooms and the bathroom. All the rooms were vacant, there was no furniture and no sign of life. The closets were empty. We were chilled. The wife and I shared a look and without saying a word to each other we retreated to the first floor. She called to the basement, “Jim, come upstairs, we are leaving RIGHT NOW!”

He sauntered to the first floor and she ushered him out the door hurriedly, ignoring his pleas for an explanation. I did not say a word. We got into my car and pulled out of the driveway. He continued to inquire about our sudden departure and his wife’s ashen face.

As we pulled onto the highway and headed to the next house on the itinerary the sky smiled. The clouds parted and a glorious ray of warm sun pierced the chilly autumn day. She and I looked at each other and smiled. We never discussed it again. I’ll have to find her e-mail address and send her this link.

Frances Flynn Thorsen
Realtor, e-PRO, SRS, ACRE
Managing Editor, Real Town

Awhile back, I got an email from someone about a childhood experience of this person’s involving ghosts at Vallco.  One other person, whom the first one knows, also had a similar experience there. I will remove the store name so as not to create a fuss for the current owner….but if this is familiar to you, please let us know!

“(I was) downstairs in the basement, I saw a group, yes group, of spirits, ghosts, I don’t know what to call them. There were about 20-25 of them, all different ages and sizes, all dressed from the previous century, and all with a far look of dread on their faces. They were standing at the glass doors that lead out to the underground parking lot…”.I’ve been there as a child, and as an adult, but did not pick up on anything. Anyone know about these ghosts from Cupertino’s past?

Today I received an email regarding The Ivy House Inn at 815 South Ash Street in Casper, Wyoming, which the owners, Tom & Kathy Johnson, would like to sell. It’s located near the downtown area of Casper and features 3 guest rooms and 2 suites plus the owners’ quarters, which comprises the third floor of the abode. 

It is not the typical commercial property for sale. This one’s haunted, and the ghosts are fairly active. Fortunately, they are not malicious and the Bed & Breakfast has a happy feel, Tom tells me.

What happens there?

“We are also haunted, especially by the woman who was the matriarch of this place when it was a Mormon Colony House.  She also had two Siamese cats, who also remain here.  We have hundreds of pictures with many things, including orbs, vortices, ectoplasm, a full apparition, and several faces (one in a window, and one in a mirror).  And we have voices on audio recording.”

Interested in buying a haunted inn? Contact Tom & Kathy at ivyinn@yahoo.com  or phone them at (307) 265-0974. 

 This has been a great week for my mailbag!! I do not know Cynthia but received this email from her and thought the loyal readers of the Haunted Real Estate Blog would enjoy reading about her experiences and insights. Thank you, Cynthia, for your post!I have had encounters before I landed into the business of selling homes. Then, I got into real estate, once in a while I can feel when the house is ‘occupied’ whether it’s vacant or not once I open the door. If I am alone previewing homes, I do not enter the property when I feel ’something’ is telling me not to enter, then I don’t go inside out of respect. If I have clients with me, saying a little prayer seems to work although the feeling that someone is present stays with me.

  Jackie Colson-Miller is another friend of mine from the Blogosphere. Like Ines (post a few days ago), Jackie was another particpant in Project Blogger. This post of hers is pre-Realtor days, when she was a college student in Providence, RI. Interesting stuff. Thanks, Jackie!

Anyone who has lived in “off campus” housing in college can appreciate a great house, in a great location (out the front gate) at a great price…the tagline is…there’s always a “catch”…

Many years ago, as a college senior, just back from my Junior Year Abroad in Switzerland, my roommates and I rented this “prime” property just off-campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Several groups of students had lived there over the previous years and it was considered THE place to live. We considered it a “coup” to have been the chosen tenants.

Just days after moving in, some weird things started to happen. The back door would suddenly open. We would hear footsteps on the porch and heading up the stairs to the storage room. Salt and pepper shakers would be found under the sink….WEIRD stuff. After three visits by the local police, they assumed we were just a little crazy and told us not to call them again. We chalked it all up to the “home for troubled girls” next door and figured they were just pranks.

About 6 weeks into the adventure, at a homecoming event, one of the previous tenants, a guy who had graduated the previous year, couldn’t wait to pose the question. “Hey Jackie…how’s life with Mrs. Walsh?” “Who”, I said. Jimmy was quick to tell me the story of the landlord’s mother, Mrs. Walsh, who died in the house. She sat on the porch every day and watched the students walk to campus. “She said she would never leave the house”, he said ”when I knew it was you who moved in, I couldn’t wait to ask you about it”. So much for disclosure among friends! Just that afternoon, I had been in my closet, choosing something to wear for this momentous event, and one of my roommates was sitting on the bed. “Something” touched her arm…it was just the beginning of our wild adventures with “Mrs. Walsh”.

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