Stigmatized property is one of the titles realtors give to a home that someone has died in or has sent empty for long periods of time. It seems such a place is more haunting than haunted and it draws mainly three sorts of people: People who are up to no good who graphetti the walls, break out windows, leave a mess in the house, etc; homeless people and squatters; people with a morbid fascination for places that are rumored to be haunted, even if no one has died in the home.
When a property is labeled as stigmatized, it can be hard selling point. Potential buyers became aware that the value of the home will go down, insurance will go up, and they will have people driving by all hours of the night to take pictures of their home, or worse.
When listening to stories of places people believe are haunted, I often hear about some creepy, old abandoned house in the middle of no where. No one can tell me why he or she thinks it is haunted, though, they just say it is creepy. Most of the time, the property is more than likely owned by someone who doesn’t want you in that house, no matter how much disrepair it is in. If there is a “No Trespassing” sign, then you best keep out, otherwise the police might be called and you could be charged with breaking and entering, even if there was no forced entry.
My advice: If you want to investigate a place like this, please go to the tax assessor’s office at the local courthouse (that is, the courthouse in the county the house is in) and find out who owns the property. Give them a call or write a letter and tell the recipient who you are and what your intentions are. The worse they could do is say no and/or call you crazy.
