Stephs Cheers and Jeers was provided the samples mentioned in this post in return for an unbiased review.
Ever wonder if someone died in your house?
I know its a little morbid…but seriously…ever wonder?
Did you know Sellers are not always required to disclose if someone died in the home you might be buying? Creepy huh?
It all started when the owner of the site found out someone had died in one of the houses he owned. He assumed that it was something the Realtor was required to disclose but to his shock, its not.
According to a study by two business professors at Wright University, houses where murder or suicide have occurred can take 50% longer to sell, and at an average of 2.4 percent less than comparable homes. A California appraiser who specializes in diminution in value issues says that a well-publicized murder generally lowers selling price 15 to 35 percent.
Died In House is a database that you can use to find out if someone died in your house, who the previous residents are and if any of them are deceased in general.
Here is what a report will generate
– Has a death occurred?
– Who died at that house?
– When did the person die?
– What was the cause of death?
– List of Previous Residents
– Vitality Status of Previous Residents
– Additional information about the death
Disclaimer:
- We do not have or claim to have all of the records in the US. We also do not guarantee the accuracy of the data used in our search process. We cover that in our disclaimer and terms of agreement. A significant amount of paper records were not converted to digital format until the 1990s. The US Government did not start digitizing death records until the 1960s. Even today, there are government records that have not been digitized. Most of our data is from 1990 to present. We do have US Government data that reaches back to the 1940s and manual data that can go back even further. If we are not able to find a death record in our search, keep in mind that does not mean that a death has not occurred there. Using public records, we provide our customers with the names of everyone associated with an address and their vitality status. Our instant report saves customers a tremendous amount of time and assists in further research, if the customer want to pursue more information on their own.
- We are committed to continually striving to increase the data and improve the accuracy of the data. We have over 118 million records and that is only a fraction of the deaths that have occurred in America.
- The information contained in our database is obtained from multiple providers. Our algorithm searches through them, cross references and lastly validates against government records, but even that does not guarantee its accuracy. The government even states that they do not have all of the data or guarantee its accuracy.
- Our disclaimer states that Diedinhouse.com is merely a great tool to use to assist you with finding out if someone has died at a specific address. It is always recommended that before anyone purchases or rents a home, to run a Died in House ™ Report, ask the seller if they are aware of any deaths, speak with neighbors, search the address online and check government records for any information related to the property.
Here are some high profile cases:
- Thornton, PA – A California women moved herself and her kids closer to her family in Pennsylvania after her husband passed away in California. She bought a house in 2007 and later found out that a year earlier a man killed his wife then he committed suicide in the house. ABC News, among others, covered the story. Being aware of the murder-suicide, a couple bought the home on October 31, 2006 for $450,000. They later sold it to Janet Milliken a year later for $600,000 and did not disclose the incident to the Ms. Milliken. Once she found out she went to court to have the transaction rescinded and to recoup her money. Since there is no state law stating that it has to be disclosed, the judge ruled against Milliken and she is stuck with the house.
- Silver Spring, Maryland – A father and his daughter were murdered in their house in 2002. It was not disclosed to the new owner, a middle school principal named Brian Betts. He was shocked when he found out, but could not legally back out of the deal. He moved into the house, then had the house blessed by his church. In 2010, he was found murdered in the same house. Since then, the address has changed from 9337 to 9335 Columbia Blvd. and it went back on the market. After being on the market for an extended period of time, the house ultimately sold for just $330K in February 2012; comparables are $507K.
- Nyack, NY – “Legally Haunted” House in NY – The seller previously publicized that her home was haunted in Readers Digest, but did not disclose it to the buyer. NY does not have a disclosure law. The NY Supreme Court eventually ruled in favor of the buyer because the owner had publicized that the house was haunted. The court stated that for court purposes the house was deemed “legally haunted,” and that fact should have been disclosed to the buyer. The sale was revoked.
- BTK Serial Killer Dennis Rader – The house on Edgemoor St. in Wichita, KS where Bind, Torture, Kill (BTK) serial killer Dennis Rader murdered a family of four in 1974 was sold to Greg Lietz. He stated that the murders were never disclosed to him.
- BTK Serial Killer Dennis Rader – The house in Wichita, KS where Bind, Torture, Kill (BTK) serial killer Dennis Rader murdered a women in 1977 was sold to Diane Boyle, 54, a retired nurse. She stated that the murders were never disclosed to her.
My Report:
I ran two searches, one for my house and one for my moms, It was so easy to search, I just punched my address in and boom, there was the report:
Mine:
I was a little disappointed that there was no results for my house(maybe that’s a good thing), I will receive a second follow up report with any information the owner of the site could find.
My Mothers:
*I blacked out information to protect past owners and the deceased*
I was so impressed with this report…I am a little sad to know that one of the past owners has passed away, but that’s the circle of life! I am glad there was a whole list of past owners because even though my mom has lived where she does for years, we never went through the attic and plan to this summer and its great to have names in case we find any important stuff left behind.
Prices:
- Single Search for $11.99 each
- Three Searches for $34.50 ($11.50 each)
- Five Searches for $54.95 ($10.99 each)
- Ten Searches for $99.99 ($9.99 each)
- Twenty Searches for $190.00 ($9.50 each)
- Thirty Searches for $269.70 ($8.99 each)
Head over to their Facebook page!
Diedinhouse is a sham. Have they ever delivered any results — even when you knew certain people had died in a certain house? Waste of money!
Keep in mind it goes off public record 🙂
It’s a shame, no phone support, gave report of someone who died in someone else”s house on the next street not mine.