It wasn't unusual to see him in the store.
He used to run or walk around inside, dressed in a one-piece blue corduroy outfit, his cheeks rosy and his brown shoes scuffed up. He never spoke, but occasionally would let out a giggle.
And yet one thing separated this little boy from the rest of the community - he was dead.
Gloria Post and her son, Todd, both area real estate agents, say the old Post Corner Store at 34 Capitol St. in Auburn was home to the ghost of a 2-year-old boy who had drowned in a well on the store's property.
Such areas are what New York state Real Property Law refers to as “stigmatized” homes, properties that are suspected to be haunted or have been the scene of a suicide, homicide or accidental death.
Though not an everyday occurrence in Cayuga County, brokers may face an added challenge in selling a property if it has somewhat of a tainted past. Disclosure of homicides or hauntings is not mandated by law, but agents in the area say that they are upfront about all aspects of a home and will honestly answer questions if asked.
When the Posts went to sell their store several years ago, they made sure to inform possible buyers about all of the strange - but not necessarily frightening - happenings: moved toys, small handprints in the flour, a phone that floated off the hook.
“You knew that something was going on,” Gloria said, noting that she wasn't scared of the little boy but that there was a man who appeared for a brief time who made her uneasy.
While the Posts found a taker, Gloria said that the ghost sightings were a factor for one potential owner in the decision not to buy.
“(The person) said they didn't know if they could deal with that,” Gloria said.
John Bouck, of Bouck Real Estate in Auburn, has had his own experience selling a supposedly haunted house.
About four years ago, Bouck sold an Elbridge property that the owners claimed harbored the ghost of a woman. But they advertised the alleged haunting as more of a positive aspect, Bouck said, and those interested in the house weren't at all concerned.
But the situation was very different when, about three decades ago, Bouck listed a Walnut Street home in Auburn where a man had killed his family and then himself.
“That house was absolutely stigmatized,” Bouck recalled. “Nobody even wanted to look at it because it was just such a horrific type of crime.”
It ultimately did not sell for several years, and when it did, sold at a price much less than its value, Bouck added.
There was also a violent history, albeit one in the distant past, at Charles and Dorothy Loomis' former home in Fleming.
The home, which had been in the Loomis family since the 1930s before it was sold in October, was the site of a murder spree in March of 1846. William Freeman, a former convict at Auburn prison, killed four people at the Van Nest family residence at 5923 W. Lake Road.
“I think that it was one of the first things he told me,” Dorothy said, joking how her husband had tried to scare her off when they first met. She recalled that one year, on the anniversary of the murders, her mother called her up because she was concerned that Dorothy was home alone with the children.
Yet besides a dark mark, which was suspected to be a blood stain and was later covered by hardwood floors, there isn't much evidence of what happened more than 150 years ago.
Charles said that the family was more intrigued than scared of the home's history, which is also notable for William Seward's involvement (he defended Freeman with an insanity plea). They never saw any spirits, and when they heard strange sounds, they passed it off as a “friendly ghost,” Charles said.
Jeff Trescot, associate broker with Falcon Realty in Auburn, said that the home didn't take any longer than usual to sell and that its violent history didn't decrease its value (along with several acres of lakefront property, it sold for $360,000).
“It may turn somebody off, but I don't think it has a lot of effect value-wise,” Trescot said of stigmatized homes. “It's one more possible objection, and one more thing that makes a house more interesting than the house next door.”
Trescot said that though he wasn't required to, he told all prospective buyers about the murders, though many were already aware.
The buyers, Niles residents Christine Izzo and her husband, Thomas, were not concerned. After they learned about the murders, Christine decided to research what had happened to the Van Nest family.
The Izzos considered moving in even after they learned more but have chosen to instead fix up the house and subdivide the property. The family is happy in its current residence, Christine said, and the decision was unrelated to the murders.
“After 160 years, it didn't creep me out to the point where I wouldn't live there,” she said. But, she added, she would definitely not buy a home if she knew it was haunted.
Shawn Murphy, of Murphy Real Estate in Auburn, said that he's never had to deal with a stigmatized property, though he did come close one time when he was asked to sell a house in which someone had committed suicide. The house was foreclosed before the property had a chance to get on the market, he said.
Generally speaking, a recent notorious situation could hurt a sale from the standpoint that a certain percentage of people may not be interested in buying it, Murphy said. But he said that each buyer is different, and it varies from one to the next about what attracts - or dissuades - them from purchasing a property.
Sal Prividera, spokesman for the New York State Association of Realtors, agreed with Murphy. The association keeps no data on stigmatized properties, Prividera said, noting that a sale can depend on whether or not the event, or alleged event, is an issue for the prospective buyers.
“Certainly, the market is hot now, so if the home involved is desirable property, it will sell,” Prividera added.
Disclosure rules
From the New York State Association of Realtors:
On September 9, 1995, ž443(a) of the Real Property Law became effective. This law affects stigmatized
property and provides that it is “not a material defect or fact” that must be disclosed to a prospective
purchaser by a seller or their agent if:
[A] An owner or occupant of property has AIDS or any other disease that has been determined by medical evidence to be highly unlikely to be transmitted through occupancy of a dwelling place; and [B] The
property is or is suspected to have been the sight of a:
[1] homicide;
[2] suicide;
[3] death by accident or normal causes; or
[4] crime punishable as a felony.
Furthermore, issues such as ghosts, hauntings or other supernatural phenomenon are not required to be disclosed by a seller's agent under the same legal premise.
Buyers do have the right to make inquiry about such subjects and a selling broker's only duty is to
communicate that inquiry to the seller if the inquiry is made in writing. The seller can then choose whether or not to respond. The broker must advise the prospective purchaser whether the seller is willing to answer. Neither the broker nor the seller can be forced to provide the information.
If a buyer's agent has knowledge of any facts as stated above, there is a duty to disclose if the purchaser makes an inquiry.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
And yet one thing separated this little boy from the rest of the community - he was dead.
Gloria Post and her son, Todd, both area real estate agents, say the old Post Corner Store at 34 Capitol St. in Auburn was home to the ghost of a 2-year-old boy who had drowned in a well on the store's property.
Such areas are what New York state Real Property Law refers to as “stigmatized” homes, properties that are suspected to be haunted or have been the scene of a suicide, homicide or accidental death.
Though not an everyday occurrence in Cayuga County, brokers may face an added challenge in selling a property if it has somewhat of a tainted past. Disclosure of homicides or hauntings is not mandated by law, but agents in the area say that they are upfront about all aspects of a home and will honestly answer questions if asked.
When the Posts went to sell their store several years ago, they made sure to inform possible buyers about all of the strange - but not necessarily frightening - happenings: moved toys, small handprints in the flour, a phone that floated off the hook.
“You knew that something was going on,” Gloria said, noting that she wasn't scared of the little boy but that there was a man who appeared for a brief time who made her uneasy.
While the Posts found a taker, Gloria said that the ghost sightings were a factor for one potential owner in the decision not to buy.
“(The person) said they didn't know if they could deal with that,” Gloria said.
John Bouck, of Bouck Real Estate in Auburn, has had his own experience selling a supposedly haunted house.
About four years ago, Bouck sold an Elbridge property that the owners claimed harbored the ghost of a woman. But they advertised the alleged haunting as more of a positive aspect, Bouck said, and those interested in the house weren't at all concerned.
But the situation was very different when, about three decades ago, Bouck listed a Walnut Street home in Auburn where a man had killed his family and then himself.
“That house was absolutely stigmatized,” Bouck recalled. “Nobody even wanted to look at it because it was just such a horrific type of crime.”
It ultimately did not sell for several years, and when it did, sold at a price much less than its value, Bouck added.
There was also a violent history, albeit one in the distant past, at Charles and Dorothy Loomis' former home in Fleming.
The home, which had been in the Loomis family since the 1930s before it was sold in October, was the site of a murder spree in March of 1846. William Freeman, a former convict at Auburn prison, killed four people at the Van Nest family residence at 5923 W. Lake Road.
“I think that it was one of the first things he told me,” Dorothy said, joking how her husband had tried to scare her off when they first met. She recalled that one year, on the anniversary of the murders, her mother called her up because she was concerned that Dorothy was home alone with the children.
Yet besides a dark mark, which was suspected to be a blood stain and was later covered by hardwood floors, there isn't much evidence of what happened more than 150 years ago.
Charles said that the family was more intrigued than scared of the home's history, which is also notable for William Seward's involvement (he defended Freeman with an insanity plea). They never saw any spirits, and when they heard strange sounds, they passed it off as a “friendly ghost,” Charles said.
Jeff Trescot, associate broker with Falcon Realty in Auburn, said that the home didn't take any longer than usual to sell and that its violent history didn't decrease its value (along with several acres of lakefront property, it sold for $360,000).
“It may turn somebody off, but I don't think it has a lot of effect value-wise,” Trescot said of stigmatized homes. “It's one more possible objection, and one more thing that makes a house more interesting than the house next door.”
Trescot said that though he wasn't required to, he told all prospective buyers about the murders, though many were already aware.
The buyers, Niles residents Christine Izzo and her husband, Thomas, were not concerned. After they learned about the murders, Christine decided to research what had happened to the Van Nest family.
The Izzos considered moving in even after they learned more but have chosen to instead fix up the house and subdivide the property. The family is happy in its current residence, Christine said, and the decision was unrelated to the murders.
“After 160 years, it didn't creep me out to the point where I wouldn't live there,” she said. But, she added, she would definitely not buy a home if she knew it was haunted.
Shawn Murphy, of Murphy Real Estate in Auburn, said that he's never had to deal with a stigmatized property, though he did come close one time when he was asked to sell a house in which someone had committed suicide. The house was foreclosed before the property had a chance to get on the market, he said.
Generally speaking, a recent notorious situation could hurt a sale from the standpoint that a certain percentage of people may not be interested in buying it, Murphy said. But he said that each buyer is different, and it varies from one to the next about what attracts - or dissuades - them from purchasing a property.
Sal Prividera, spokesman for the New York State Association of Realtors, agreed with Murphy. The association keeps no data on stigmatized properties, Prividera said, noting that a sale can depend on whether or not the event, or alleged event, is an issue for the prospective buyers.
“Certainly, the market is hot now, so if the home involved is desirable property, it will sell,” Prividera added.
Disclosure rules
From the New York State Association of Realtors:
On September 9, 1995, ž443(a) of the Real Property Law became effective. This law affects stigmatized
property and provides that it is “not a material defect or fact” that must be disclosed to a prospective
purchaser by a seller or their agent if:
[A] An owner or occupant of property has AIDS or any other disease that has been determined by medical evidence to be highly unlikely to be transmitted through occupancy of a dwelling place; and [B] The
property is or is suspected to have been the sight of a:
[1] homicide;
[2] suicide;
[3] death by accident or normal causes; or
[4] crime punishable as a felony.
Furthermore, issues such as ghosts, hauntings or other supernatural phenomenon are not required to be disclosed by a seller's agent under the same legal premise.
Buyers do have the right to make inquiry about such subjects and a selling broker's only duty is to
communicate that inquiry to the seller if the inquiry is made in writing. The seller can then choose whether or not to respond. The broker must advise the prospective purchaser whether the seller is willing to answer. Neither the broker nor the seller can be forced to provide the information.
If a buyer's agent has knowledge of any facts as stated above, there is a duty to disclose if the purchaser makes an inquiry.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
