Josh Sanders, Founder of Shiloh Street
There’s no shortage possible of questions to ask when buying a house but there’s one answer in particular that you might want to know ahead of all others. I’ll warn you though, this might be a tough post for some folks to read (it was hard enough just to write about).
I was talking with one of our Shiloh Street agents this morning about a condo in Redmond, WA that he showed to a client the night before. What his client mentioned was quite sad but a realistic concern for any home buyer.
As soon as they stepped inside, the client asked, “I Googled this condo and found out the owner committed suicide; do you think that’s bad luck?”
As utterly saddening as it is, it’s a cold reality that pertains to real estate more than we realize and can directly affect buying and/or selling a home.
Putting the emotional empathy aside (as hard as that is to do) and strictly talking real estate, deciding whether or not to buy a property in this situation simply comes down to personal preference.
For example, the buyer who brought up the question apparently only cared if it was “bad luck” or not; emotions didn’t seem to come into play for him. I don’t think this says anything about his character, rather I think he’s one of those folks who don’t let their emotions affect certain decisions.
Frankly, I don’t believe in “luck” but if that’s your “thing” then, hey, that’s your thing and you need to wrestle with that issue until you’re comfortable. If it’s “bad luck” for you then it’s bad luck, period.
I personally couldn’t live there, even if it was free. But if you’re not bothered, all you need to consider are the difficulties when it comes time to sell. That’s why this is at the top of the list of questions to ask when buying a house.
As a seller, I’d feel obligated to disclose something like this to potential buyers, which of course could hurt my chances of selling 
quickly and for top dollar. On the other hand, there’s a buyer for every property, and I do mean EVERY property!
If I had a dime for every home I thought would never sell but eventually did, my wife and I would be drinking coffee on the terrace of our Tuscan villa right now. 
The Moral of the story about questions to ask when buying a house?
When you’ve narrowed your home search down to that one home you just can’t live without, Google the property address quickly and see what you find.
You might dig up a few things that would be handy to know before you get too excited!
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