Rare News Desk
When most people buy a home, they may have no idea about the crimes that happened inside.
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In fact, a seller may not have to tell you about any crimes that could have been committed in the home.
Fox 23 found two homeowners who had no idea about murders that took place in their house.
Janelle Woods of Tulsa is a mother of three who didn’t know about her home’s history.
In 1992, a couple came home from Christmas shopping and found their two sons murdered.
The 19-year-old was shot to death, and the 26-year-old was beaten to death with an ax.
“Wow. That’s terrible. That’s terrible. That’s awful,” said Woods.
A few miles away at another Tulsa home, a second homeowner also had no idea about an incident in her home.
Kyla Bentley shares a house with her sister Krista Lane, who has a son and baby on the way.
In 1997, a father struck his wife with a hatchet while she was sleeping and kept hitting her as she screamed.
Then he shot her and went upstairs and shot his 11 and 13-year-old daughters while they were awake. He murdered all three.
According to Fox 23, the murder was brutal. He showed up at the police deptartment with blood all over him and confessed.
“Oh my gosh that’s freaky,” said Bentley.
Longtime Tulsa realtor Darryl Baskin says he typically doesn’t know when a home has a tragic past.
He said many sellers don’t have to tell you about crimes that happened inside houses.
According to AOL Real Estate, in most states sellers and agents don’t have to reveal past deaths in a home if you don’t ask.
In Oklahoma, for exmaple, the official home disclosure document requires revealing physical problems with the house, like termites or asbestos but nothing psychological.
“You can’t measure that. You can see roof leaks you can see all of these things, but you can’t see psychological impact, and you can’t measure that. Some psychological things may never be repaired,” said Baskin.
To try to find out, buyers have to ask in writing, but that may not be enough.
Often, sellers are supposed to tell you if they know something happened in the home, but in states like Oklahoma, they can just refuse.
“It could be a red flag,” Baskin said of a non-answer from an agent.
But because most buyers don’t know to ask, they find out after they move in.
When asked if she may not have purchased her house had she known about the deaths there, Bentley was uncertain.
“I’m not sure. I don’t even know how to take this right now,” she said.
Woods also didn’t know how she’d have reacted.
“Honestly I don’t know. We may not have (bought the home),” Woods said.
The same thing goes for apartments, depending on state laws. If you want to know if crimes happened inside the apartment, you have may have to ask the owner in writing.
