To Mention or Not to Mention

Here's another scenario that falls into a moral grey area.

A broker has just secured a new listing: a house in a gated community. During his visit to take photos and get acquainted with the property, he overheard the neighbors' household staff gossiping. From what little he could make out, it sounded like they were discussing someone having died in the house and that the house is haunted.

So, here's the ethical dilemma: As a broker, do you bring up what you heard to potential buyers?

Poll results

The results are in! Should you inform potential buyers if there's a chance someone might have died on the property?

First, it's important to note that there's no definitive right or wrong answer here. In the U.S., some states require real estate agents to disclose deaths that occurred on the property within a specific time frame (e.g., within the past three years). Other states only mandate disclosure if the death was due to unnatural causes.

A significant portion of respondents (58%) selected Option 3: "No, it's just hearsay. I don't even know if it's true."

Personally, I choose Option 1: "Yes, because my reputation is at stake." Here’s why:

Is it really that difficult to verify if someone died in the house? Or is it just a matter of asking the seller or someone trustworthy?

[This reminds me of my concerns with the statements from Alice Guo’s lawyers about her being in the country. They said, "As her counsel, we have always relied on our client's assurances that she is still in the Philippines. Without further evidence proving that she has left the country, we continue to rely in good faith on our client's assurances." Was it truly that hard to confirm whether your client was in the country?]

What if it turns out someone did die in the house, validating the rumors you heard? Do you think the new owners would eventually find out? And if they do, how do you think they would react?

What if the buyer was someone close to you, like a father-in-law? Wouldn’t you want to ensure the rumors were either confirmed or debunked?

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you want to approach these situations.