Whether a house has simply been occupied by its long-gone initial resident or seems to be located in an area that’s particularly energized to attract supernatural activity, ghosts and real estate seem to go hand-in-hand. And even in the case of ghosts who don’t seem to want to create much trouble, there’s nothing that can send a chill up the spine speedier than thinking about living, sleeping, and raising kids alongside restless spirits.
From encounters with benevolent spirits to run-ins with poltergeists that seem to love to wreak havoc all around a home, and even experiences that lead to capturing telling orbs on film, the following women share 15 stories of living in haunted houses. Even the most skeptical may become believers upon reading these eerie, real-life tales of coming in contact with the other side while doing nothing more than spending time right at home.
“One night we returned home to see our babysitter sitting wide-eyed on our leather sofa. She immediately blurted out, ‘I think your house is haunted!’ That was when we finally started to wonder if our house was actually haunted. The sitter swore she heard children talking and walking around. She went upstairs several times to tell our kids to go to bed. Like us, she found them asleep each time. The sounds have continued, but we’ve mostly gotten used to them now. We no longer run upstairs every time we hear footsteps or the flick of a light switch. I suppose we’ve accepted our phantom roommates as permanent residents of our home. Or maybe they’ve accepted us?” — Peg, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“June immediately removed the mannequins from the house to honor Anna Whaley’s request. What I did not know until later was that most of the property in the house were period pieces that had been donated and very little property of the Whaleys’ were in the house. My question was why would Anna Whaley need this very expensive dress in what was the wild west of San Diego? A little historical research gave me the answer: Anna Whaley was listed in the newspaper of the day attending the grand opening of the Hotel Del Coronado and her dress is described perfectly as the same dress that was hanging on the mannequin.” — Bonnie, San Diego, California
“I started by cleaning the entire house; I paid attention to every inch of space including walls, ceilings, carpet, doors, and windows. As I cleaned the walls, I stroked them with love. I spread sea salt around the house and left it for the next 24 hours to absorb the negative energy, then I swept it all away singing joyful songs. I opened all the windows and went around the house clapping my hands, moving the negative energy out of the windows and inviting positive energy in through the doors.
“After the house was clean in body and spirit, it was time to fill it with beautiful music, songs, laughter, lovely things, and an abundance of fresh food. I even left some food for the Guardian as a sign of good will. After some time passed, I saw the Guardian in my dream again. This time it appeared as a kind old woman, her face soft with wrinkles and her eyes sparkling with mischief. She said that she and the Fairies of the garden had a chat and that they’d like us to plant berries and flowers. She also mentioned that she liked bread with honey and berry jam. I did what she and the Fairies requested, and the fresh berries in the garden abounded and a little honey and jam on good slice of bread was left out from time to time. Everyone who lives in the house is healthy and happy, and the most amazing lucky events happen to everyone who visits. Feel free to think that it is a coincidence, but also feel free to repeat my cleansing ritual and see if it changes things in your house.” — Milana, Salt Lake City, Utah
“For a week after, I was looking for a sign from him everywhere, and there was nothing. Then, a week later, I’m walking through the playroom of our house, and I have four kids, so it’s a disaster. And standing in the middle of a Lego set was a Christmas card from my friend that he had sent 15 years ago, before September 11. It was standing up perfectly placed. And we moved houses six times since then. I have not seen that card since it was that Christmas.” — Jennifer, Davidson, North Carolina
“But wait … There’s more. I dismissed this occurrence as ‘pregnancy brain’ and went on with my life. Several months later, after our daughter was born, I was in the shower while the kids were down for a nap. I was rinsing out my hair when I head footsteps. Little running footsteps. I opened my eyes, heard a giggle, and saw a little boy, not in the clothes my son was wearing, in a red shirt and jean shorts running across my bathroom into the closet. Strangely, I was not freaked out. This has happened several times over the last five years since the first time. I’m never really freaked out by him, and he has aged some. He now seems to be 4. He always runs by when I’m in the shower like he’s chasing something.
“The most recent encounter I’ve had was one morning when my husband and I were asleep. My two oldest kids came in to wake us up. All I could make out was their silhouette. I told them both to go potty, and then I would turn on a show for them in our room. I told my older son to let his little sister use our bathroom and for him to use his down the hall. He just stood there so I repeated myself and he turned and went down the hall. My daughter went into our bathroom. I sat up waiting for them to return. My son came back and sat on the floor waiting. After a minute, he said, ‘Hey Mom, can you turn on a show?’ I said, ‘Well, let’s wait for your sister.’ He turned around and said, ‘She’s still asleep, Mom.’ I said, ‘No she isn’t, I saw her go in my bathroom.’ I got out of bed to check on her …. I got to the bathroom, and it was empty. I quickly went to her room and there she was. Asleep. I had been watching the whole time since my son had come in with who I thought was my daughter. Since then, I hear little footsteps all the time upstairs, if we’re all downstairs, or in the hallway when I’m around the corner and my kids are napping.” — OlliePumpkinTree, Reddit
‘I live alone with my pack of pugs, the kitchen has no shelves, and all of my doors were locked and had been since I had gotten home 30 minutes prior. I was quite alone. I ended the phone call and went out into my attached garage, also locked from the outside with the door down. I moved several boxes to find my Monopoly game, sadly languishing in the garage. The humidity had sealed the box shut — I had to peel it open. However, I looked through the game, the pieces, the houses — everything. The Monopoly car was gone — sitting on my counter. Honestly, I think that my father was telling me to stop complaining about his car.” — Brandy, St. Petersburg, Florida
“Right after we moved in, our neighbor came over, and she was the village historian, and she said, ‘Have you met your ghost yet? Her name is Granny Cook, and she owned this property — she’s benevolent, and she loves children, but it is definitely haunted.’ So, I see the person I assume is Granny Cook and I turn around … I didn’t tell anyone, especially not my kids, ‘cause I didn’t want to scare them. The next week my eldest daughter, she might have been in sixth grade, she came running downstairs. I was in the kitchen, and she was like, ‘Mommy, I just saw Granny Cook.’ She saw her in the mirror. We were in that house for two years. As we were moving out, things kicked up again. All sorts of activity in the house. At one point, I remember sitting at my computer, and I just felt hands, one on either shoulder, pushing me down. It was like, ‘Stay, please don’t go.’ But I didn’t like that at all. I jumped up and was like, ‘No touchy! That’s not OK.’” — Jennifer, Davidson, North Carolina
