How many of you know the past history of your house?

[Relic]

Serious question. How many of you truly know the past history of the house that you are living in? Who has lived there, who might have died there, what events both big and small took place there?
The reason that I ask is because I found out over this past weekend that there was a suicide attempt a few years back at the house we just bought. The guy didn't die on the premises but died at the hospital about a week later from his wounds. This was back about maybe 8 years ago and we purchased the house from the couple who bought it just afterwards and renovated it. I'm not so sure that if knowing ahead of time would have changed our opinion on buying the house or not but it would have been nice to know this in advance nonetheless.
It's kind of creepy in a way I guess but in talking to a realtor that I know, he told me that this sort of thing is waaaay more common than people realize. In most states, there's no legal need to disclose whether a murder or suicide took place on a property and he told me that many many folks are living in homes right now where someone has died before and have no idea.
Creepy huh? personally, I don't mind it so much. So long as the family is happy and the home is full of good vibes, I don't see the issue. But I just thought that was astounding that it's totally legal to keep that stuff secret!

[Jon_West]

It was built in '98 on a vacant lot of farmland along with hundreds of other houses in the area.

Not very interesting, I'm afraid.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Relic

Serious question. How many of you truly know the past history of the house that you are living in? Who has lived there, who might have died there, what events both big and small took place there?
The reason that I ask is because I found out over this past weekend that there was a suicide attempt a few years back at the house we just bought. The guy didn't die on the premises but died at the hospital about a week later from his wounds. This was back about maybe 8 years ago and we purchased the house from the couple who bought it just afterwards and renovated it. I'm not so sure that if knowing ahead of time would have changed our opinion on buying the house or not but it would have been nice to know this in advance nonetheless.
It's kind of creepy in a way I guess but in talking to a realtor that I know, he told me that this sort of thing is waaaay more common than people realize. In most states, there's no legal need to disclose whether a murder or suicide took place on a property and he told me that many many folks are living in homes right now where someone has died before and have no idea.
Creepy huh? personally, I don't mind it so much. So long as the family is happy and the home is full of good vibes, I don't see the issue. But I just thought that was astounding that it's totally legal to keep that stuff secret!

one of my former tenants put a bullet through the top of his head,and my roof as well,then the whole family headed down the rat lines w/o telling me.....i went by there a week or so after and they had come back for their stuff as well as some fixtures i had installed.....they actually tried to tell me that a chandelier i bought,paid for,and installed was theirs.....the bullet went through near the peak and was easily repaired....

i made over a room in my ex's house ,and behind the base board i found a postcard from a ww1 soldier,from flanders..... i donated it to the regiment he served with,and it's in their museum........

[Schlyder]

My house is a big two story brick house, built in 1917. Built from bricks that were made in the local brick factory. The brick factory no longer exists.
IIRC, from 1939 to 1941-42, it was the local RCMP detatchment. It had a two level shed/small barn in the backyard that had space for a few horses, and also had a hay loft.
My family bought the house in 1968. I grew up this house from the age of 4, until I moved away at 18. I inherited the house after both my parents passed away.
I built the putting green in 2006.

[Phalex]

Back in the 70's a guy I went to high school with lived right across the street from my house. He lived there for about twenty years or so. Apparently, the wet bar in my basement used to be a basement hair salon. He got his hair cut in my basement for years!

No one has died as far as I'm aware, but I'm quite sure that over the centuries, lots of things have died / been killed/ or eaten at the spot now occupied by my home.

[MonetBass]

Originally Posted by Jon_West

It was built in '98 on a vacant lot of farmland along with hundreds of other houses in the area.

Not very interesting, I'm afraid.

Exact same deal with our house. And we're the 2nd owners.

Move along, nothing to see here...

[hover]

My home was one of four built on a dead end road next to the American Optical Corporation, in effort to house the big-wigs who ran the joint....the rest of the surrounding dwellings consisted of two floor apartment buildings for other supervisors, and then even larger multi-unit dwellings in the surrounding lay of land between (I presume for the employees).

It was builf in 1895. In the late 30's, early 40's, as the textile industry was starting to wane in the area, alot of the houses were sold off to other families moving into the area...one family who occupied my home sold it to my Wife's Grandparents in 1953. Around 1955, there was a huge flood the wiped out a majority of multi-unit apartments between my street and the factory. The entire first floor of my house was under water for a few days. The cleared land now is the town common, and houses a newly built police station...it's called "optical park"

After the floods subsided, and things dried out, my Wife's Grandparents saw an expansion off the back of the home which now has the kitchen and bathroom.

I bought the house in 2002. Made a bunch of changes and refinished nearly every room in the home, and repurposed some, and completely remodelled the kitchen and expanded the bathroom from the postage stamp that it was, and added a huge deck on the back.

In the spring, I will re-side it. And do some other improvements....soon thereafter, we may move out of town as I hate my neighbors... and then someone else can carry on the legacy, or burn it down.

[sloasdaylight]

My house was built in 1923 for a greek orthodox monk. He designed what is now my room into a sanctuary for him to pray and what have you. After that, he sold it to my next door neighbor's parents, who lived in the house until my parents bought it in 1985, 2 years after they got married.

[L-A]

My apartment is in a church that was built during WWII. It was designed to be temporary from the start, and was later (1990) converted into housing, ten years after closing. I live right under the roof (45° ceiling, dominating two open floors) and it's pretty awesome.

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by hover

My home was one of four built on a dead end road next to the American Optical Corporation, in effort to house the big-wigs who ran the joint....the rest of the surrounding dwellings consisted of two floor apartment buildings for other supervisors, and then even larger multi-unit dwellings in the surrounding lay of land between (I presume for the employees).

It was builf in 1895. In the late 30's, early 40's, as the textile industry was starting to wane in the area, alot of the houses were sold off to other families moving into the area...one family who occupied my home sold it to my Wife's Grandparents in 1953. Around 1955, there was a huge flood the wiped out a majority of multi-unit apartments between my street and the factory. The entire first floor of my house was under water for a few days. The cleared land now is the town common, and houses a newly built police station...it's called "optical park"

After the floods subsided, and things dried out, my Wife's Grandparents saw an expansion off the back of the home which now has the kitchen and bathroom.

I bought the house in 2002. Made a bunch of changes and refinished nearly every room in the home, and repurposed some, and completely remodelled the kitchen and expanded the bathroom from the postage stamp that it was, and added a huge deck on the back.

In the spring, I will re-side it. And do some other improvements....soon thereafter, we may move out of town as I hate my neighbors... and then someone else can carry on the legacy, or burn it down.

Forgive me for butting in to this thread, but...

Hey, hover, you're near the Panda Gardens, right? Do they still have their delicious Shrimp in Lobster Sauce? I used to order it all the time for lunch. And is Margaux's Deli still there? They make the best sandwiches around!

[mrpackerguy]

Yea, was a farmer's field.

[hover]

Originally Posted by stratovani

you're near the Panda Gardens, right? Do they still have their delicious Shrimp in Lobster Sauce? And is Margaux's Deli still there? They make the best sandwiches around!

I am. Panda's has gone downhill, hard...know not of the grub, I order elsewhere for that fare...but yes, Margaux's is still there...my house borders that joint (tho behind it)...I go there on occasion for a #1.

[IotaNet]

We bought our house from the people who originally built it in 1984. About 13 years ago, they had an addition put on it. Nothing sinister happened here as far as we know -- they built the house, raised two kids here, retired and then sold it to us.

The neat thing is that we have the original lot survey, the original builder's blueprints and the blueprints for the addition. They kept every single document they even had on the house and passed them all along to us!

This is what the place looks like: www.dixontech.com/house

[39-Bassist]

Built mine in 1999, was fun watching it go up....(for all 6 months)
Sure will stink when I end up selling it in a couple of years....

[Relic]

Well, I know that this house was built in 1965 and was built on (what was) a fairly extensive area of farm tracts. But between 1965 and 2004, I have no idea who owned or lived in it. I just know the couple that we purchased it bought it in 2004 from the family of the suicide guy but other than that I have no clue of the past history.
I may swing by the local tax office sometimes this week and see if they can pull tax records for me. My realtor bud told me that tax offices will do that for a small fee and it will give you a running list of who owned it and when, then after than maybe I can stop by the local library for some more info. This is actually kinda fun

[Mr.Hat]

My house was built on an ancient indian burialground .

[pointbass]

Our house was built in 1956, one of several stock ranch houses in the Point Pleasant area. These homes were built for fairly cheap money as 2nd or vacation homes for the North Jersey elite.

We are the 3rd owners, first guy was an old codger who owned it until 1994, another old coot had it until 2000 when we bought it. Nothing special about it except that the cottage next door was the original summer home for a reclusive family and when the parents died in the early 50's the family sold our neighborhood to Ocean County for $40,000. Combined value of those properties today is in excess of $21 million .....

[capnsandwich]

I am the first owner of the condo we live in now, built in 2002. Ours was the last available condo in our development. These things were just thrown up too. I see so many shortcuts that were done just to get these things built and sold. It's a shame too because these are some well designed condos.

[SelenaBassGirl]

Mine is a manufactured home, and we are the second owners living in it. The dude who lived in mine was a truck driver, who foreclosed and packed his stuff in the middle of the night and left.
I am guessing the land used to be a farm, cause I found a rusted old smashed cow bell in the dirt when I was using my metal detector to find the land bounder markings.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Relic

Well, I know that this house was built in 1965 and was built on (what was) a fairly extensive area of farm tracts. But between 1965 and 2004, I have no idea who owned or lived in it. I just know the couple that we purchased it bought it in 2004 from the family of the suicide guy but other than that I have no clue of the past history.
I may swing by the local tax office sometimes this week and see if they can pull tax records for me. My realtor bud told me that tax offices will do that for a small fee and it will give you a running list of who owned it and when, then after than maybe I can stop by the local library for some more info. This is actually kinda fun

try your local version of the henderson directory....our library has them dating back to the 1920's,and i used one to win a zoning battle because the henderson showed that it was a multiple dwelling,when it was built,therefore grandfathered in an area where it's near impossible to get permission to build a multiple