How To Find Out If Someone Died in Your House

In 1982, Dorris Reed bought a California house for $76,000. What she didn't know, is that a woman and her four children had been murdered there 10 years earlier.Reed learned about the killings only after she'd moved in, when neighbors told her what had happened—and that other buyers had reportedly walked away from the home because of its dark past.It’s a nightmare plenty of homeowners and buyers have apparently imagined themselves. Key phrases like “how to find out if someone died in my house” receive thousands of online queries every month.But Reed's story also raises a more basic question: Shouldn't someone have had to tell her?Nearly 50 years later, and the answer today still depends on where the home is located, how the person died, when it happened, and even whether the buyer asks.Start with your state's disclosure lawsThe seller of Reed's home, Robert King, and his real estate agents knew about the killings, according to her lawsuit. They also allegedly knew the home's history affected its market value.Still, Reed said, they didn't tell her.Instead, they described the property as being in good condition and suitable for an “elderly lady” living alone. King had even gone so fa...