Spooky Encounters of the Real Estate Kind: 6 True Tales of Terror

We know all about the real world dangers that real estate agents face on the job--but what of the otherworldly dangers? From haunted houses to creepy cul-de-sacs, we've rounded up six true tales of spooky real estate encounters with the paranormal.

But first, a warning--some of these stories are disturbing, so read at your own risk! (And if you have any disturbing stories of your own, we wanna hear them! Share them in the comments section below.)

1. "Someone or something" else was also at this showing

Let's start off with a classic site for spooky experiences--the older home. A Houston Realtor was showing an older home in the suburb of Bellaire with her partner. They arrived ahead of the prospective buyers and used the extra time to look around the home. Right away, the Realtor noticed something odd--one of the bedrooms had double doors that were tied shut with a wire hanger.

That's just the first weird part of this story--during the showing, a lone tennis ball bounces down the empty hall to locked doors, and then mysteriously disappears. When the Realtor's partner decides to open the wired-shut doors, an overwhelming eerie feeling and intuition to flee hits buyers and agents alike.

In her haste to get out of there, the agent forgets her Supra lockbox in the house. When she goes back for it, her key turns in the lock, but the door won't open. It turns out that "someone or something" has thrown the deadbolt behind them. But what, or who, could it be? Read the original post to find out!

2. "It won't let us move!"

Old homes aren't the only places where weird things can happen! This story takes place in a new subdivision. Our heroine, the same Texas Realtor from the previous story, (along with her assistant) is showing a home in a cul-de-sac to a longtime friend.

She goes to quickly use the bathroom while her friend and assistant tour the listing. While in the loo, she hears them screaming from upstairs. She rushes to them only to find her friend frozen in the middle of the room and her assistant pinned to the wall, limbs splayed. And then? She hears the most evil laughter she's ever heard.

What happens next? Find out here!

3. Creepy 'buyer' invites himself into seller's home

Do creeps target homes on the market? This next story suggests they might.

A family is selling their home. One day while home alone, the wife hears a knock at the door. "Being the small town Midwest person she is, she opens it without hesitation," writes the poster. A man is on the other side who says he saw that the house is for sale, and can he take a look? Oh, his girlfriend and newborn are in the car, so he won't be long.

The wife lets him in, but alarm bells start ringing in her head when the man spots her daughter's portrait on the wall. He compliments the daughter's beauty and asks her age and where she goes to school. The wife (finally!) gets hit by a clue-by-four and says her husband will be home soon. The man takes the hint and heads out... to his empty car.

The takeaway? Agents, make sure your sellers know that you'll always give them a heads-up about showings! Predators can target homes with for sale signs in the yard, thinking this is an easy way in. Tell your sellers to never invite strangers into their home for a showing--no matter what. Better safe than sorry!

4. Ghost listing disappears from existence

While making a routine trip home from a friend's house, a woman and her son notice a cute little home for sale. For weeks, the pair drive past the home, and the woman keeps reminding herself to look up the listing information online.

When she finally gets around to doing so, she can't find the listing anywhere online. According to the yard sign, the home is listed by Coldwell Banker, so she was surprised when she found nothing. After all, a major company like Coldwell Banker would be sure to put all of their listings online, right? (Right!) Un

So she decides to grab the agent's name and number off the yard sign the next time she passes the house. The only problem? The house is gone the next time she tries to drive by it. "The home just wasn't there," she writes. "It was just gone, like it had never existed. My son even had me turn around and drive down the road slowly in case we had missed it, but, we could never find it again."

5. Weird energy in home with a violent past

This next story comes from this wonderful Reddit thread where Realtors share their paranormal on-the-job experiences.

This Boston agent admits to very few paranormal encounters in his career--but he remembers one in particular. His team listed a house that had been the site of a triple homicide. "While I didn't see anything, as soon as you walked in the home you could feel anger and confusion," he writes. It was "one of the weirdest experiences in my career."

The agent shares a couple other interesting insights from spooky experiences on the job. "I definitely enter homes all that time where you can cut the tension with a butter knife," he writes. "I have also been in houses where I do not know the history of a house and feel similar things. Often times you feel like you're being watched. I've been in older homes in which I feel absolutely nothing and then sometimes I'll sense a lot."

6. The lights keep turning on, but nobody's home

When their Realtor takes them to see a house in San Bruno, Calif., this buyer and his wife notice nothing out of the ordinary--until after they tell their agent that they think the house is too cold and dark for them to be interested in it.

While chatting, the agent notices that a bathroom light that had previously been turned off was now back on. No one else was in the home, so the husband apprehensively goes to turn it off. As soon as he does, his wife tells him that another light down the hall was on now, too. Spooked, he turns that one off and makes his way back to his wife and Realtor, who both look uneasy.

Like a total pro, the Realtor starts to make small talk to distract from the uncomfortable situation--and then the range light and fan on the stove behind him randomly turn on. "All my Realtor could do at this point was smile at us, hit the power switch for the fan and light on the range top's vent to turn it off and say, 'Ok, I'm ready to leave. How 'bout you folks?'"

As he finishes locking up the home, the agent turns to his clients and says, "Yeah, you don't want that house, I think it's haunted." Solid advice. (Fortunately, there's a happy ending. The Realtor sold his clients their dream home three months later! You can read the full story here.)

Your turn! We want to hear all about your scary stories on the job. Share your spookiest real estate experiences in the comments below!