Home Sweet Home: 9 Real Haunted Houses You Can Actually Buy

Marketed as a home filled with romantic and historic intrigue, The Campbell Castle offers a step back in time with its Romanesque Scottish architecture. The home was built from 1886 to 1888 by Colonel Burton Harvey and his wife Ellen. The home remained in the couple’s care until 1908. Since then, the site has seen a number of owners. The current residents ran the house as a bed and breakfast for many years before closing down and putting it on the market in 2013. Rumors of many ghosts haunt the Campbell Castle’s grounds, thanks to the parts which were salvaged from actual European castles. Supposedly, the ghosts came over with the other castles’ segments. Get your hands on it (and the ghosts) for just three million dollars.

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This historic mansion has a long history of paranormal activity. The best-known tale associated with the property concerns the tragic death of a young man whose name has now been lost to time. So the story goes, the man was traveling by horseback to reunite with his lover who lived at the mansion. As he approached, the rider spied his sweetheart in the window; in a moment of excitement, he stood up in his stirrups. The sudden action spooked the animal, and it reared up and threw the man to his death, right there on the mansion's steps. One grisly twists suggests he became tangled in the reins as he fell, severing his own head. The ghost of the deceased lurks around the property, while the ghost of his heartbroken fiancee can be spotted in an upstairs window. You can live in the Charming Forge Mansion for under one million.

This massive storybook home sits just off the coast of Lake Michigan. It was originally built in 1917 for newlyweds Laura and Charles Schweppe. However, their marriage came to a tragic end 20 years later, when Laura died of a heart attack. Reportedly, she left a mere fraction of her family fortune to her husband, bequeathing the lion's share to her children. Four years after burying his wife, Charles committed suicide, leaving behind a bizarre note: “I’ve been awake all night. It’s terrible.” To this day, the true reason for his death still baffles, but many people familiar with the story believe that Charles wished to reunite with his beloved in the afterlife. Their cherished mansion became their ghostly stomping grounds. They reportedly hang around one of the mansion’s many bedrooms. This mansion is currently available for an astonishing $9.5 million, though its sellers are still struggling to find a buyer.

Built in the 1920s, Villa Paula started its life as the Cuban Consulate building. The consulate’s wife, Paula, was the namesake of the villa. Unfortunately, Paula died just six years after the couple moved in, from complications after a leg amputation. The owner in the 70s was the first to report hauntings, ranging from constant knocking and door slamming to the smell of Cuban coffee in the morning and a spirit that apparently hated the owner’s cat and would try to trap it. It is believed that five spirits, including the ghost of an infant and its mother as well as the spirit of Paula herself, haunt the premises. You can buy the villa–and its five spirits–for $4.5 million.

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Frank Shaver Allen, a prominent Illinois architect built this home for his own use in 1887. From the drive, the house appears incredibly charming, with its stone details and miniature turret. Unfortunately, owners in the 1970s and 80s reported some truly horrifying paranormal activity in the house, including the spirit of an old woman, a nanny, and a mischievous child who just wants to play. You’ve seen The Shining–it’s hard to imagine that this was a benign request. If you’re looking for your own Romanesque, ghost-infested home, this one’s a steal at $80,000.

This estate is a step back in time. The home was built during the Civil War and comes complete with the ghosts of the era. There isn’t just one ghost which hangs around these halls, but many from all walks of life. Engage in a game of hide-and-seek with the phantoms of children. Maybe you’ll spot a woman in white gliding around the lot or encounter a phantom presence that likes to tickle the ivories in the home’s parlor. The home is loaded with history, and it could be yours. Keep it up as the bed and breakfast/rental space it currently functions as, or make it your own and join the ranks of the home’s more permanent residents. 

Don’t let this next location’s renovated modern front fool you. These halls have been the scene of several deaths, including at least one suicide. Just three previous owners have lived in the space since its renovation and relocation, and it’s safe to say this is because it’s, well, haunted. There is no single identified ghost tormenting these rooms, but many spirits have been felt around the home. To make the spot even creepier, construction workers uncovered an ancient crypt during the site’s reconstruction. The crypt was empty, which begs us to ask the question: What was in it, and where is it now?

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Okay, so you can’t buy the Dakota. But you can buy an apartment in the NYC landmark. On the outside, this towering apartment complex blends with the skyline of New York City’s Upper West Side. On the inside, there’s a different story. Not only is this a famed spot for tourists—it’s the location of John Lennon’s murder, whose ghost widow Yoko Ono has reportedly seen playing the piano—but it’s also the home of the Crying Lady Ghost. Lennon reported the spirit haunting him during the years he lived in the building. Soon you’ll be not only living with a wailing woman, but maybe even the Walrus himself (or was the Walrus Paul?). Apartments at the Dakota range from $1.5 to $20.5 million.

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This outwardly idyllic home hides a number of chilling ghost stories within its walls. Built in 1852, it was abandoned by its owner as Union forces descended on New Orleans during the Civil War. Two Confederate soldiers, despondent upon being captured by Yankees, reportedly shot each other in the attic of the home rather than suffer further humiliation. Visitors have claimed to hear these soldiers’ chains and moans and the rally songs of the Union soldiers echoing through the house.

Feature photo: Thomas Shellberg / Unsplash 

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