Mansions have always been something out of a movie for most of us. Huge bedrooms, acres of landscape, luxuries and the big parties, all of that have been the things that attract people to them and the same goes for the ones who can afford to buy them. But there are some mansions in the US that no one will buy, either for the upkeep costs or for some reasons that date to the house’s sinister past.
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Mansions No-one Wants to Buy
10. Granot Loma
Located along Lake Superior in Michigan, this is the biggest log cabin in the US, sitting on 5000 acres of woodland covered in trees. It spans around 26,000 sq. ft. and has 23 bedrooms, 4 apartments in an outbuilding, a huge hot tub and a private backwater/marina to pair with it. Registered on the National Register of Historic Places and built by the co-founder of General Motors, this mansion went on sale for $40 million USD but has no buyers even after the price was reduced by 50%. The place is full of paintings and artifacts, which are not necessarily priceless but at least the house is furnished. Given its remoteness and age of the building, there are not any takers for this old-fashioned log cabin.
9. The New Jersey “Watcher” Home
This ancient house in New Jersey has 6 bedrooms, 4 baths and 4 fireplaces were bought for $1.5 million USD in the past decade. Despite renovating it, the buyers never moved in owing to threatening letters which gave the house its nickname. An anonymous person sent multiple letters to the house claiming to be the house’s “watcher” as his ancestors who were hired as caretakers in the 20s and 60s. The threatening letters and the story went viral in the neighborhood and then the country which explains the fact that the new owners haven’t been able to sell it or even rent it after the last tenant received similar threats.
8. The Halston Party Penthouse
Located in the luxurious Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, this apartment/penthouse was a famous party place in the 1970s, hosting a number of famous personalities as guests. Given its luxurious style and similar history, it was put on sale for $38 million USD in 2011, but the price has fallen to $24 million USD. The house remains unsold despite offers for an additional discount because most people with that kind of money do not want to be associated with the controversial owner and famed designer Roy Halston Frowick, who had peculiar tastes which repel the potential buyers from buying the house.
7. Montclair House at 44 Pleasant Ave. Montclair
An eye-catching six-bedroom, 3900 sq. ft. house in New Jersey is located on 3 acres of land is more than 100 years old and preserved by the Historic Preservation Commission given its historic significance. And it is on the market for just $10 (not including the land). The land has been commissioned for the site of 8 more houses to be built around the historic house. Thus, the buyer of this $10 mansion will have to agree to move the house at their own expense, including the much-needed renovations. All that along with preserving the historic elements inside the house, but removing the toxic lead paint and asbestos by law. No wonder no-one wants to inherit this mess on purpose.
6. Pillars Estate, Albion, New York
Another historic mansion in New York, this 7200 sq. ft. The Greek-style house has 6 bedrooms, 3 baths, 5 fireplaces, a parlor, a library, and even a ballroom. It is the classic specimen of a mansion and yet, it was put on sale for $1 million USD in 2015. Come 2017, the price fell to half of the original without any buyers despite the expensive renovations that make it livable. The reason behind this cannot get any more classy given its style; the owners and the workers claimed to have seen and heard humans around this Victorian mansion (i.e. ghosts), particularly a child and the former lady of the house.
5. Charming Forge Mansion, Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania
Originally built in 1749, this colonial mansion was restored with modern amenities in 1994 and made into a modern 7,800 sq. ft. house with 7 bedrooms, 7 fireplaces, a carriage barn and separate guest house made of stone. On nearly 48 acres of land, this mansion could be worth several millions of dollars but is put on sale for $825,000 given its another haunted history. Henry William Stiegel, the original owner, died in 1785 and people have claimed that his ghost haunts the house, slamming doors, roaming headless around the property, in addition to a crying woman in the top bedroom. This “charming” mansion is clearly too scary for people to buy, or maybe they just do not want to keep up with the maintenance.
4. Ann Starrett Mansion, Port Townsend, Washington
Another Victorian Mansion on this list, this gorgeous Queen Anne styled mansion was built in 1889. It sits on a hilltop and boasts 11 bedrooms and 7 baths over an area of 5800 sq. ft and a stunning view of the Bay nearby. To make these amenities useful, it was turned into a boutique hotel but was eventually shut down, since no one wants to visit it or even buy it. The Starrett couple and some of their employees, reportedly, still haunt the mansion, roaming about the halls with unexplained noises at night. The house currently has no buyers and thus, is without a price tag.
3. SK Pierce Mansion, Gardner, Massachusetts
Over an area of 6700 sq. ft., the Victorian mansion of SK Pierce has 10 bedrooms, impressive 11-foot tall ceilings and some of the original woodwork on the interior of the house including the floor dating back to 1875. The price is not millions of dollars but $329,000, cheaper than a standard 3 bedroom house in the US. The reason no one wants to buy this cheap 10-bedroom mega-house is that it is known to be the most haunted house in the state, with seven reported deaths on the property and countless unexplained activities around the house including things being moved, inhuman sounds and sightings of servants walking around. The house has even been featured on many paranormal activities shows whose teams encountered many of these activities during their stay.
2. The Priestley House, Canton, Mississippi
Built by Dr. James Priestley in 1852, the house is built in a Georgian style and has a number of amenities including and not limited to a parlor, a music room, a library, swimming pool, office, terrace, and a separate greenhouse. It is primely located near the center of Canton and has been awarded for its renovations and restoration. It was put on the market for nearly a million dollars but the price was reduced a bit. It is fully furnished and is still on sale and even has its own website, but the tales of the hauntings have stained this mansion’s real estate reputation. Former owners and even the descendants of Dr. Priestley have claimed to have seen ghostly activities around the house including terrifying voices, things moving about the room and a woman-like figure on the porch. The house with all its amenities looks like a total package for anyone willing to buy it, which there have been none.
1. Schweppe Mansion, Lake Forest, Illinois
This palace-like mansion is spread over 21,000 sq. ft. and boasts 12 bedrooms, 11 baths, and a 400-foot-long beach and has hosted a number of royals and nobles including the Duke of Windsor in its 100-year-long existence. After being expensively and elaborately restored, this royal mansion was put on the market at $18 million USD, more expensive than any house on this list. By now its price has dropped by almost 50% over a period of 10 years. This house was abandoned for almost 50 years and it didn’t take long for the haunting stories to begin, given that both (a couple) of the owners died in the mansion, with the husband shooting himself. The sightings include the couple and some of their loyal servants who have kept this exquisite house from selling till today.
Proper real estate and consistent data are available mostly for the mansions in the US and they are on the market too. Although there are plenty of haunted mansions and palaces in European countries, most of them are still owned by royals or the government and are not for sale. Many of the houses in this list are open for viewing as the realtors cannot wait to sell these cursed but gorgeous rejects.
