Forget mortgage rates and property taxes—today’s home shoppers on Realtor.com® are sussing out the real dealbreakers. From suspected haunted listings to backyard chicken logistics, some buyers are ditching standard search terms and taking a delightfully quirky approach to house hunting.
Home shoppers are bringing their unusual questions to RealAssist AI, a homebuying assistant tool built in collaboration with Google Gemini and Google Cloud. It’s designed to answer complex real estate questions in effortless, natural conversations.
RealAssist guides consumers all the way through their questions, helps them explore properties, and connects them with local agents.
Here is a look at the quirkiest questions users are asking RealAssist AI on Realtor.com—and the insights behind them.
‘Is this house haunted?’
In one of the questions RealAssist received, a user wondered if a certain home is haunted. And while we can’t guarantee that the home you choose won’t be haunted, we can let you know that there is actually one legally haunted house in the world.
Built in 1890, the Queen Anne Victorian home is located at 1 La Veta Place in Nyack, NY. It was legally declared haunted in a 1991 court ruling famously nicknamed The Ghostbusters ruling.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the owner of the home, Helen Ackley, claimed that the home was inhabited by friendly ghosts from the Revolutionary War era. The home even had tours and was featured in Reader’s Digest.
However, when Ackley sold the home to Jeffrey Stambovsky in 1989, she didn’t mention anything about the ghosts. Stambovsky learned about the alleged haunting from local lore and sued Ackley to rescind his deposit.
In 1991, Stambovsky won the case under caveat emptor exceptions, and a court declared the dwelling was legally haunted.
‘I want a hidden away little castle with privacy’
Another quirky question a user asked RealAssist was for help finding a “hidden-away castle” with privacy. There are actually a lot of options for buyers searching for a home where they don’t have to see their neighbors.
Whether you want to live off-grid in an Earthship, purchase a secluded estate in the mountains, or head off to a woodland retreat, there are many listings on Realtor.com. One listing that might fit the bill is this fairy-tale fortress tucked behind a golf course in Oregon.
While it was originally listed in September for $1,299,000, the asking price has since gone down to $1,149,000.
‘Can I have backyard chickens at this home?’
While there are many questions one can ask about an HOA, one conundrum users are turning to RealAssist for is whether they can have backyard chickens on their property, or if the HOA will refuse it.
An HOA, or Homeowners Association, is a private organization that is run by a group of volunteers in a neighborhood. The HOA is responsible for creating community rules and enforcing them. Common HOA rules pertain to quiet hours, landscaping regulations, and property appearances, such as paint colors and building additions.
When buyers move into a neighborhood, they are required to follow the rules the HOA sets. HOAs can also collect fees monthly or yearly for neighborhood-related repairs and services.
A buyer can check if the HOA will allow them to have chickens in their backyard by reading their local HOA’s governing documents or by contacting an HOA board member. First, though, be sure to also verify that chickens are allowed at the city or town level.
‘Could I generate renting the horse stalls?’
One home shopper asked about how much income one could generate if they were to rent out the horse stalls on their property.
To do this, you first have to ensure that you have horse stalls on your property that you can rent out. Sometimes this might include checking your local HOA restrictions or zoning laws. Some areas require special permits and other specific bylaws for having animals on your property.
Once all of these conditions are met and you have gained liability insurance to protect yourself from property damage or injuries, you can work on renting out those stalls. If you only supply “dry stall”—meaning only the physical pasture itself and the renter still must provide their own feed, cleaning, and care—you could generate about $200 to $300 a month.
But if you supply partial or full board, meaning that you either partially or fully supply feed, cleaning, and care, you can boost your profits to about $500 to $800 a month. Ensure you and your renter sign a professional contract detailing prices and provided services to seal the deal.
‘Can you find a home with a barn or art studio?’
A final quirky question RealAssist is answering for users is whether they can find a home with a barn or an art studio. While homes with built-in barns or art studios can be hard to find on the market, it isn’t impossible.
Oftentimes, after touring a property, a buyer can envision space within the home or on the property to convert into an art studio or to build a barn on. Or if you’re dead-set on living in a barn, consider checking out barndominiums in your area.
Barndominiums, part-barn, part-condominium, are barn-style residences that are traditionally used as both a living and working space. However, there’s no requirement to also run your business out of your home.
However, if you want a detached, functional barn on your property, search up keywords like “barn” on the Realtor.com text filter to see select options.
For art studios, it can be a bit easier to purchase a home and convert a room into your personal creative sanctuary. But trying to find a home with an already existing art studio can be a challenge.
Luckily, there is a live-in artist’s studio on the market in Atlanta. This live-work residence is definitely pricey–listed with a $3.5 million price tag.
However, the price seems to be worth it when you realize that the space sprawls across four stories and spans 8,800 square feet. Additionally, the property features beautifully exposed brick, hardwood floors, and enormous arched windows that make the home itself feel like art.
