Buyer Beware: Should a Home's Gory Past Be Disclosed?

An ABC News report published Monday raises the question of whether home sellers should be legally required to disclose that a home was the scene of a bloody crime. 

According to the article, Janet Milliken, 59, purchased a home in Thornton, near Chadds Ford in Delaware County, and later learned it was the scene of a grisly crime:

She bought a home in Thornton, Pa., for $610,000 in June 2007. She learned a few weeks after she moved in from a next-door neighbor that a murder-suicide had occurred the year before in her home.

She sued the seller and the real estate agent for fraud and misrepresentation, saying they made a "deliberate choice not to disclose the home's recent past," according to a court document.

The trial judge granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, saying state law does not require agents to disclose such events.

The judge's ruling was upheld by an appeals court, but Milliken appealed to the state Supreme Court.

A Philly.com article on the same case offered a suggestion for prospective homebuyers:

The upshot to Milliken v. Jacono et al: If living within a former crime scene would keep you from a night's sleep, ask for a written warranty in the agreement of sale that states the home was never the site of a murder, suicide or other felony.

Tell Us

Did you find out something unsettling about your home after purchasing it?

Should home sellers be legally required to disclose murders and other violent crimes that occurred in a home?  

If so, should there be a statute of limitations on how long after the fact that rule applies?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

[Edited Jan. 30 9:15pm to correct that Thornbury Township is in Delaware County, not Chester County.]