Abandoned House to Haunted Attraction!

[thehauntedhollows]

(first-sorry if i wasnt supposed to double post- i also posted this in pro haunt forum)

Hey everyone- i just found a perfect location for my haunted attraction. For the past 3 years our location has not been that great, but me and my other 2 business partners have found the perfect spot. There is an abandoned house in town, right near a stadium that seats 50,000 people (good for advertisement). Now, you are probably thinking floors falling through and all that, but today we actually went into the house and looked around. (tresspassing is fun hahahaha) There is a hell of a lot of junk in there but as of sturdy wise it is not that bad. The house is such a PERFECT layout for a haunted house...i am going crazy thinking about it. There is also an old garage next to it (also filled with junk) that would be great for tix and the start of the line. Some nice backyard space as well. So most of the windows are broken, and the door was unlocked(thats how we got in) but it is not exactly in terrible condition. So i went to the house next door and asked an old man if he knows if it is for sale. He said that the 4 houses (the abandoned one included) was being sold all together. The guy who basically owns the town owns 3 of the houses, but the abandoned one is owned by an engineer in town. So what i'm asking:

1. How do i go about getting this house, and how much should they be expecting if it is abandoned, filled with crap, not a good RESIDENTIAL location, only has 1 bathroom and about 8 other rooms in total?

2. Are there any easy ways in which i may be able to get this?

3. If i were to get a good deal, before buying it shoud i get inspection guys to see if it would be able to be opened as a commerical haunted attraction?

Any other thoughts greatly apprectiated. Thanks very much.

Ben

[s.fc90]

Contact the town about it since there's no real estate. From there I think you'd be able to buy the lot. It doesn't matter how good of shape the house is in because before you can open it as a public attraction it does need to be inspected. So those issues with public safety can be easily resolved and taken care of. If your team is serious about this then you should do it as soon as possible.

I'm not sure what happens to a house when it's abandoned. It could still be under the previous family name if they up and left or if they were kicked out. The town may own it too, so, my best bet would be go to a town hall to fnd that out.

As for the haunt:

A house is a great location. The thing is, if there's only 1 stair case, going up and down may be a problem for guests. If there's 2, good!

I think you can easily get this open by the 2008 season if you start it now. You said you have a haunt now, so you already have some actors and props.

Since it's in just a house, I'd utilize all floors (basement, main, upstairs, attic) of the house and the yard. The garage would be a good use for half gift shop half ticket booth. The backyard can have something else set up in it, maybe a maze that you can build this way the haunt can be expanded and lengthened as long as possible because I think going through a house may take no more than 15 min.

Take some pictures of the house, yard, inside and the property and post them up here that way we can all get a better idea!

[thehauntedhollows]

thanks very much. I'll get pix up as soon as i can...just need to get them off my cell phone.

[KroneDaddy]

Zoning is a big factor, and have it inspected before you think of an offer. Find out what you can afford to pay to bring it up to code, this will have direct bearing on your budget you will have to spend toward purchase.

You will probably need to sprinkle it, add ramps, emergenct exits, etc.

As to if "Are there any easy ways in which i may be able to get this?"... sure if you're loaded. (and I don't mean drunk) IF not you have to buy it like all the rest of us chubs do, mortgage.

If your current attraction is making money, sit down and calculate how much you'd be able to spend monthly, but figure in all the improvement, safety and asthetics as well.

Also, is the yard big enough to expand in the future? BTW is the house actually "for sale"? Real estate is a good investment, even in the current phase the country is going through.

How much parking is there? Don't EXPECT the stadium next door to let you use their property. Don't assume anything.

As to "how much should they be expecting if it is abandoned" They will be probably expecting the appraised value, plus however much they think they can get out of you if you are standing there like a kid with your tail waggin. Don't seem too eager!

I'd talk this over with a lawyer, real estate, or accountant friend. If you have one. Oh, by the way, good luck. I hope it works out.

KroneDaddy

[s.fc90]

^well he did say that it's between him and 3 other people. I'd expect paying for it wouldn't be AS bad split between 3 people. Good luck on this. I think you can make it happen for 2008 but you gotta do it like...now lol

There was an abandoned house in my town too, small though, and I drive down the road and it's fixed. Apparently, people bought the property and had work done to the house and now they live there. It's a decent house now.

[thehauntedhollows]

Hi everyone,
I talked to the real estate agent who claimed he actually owns all 4 properties, and they cannot be bought seperately. The engineer who was said to be the owner of the house lost it when he did not pay the taxes. There is good news though- i can buy all 4 houses and all 3.5 acres of land for a measly 2.5 million. No sweat. But even though it is not possible, you guys still gave me good information for buying something like that in the future. Thanks everyone for your help.

Ben

[KroneDaddy]

i can buy all 4 houses and all 3.5 acres of land for a measly 2.5 million.

See if he has a few more while you're at it.

You should have shouted "DOLLARS???"

Always a classy response.

Good Luck

[Jim Warfield]

I guessed the price would be very high since the location sounded desirable for ALOT of active franchises or new businesses.
Maybe you could wrangle a "Haunted Hooters" franchise and experiment mixing "Pleasure" with "Pleasure"? (Forget that "Business" thing!)
Haunted Hooters come invading my dreams and you know what they say...
"Boo! Boo! Boobs!"
SO SCARY!

[KroneDaddy]

Haunted Hooters

Our Slogan..."We put the "Boo" back in Boobs!"