Intelligent Hauntings are the type of haunting that people usually think of when they think of a haunting. In an intelligent haunting, the entity is aware of its surroundings and interacts with the present.

These hauntings are considered to be intelligent because communication with the living usually occurs. This ghost is best described as the spirit of a person who once lived and has stayed behind in our world instead of “crossing over” or “going into the light” to get to the other side. This sometimes happens in the case of murder, a traumatic event or if there is some unfinished business in the person’s life. If these things happen, the spirit may be unable to or may even refuse to cross over. In some cases, the spirit may not even realize it’s dead. This can happen if the person died very suddenly or unexpectedly.

The spirit will usually manifest itself in physical ways like slamming, opening and unlocking doors and/or windows; weird sounds, disembodied voices, disturbance of electrical devices, cold chills and a strong presence like the feeling like you’re being watched or the hair on the back of your neck standing up, goosebumps, etc.

Sometimes these spirits will hide things, move stuff around, turn things on and off or do other annoying things like a child lookinf for attention. These are examples of ghosts trying to get noticed so it can communicate from the other side.

The spirit might need help to cross over or maybe it needs to take care of some unfinished business. Maybe it needs to deliver a message from the other side or just wants to watch over loved ones. In some cases, the spirit may be afraid of death and moving on to a new world.

It has also been documented that the spirit may just be lonely and want some company. In some cases, as has been my personal experience, a loved one will visit in dreams and visions, especially right before or after sleep when we are most open to contact. I remember asking my father a question a few days after he passed away and he answered it in a dream that same night.

Believe it or not, it’s fairly common to actually see a ghostly loved one. It’s most common for ghosts to materialize between the hours of 11pm and 4am. This time period seems to be the easiest time for entities to manifest themselves because it’s darker between those hours. Most spirits aren’t stong enough to show themselves during the daylight because it takes too much energy. It’s similar to turning on a light in the daylight; you can hardly see it and it’s pretty much not worth the effort. This is how spirits work as well. If they use too much energy during the day they will be too weak to show themselves at night.

These spirits can be benevolent or mischievous, depending on the reason they’re haunting a location. Perhaps they used to live there and they want you to leave. If they discover that someone can see them, they might decide they want to stick around. In some cases, there might be some kind of object or keepsake they are are emotionally attached to and want to be close to. They could also may be looking for something or someone. Sometimes the spirit may not be willing to accept that they’re dead.

When people die, their spirits keep the same personality they had while they were living. Negative spirits are usually people who were angry and bitter in life. If the spirit was a kind and caring person, the entity will most likely hang onto those qualities in the afterlife. Negative spirits can be frightening, and in very rare cases they have been able to harm the living, but that is generally not the case. It is much more common to hear of an encounter with a positive spirit than with a negative one.

There are many spirits remaining in our world who have left behind relatives and loved ones and don’t want to leave. It’s possible they feel they can’t leave until they finish a certain task or deliver a certain message. They may not rest because they suffered some injustice and want to help solve the mystery before they go. Sometimes they just want to see their children grow up.

Overall, knowing that some spirits hanig around is actually kind of sad. Although we might think it’s cool and exciting to encounter a ghost, we have to remember that many spirits are confused about what has happened to them and may not even know they’re dead. Alot of them died suddenly or traumatically. Others cling to the life they know and are afraid to let go and move on to something new.

These ghosts frequently need help to be convinced that they don’t belong here anymore. They aren’t demons and don’t need to be exorcised. Most likely they just seek direction to find where they should go. They need to be made to understand that there’s more for them on the other side than there is here. It’s possible to help them by simply talking to them or maybe calling in a priest of minister to pray for them.

Have you ever found yourself going shopping just because you were feeling a little depressed and needed something to do? If so, you are not alone — a recent survey showed that 74% of the world’s consumers admit to having shopped for purely recreational reasons, even though they did not need to buy anything.

How can shopping be a cure for the blues? In the long run, all it will do is make your situation worse. After you come back from your spending spree you invariably begin thinking about your problem again, only now you have less money than you did earlier in the day. In a nutshell: you’re still depressed, but now you’re also broke. That makes you even more depressed, which causes you to feel guilt about your actions and lack of financial self-control. Before you know it you find yourself spinning further and further into a financial and emotional black hole.

We compound our problems when our recreational shopping is done with high-interest credit cards. Credit-card holders often make only the minimum monthly payments, thereby turning their credit card account into a perpetual long-term debt. They pay interest on their account balance month after month after month but never seem to pay down the balance.

Now, contrast the situation above with that of a person able to exercise some financial self-control. Sure, they have “bluesy” days, just like the rest of us, but they know that recreational shopping is only going to make matters worse. And they can take comfort knowing that financial troubles will not compound their problems. People with financial self-control use money to create positive feelings about themselves. They take pride when they buy something, knowing that they worked hard and saved up the money until they could afford it. They even have money set aside in savings, giving themselves a sense of ease and security.

So, put away those high-interest credit cards and begin working out a budget to pay off your bills and ultimately reduce the portion of your income that goes to pay debt. This will take a lot of financial pressure off of you and consequently make it easier for you to feel good about yourself — erasing the need to go recreational shopping to forget your troubles. If you find yourself just wanting to go shopping out of pure boredom, you need to find a serious hobby or sport. Go surfing, join a hiking club, do anything at all to keep yourself out of stores when you don’t need to buy something specific. If you do find yourself in need of quick cash for necessities, instead of reaching for your credit card, you should consider a payday loan. In seconds http://www.paydayonline.com.au can provide you with the cash you need and an affordable payment schedule that direct debits straight from your account at your next payday. So instead of racking up thousands of dollars, keep your borrowed money from spiralling out of control with this method of short-term lending on small amounts. You will have a far better commitment to paying it back when you are obliged to in writing!

Pittsburgh is being haunted by liberalism and the city is still spending money it does not have. A little couple weeks ago Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D), the boy wonder, was concerned and fretting because many of his hopes and dreams were pinned to revenues projected from a new casino (being built by Don Barden) on the North Shore. This project had not only fallen behind schedule, but is now in the process of being transferred to new owners and delayed. Seems Mr. Barden did not have all his ducks in a row and did not have enough funding for his grand plans despite a government oversight and selection process that was supposed to pick the best candidate to build this new source of tax revenues for our liberal government. Corruption? Quid pro quo? Your guess at how this man got the sole gaming license for Pittsburgh is as good as any.

This entire hullabaloo however means that future budgets may not be met if this casino does not open on time. Oh! Whatever will we do?

But this is typical - spending money we do not have. Is it any surprise that a series of elected Democrats from Mayor Luke to Governor Fast Eddie Rendell would put the city in such a predicament?

I know that we, in general, as consumers are used to throwing money this way and that way ringing up our credit cards. We are too willing to take a risk that next month, and the month after that, and then the month after that that nothing will happen to prohibit us from paying for luxury we bought today and could not afford. It is the same mentality that got us into the whole sub-prime housing mess where people took out loans they could never reasonably assume that they would be able to pay back only to moan when it came time to pay the piper. But should not our elected official be at least a little smarter than the average Joe?

Apparently not! Apparently making promises based on money we do not have and mortgaging our future is something they are also willing to do. Why shouldn’t they be? Everyone else is doing it!

Now if we remember even further back in this whole fiasco of thinking a casino would be Pittsburgh’s saving grace, we remember more about how this all began. It all started with a threat by the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux, to leave town if a new arena to replace the decrepit Civic Arena was not built. He even had someone willing to foot the cost of a brand ******** new place for the NHL’s Eastern Conference Champions to play. All that was needed was that the state of Pennsylvania to agree to give this investor one of the coveted, government controlled casino licenses.

Nope. Could not do that could we? The state must have control over who can and who cannot operate a casino in the minds of liberals. So they decided that there could only be one license for Pittsburgh and that they had to have a selection process to determine who the state would deem worthy of such an honor.

Governor Fast Eddie Rendell and the members of the state legislature had it all figured out when they passed the law permitting slot machine parlors did they not? So instead of an arena that would not have cost the tax payers a single penny, the government decided that Mr. Barden and his plan would win out. Although the deal included commitments that he would foot part of the bill for a new arena, the rest would be made up with tax payer dollars.

So we got hosed before on this too because of bureaucrats who are not qualified enough to be dog catcher much less controlling businesses. Now we see that the bureaucrats who made the determination did not do their homework on Mr. Barden, or had their palms greased by him – take your pick, because he did not have the funds to complete the project he was given! And you trust people like this with being able to provide you health insurance? Heck they cannot even get a casino built!

Thankfully the crisis looks to be at least partially averted. Don Barden has moved to sell his development rights and interest in the casino (pending bureaucratic approval of course) that those in Harrisburg decreed from on high that he was best qualified to build. And Mayor Ravenstahl was seen recently breathing sighs of relief and slumping over his desk, kissing his lucky horseshoe and uttering thanks to God – quietly however so as to make sure the ACLU would not hear him and decide to sue him for evoking the Almighty.

He is relieved because he has staved off having to explain to those that supported him where the money to pay for his promises was going to come from. Maybe he even learned a valuable lesson. But I doubt it. He will still be haunted by the specter of liberalism.

All this could have been avoided if only liberty had been embraced. If only the bureaucrats had kept their distance and let anyone who wanted to invest in a casino build one what is the worst that would have happened? That each would have either succeed or fail based on their own prowess and demand by the public for such an endeavor? Oh, the horror of the free-markets right?

Perhaps had the mayor embraced liberty then the lemmings that clamor at his heals looking for the crumbs he is tossing to them would not have nearly had a heart attack.

On October 17, 1804, a plantation owner on St. Simons Island, Georgia, deeded four acres of his land at the south end of the island for one dollar to the Federal government for the construction of a lighthouse.

The first lighthouse and a one-story frame residence were built in 1810 at a cost of $13,775. The lighthouse tower stood 85 feet high and was in the shape of an octagonal pyramid. It was 25 feet in diameter at the base and gradually narrowed to 10 feet in diameter at the top. A 10 foot high iron lantern ten feet high rested on top of the tower, and oil lamps were suspended on iron chains in the lantern.

The first keeper was appointed in May 1810 and the tower was lit for the first time. In 1857, a newer, more modern lens was installed and the lighthouse’s power and range were greatly improved.

The light guided mariners in St. Simons Sound for years until the Civil War. During the Civil War, artillery troops and six field guns were stationed at Fort Brown, just west of the lighthouse, to protect St. Simons Sound.

Evenutally, the Confederate troops were forced to evacuate due to an invasion by Federal troops. Before they left, however, they proceeded to blow up the lighthouse to prevent the opposing troops from using it as a navigational aid. For the next ten years, a cotton barn on nearby Retreat Plantation served as a navigational reference for ships entering Brunswick harbor. The tall cotton barn showed up on maps as “King’s Cotton House.”

The U. S. Government ordered the construction of a second lighthouse that was placed west of the first one. The construction consisted of a white, 104-foot tower containing a 129-step cast iron spiral staircase and a two-story brick lighthouse keeper’s dwelling next door.

The construction of the lighthouse brought tragedy, as the head of the construction and some of the crew didn’t live long enough to see their project completed. Stagnant ponds on the island were the perfect breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Many of the men were bitten and infected with malaria and died a year before the construction was finished.

Official records of the lighthouse keeper stated in 1874: “This station is very unhealthy, and it is attributed to the stagnant water in several ponds in the vicinity.” In 1876, the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment performed a complete overhaul of the lighthouse and the light keeper’s house to improve the condition of the buildings.

Originally, the keeper and his family along with the assistant and his family both lived in the keeper’s house. The keeper and his family resided downstairs and the assistant and his family lived upstairs. A central stairway connected the two households. The house was connected to the tower by a room in the keeper’s dwelling.

Around 1910, the building was converted into two apartments with the removal of the central staircase. An exterior staircase, stoop, and door were added on the north side giving access to the second floor. These steps and stoop were removed, the doorway re-bricked, and the central stairway rebuilt during the 1975 rehabilitation.

The lighthouse keeper’s house served as a home for the lighthouse keepers from 1872 until 1950. The lighthouse kerosene lamp was replaced by electricity in 1934. In the summer of 1939, the lighthouse was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1953 the lighthouse was fully automated and the last lighthouse keeper retired.

Stories of the haunting stem from an argument in 1880, between then lighthouse keeper Frederick Osborne and his assistant. Apparently the two men got into a heated argument that ended with a fatal gunshot that left Osborne dead.

The assistant keeper, who was never charged in the case, continued tending the light, although legend says he didn’t seem to be tending it alone. Reportedly, he frequently heard the eerie sound of footsteps at night in the vacant tower.

Through the years, many other people claim to have also heard the sound of the heavy footsteps climbing the tower staircase, including the wives of keepers that tended the light in the years following the murder. Perhaps Osborne has decided to stay around and continue his duties.

In 2004, control of the lighthouse was handed over to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society under the Lighthouse Preservation Act. Today, with the assistance of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the light still serves as a navigational aid to help guide mariners through the dark nights and stormy weather.

If we searched for the meaning of paranormal we would find reference to psychic sense, telekinesis, Near death experiences, and many others. Paranormal basically means that which stretches beyond our normal realm of understanding. It is a phenomena that can not be classified with any scientific methods nor has clear cut answers that can be logically concluded.

In the class of paranormal or super natural comes the term of haunting. The term instantly draws up images of “ghosts” . Long stereo typed as a passed soul so unsettled they wander the earth in sheets or chains bellowing boo at every living person they came into contact with. The ideas of ghost or haunting has matured over time and moved past a lot of these stereo typical images , although still very much misunderstood, an openness has invented a need to further explore this realm of the Haunted.

There are several classifications of hauntings that most commonly known ghostly like disturbances fall under. They are in no means the infinite answers, as paranormal itself is still something that holds not any proven answer as it is defined. So we need to keep ourselves open to not having all the answers. I am going to give a brief overview of the currently common known types of hauntings, and how they manifest.

1. Residual energy or memory hauntings.

These types of hauntings appear to be repeats of events, memories that seem to be carried out in an almost scripted type reaction. Like playing a movie over and over again. This type of haunting usually involves a repeat of the same type of activity on a regular basis. The most common type of haunting, does not usually involve an actual spirit or ghost. It is believed to be energy from some type of event, usually significant in ones life that becomes imbedded in its surroundings of that time. Perhaps tragedy or even that of great joy can become so strong in its energy that it builds a “life” of its own. Like a tape player the event plays out over and over again.

2. Human or intelligent haunting

I use human loosely as this can also involve any once living creature. These types of hauntings are able to show some sort of communication in real time. It is believed to be a spirit or intelligence that is still aware of what is going on in the current surroundings and time. They often make responses to communication, or disruptions in their environment. Some classify this type of haunt as uncrossed spirit, or trapped. I would not make an assumption that this is always the case. Some records of ghostly intelligent hauntings have shown to be a communication of some type of warning or a message of hope to those left behind. Like the use of a medium in relaying that message, not all intelligent classified hauntings are seeking our help, they may be their to try to help. In terms for our topic though, these actual intelligent hauntings you would find to be able to communicate in some form and not sticking to one particular routine as in a residual haunting.

3. Poltergeist or noisy ghost

These types of haunting seem to lead more to the belief that they are either an attachment to a living being or an actual manifestation by a living being. In most cases of poltergeist activity objects move, and things are disturbed in a focus around a particular individual. The common ingredient is usually an adolescent, female is the most the most common. Some link this type of paranormal phenomena to the mind of a disturbed living being, either suffering from depression, rage or even possibly abuse. Another angle on this leads to the next type of haunting as a entity or ghost may attach to somebody fitting this criteria as a means of feeding off their energy or using it to aid in their own manifestations.

4. Inhuman or “demonic” haunting

I will touch this type of haunting from an outward pre defined perspective , I do not fully agree or disagree with the way this is described or referred. In general terms of haunting , as something that disturbs or disrupts the “norm” this type of haunting is classified as primarily malevolent. Like an intelligent haunting, this haunting involves the presence of something with intelligence but the difference is in the belief that this type of intelligence has never been in human form. Often associated with things that are summoned, as with a Ouija board or other dimensional tool, this type of haunting usually begins as harmless play and grows increasingly more frightful. It is believed this inhuman entity is usually angry, or holds hatred for human life, and seeks to cause harm , physically and emotionally through fear. These types of hauntings can appear as some class as a demonic form, resembling a “devil”. They can link to such things as the ideas of possession.

5. Nature Spirits

This may or not be felt it belongs in hauntings at all but I think it is a part that is rarely addressed and needs to be looked at. Nature spirits like the last type, are not what is classed as ever being human. A highly intelligent haunting that is rarely seen and little known about. Nature spirits fit’s a wide range of beings looked at as something from a fairytale or a child’s imagination. In the case of haunting again as a frightful type happening, these nature spirits are usually associated with a particular area as a form of guardian or caretaker. They seem to dwell in certain places frightening those who try to enter their “sacred” spaces. This is a general classification, as sometimes these nature spirits depending on their type may fit as well in the inhuman type haunting and attach for no known reason or origin to certain place, person at any given time. However in most cases the presence of a natural spirit is linked to a place having some type of historical or sacred significance in common folklore. Common types of nature spirits include, fairies, sylphs, elves, gnomes and even trolls to name just a few.

There are probably more classifications out there that can be parts of these types of hauntings or separate all on their own. This is in general how hauntings are classed. In perspective, as a sensitive, this may not be how I see everything or have experienced. I do hope it opens a door for communication and perhaps a deeper research independantly or jointly with groups.

The most common type of haunting is a residual haunting. A residual haunting can be described as an image that has been recorded in time and played back in a continuous loop over and over again through the years. Additionally, there is no intelligent ghost, spirit, or other entity directly involved. You may see the same scenes all the time, hear the same noises repeatedly, or even smell the same smells, usually at the same time of day. The image you are seeing will not even realize that you are there.

Although you might think you’re seeing a spirit, it isn’t really an actual spirit. It’s not even there; it’s just the leftover energy of an event in the past; like a recording. This repeated scene that plays over and over is usually a very significant event, life-altering event, or even a common event of a person or place. Usually the sounds and images recorded are related to traumatic events that took place at that location and caused some sort of disturbance or “psychic impression” to happen there. Traumatic events like beheadings, great battles, murders, or even a celebration can be the focus of a residual haunting.

In most cases people may hear the sounds of screaming,crying, breathing,phantom footsteps walking on the stairs or through hallways, or even odd, repetitive sounds like tapping or slamming. Although these images may manifest themselves Visually, they won’t interact with the living and will just continue to repeat the same actions over and over again. It’s just like rewinding a movie and watching the same scene over and over. The activity, whether sounds or sightings, will be random.

Although research is ongoing, some theories on residual hauntings have been suggested. A common explanation for this type of haunting is the energy has, in a way, become part of the dwelling it once occupied. This can be explained by the fact that some building materials, such as the slate that was used to build old castles and stone structures along with iron nails used in many of the same buildings, have properties similar to audio or video tape which have a tendency to make “recordings” of things that happen near them. The energy of these occurances imprints itself into the atmosphere of the place and cannot be erased. The materials store the energy created by these traumatic events and play them back at a later, random time. In some cases, the images have been created by events or actions that were repeated over and over again, which causes an impression. In older places like Europe, it has been suggested that the porous stones of castle walls soak up the energy and that’s why there are so many haunted old buildings there. Some of the most famous hauntings appear to be residual ones. The Tower of London’s ghost of Anne Boleyn and the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall are two famous examples of residual hauntings.

There is usually very little that can be done to stop this kind of haunting. This type of haunting is not dangerous at all so if you or someone you know ever has to deal with the situation, understand what is going on and realize that there is really no danger. Someone who is in this situation will have to learn to live with it or relocate.

                                                                                                       

DATELINE:  MARSHFIELD, MA… It’s time for the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield’s annual Club Haunt event!  Dress in costume and get ready for a fun-filled spooky evening of entertainment!  Club Haunt will be held at the Marshfield Fairgrounds on October 24, 25 and 26th.  Gates open at 6 p.m.  Admission is $12 per person and covers all haunted activities.

 

Club Haunt offers affordable family fun and also makes for a great date night with plenty of frightening activities, spooky characters and games for all ages.  Activities include a family hayride, which is “not-so-scary” and meant for young children, as well as a “scare you witless” haunted hayride.  Club Haunt dining is available at an additional charge and will be provided by Crest Family Catering in Hanover.

                                                                                                                         

More than 75 volunteers and staff work tirelessly to pull off this successful annual Club Haunt event.  Each year, approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people attend.

                                   

“This is one of our biggest events drawing families from far and wide.  There’s something for everyone.   People with very young children can enjoy the spooky, yet not scary, hayride and games.  Older children and adults will enjoy a more frightening haunted hayride and Club Haunt experience,” said the club’s Executive Director Greg Jackson.  “A lot of people attend the event in costume.  It’s a really good time and it raises money for a good cause.”   

 

Proceeds from the Club Haunt benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield.  The privately funded, non-profit club hopes to raise at least $10K to support programming.

 

Tickets are available at the Club Haunt entrance.  Discounted tickets may be purchased in advance at the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, Pre-Game Sports in Webster Square or at The Little Gym in the Christmas Tree Shop plaza.

 

For more information, visit www.marshfieldboysandgirlsclub.com or call 781-834-CLUB (2582).

                                                

About the Boys and Girls Club

The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield’s purpose is to establish a safe haven for recreation, which includes a variety of supervised activities for greater than 4,000 youths (between the ages of 6 to 18 years old) within the town.  The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield has five Core Areas:  Character and Leadership; Education and Career; Health, Sport Fitness Recreation and Life Skills; The Arts; and Technology.  These Core Areas serve as the foundation for all programming.

 

As a privately-funded, non-profit organization, the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield relies tremendously on the generous philanthropic support of individuals.  Financial gifts assist in providing the financial strength necessary to continue the club’s mission “to enable and inspire all young people to realize their full potential as productive and responsible citizens, as well as become tomorrow’s capable leaders.”

 

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, please contact (781) 834-CLUB (2582) or visit the website at www.MarshfieldBoysAndGirlsClub.com or write to the club at P.O. Box 311, Marshfield, MA  02050.

 

 

 

Ancestors of Mormon Pioneers are justifiably proud of the heritage and history of the brave people who settled Utah, Nevada and California in the 1800s.

One terrific organization devoted to preserving that heritage is the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Website for DUP.

Maureen Smith, the vice president of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers took a few minutes to talk with me about the recent ghost sightings at the museum.

On October 10, 2007 Utah Capitol State Police saw an image on the monitors which come from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.

One of the officers actually took a photo of the image in the monitor, and gave the photo to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.See the image here.

The monitors are in the Utah Capitol building, and the images come from the cameras in the Museum a few blocks away. State Police watch the monitors, and respond if there appears to be an intruder.

The image appeared four times over an 8 day period, and always appeared between about 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM. During these hours the Museum is closed and empty, no one is inside accept cleaning or maintenance.

During this 8 day period the motion detectors in the Museum were set off several times, and the image appeared 4 times. The ghostly image appeared without setting off motion detectors sometimes, other times motion detectors went off without showing the image.

Each time the image was seen it looked like the same person, and the image always persisted for several minutes.

Capitol State Police are the security for the Museum so they sent Officers to investigate and found the Museum secure each time they saw unusual images or motion detectors went off.

In an interesting side story, the Museum director speculates that she may know who it is in the image.

20 Years ago a “sampler” was stolen from the Museum. A “sampler” is an embroidered piece of cloth that students of embroidery used to prove that they knew their stitches.

A Museum staffer recognized the Sampler listed for sale on eBay, and that staffer contacted eBay, and sent documentation that the item was stolen, so eBay contacted seller. The eBay seller, who’s family had purchased the sampler in good faith years earlier, immediately returned the sampler to Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

During the interval of the images appearing to the State Police, and the return of the sampler, a Custodian reported that on one night he saw a young lady, dressed in black sitting on a bench in the museum foyer.

The custodian explained that the museum was closed and she must leave, he unlocked and opened the front door for her, she never spoke but arose and walked out the door, BUT NOT DOWN THE STEPS! The girl floated above the steps, and sidewalk, until she disappeared!

This story was brought to our attention by Carolyn Richardson, a Daughter of a Utah Pioneer. The story originally appeared in their newsletter.

!–[if !vml]–>So, you’ve purchased your rehab property, and you’ve fixed it up. Man, this house is nice. It has all new carpets, and the hardwoods have been refinished. You’ve added a bathroom, updated the kitchen and all of your systems are new. You’ve picked out nice welcoming colors. You are ready! You know that this is a house that someone would love to live in.

You decide to host an open house. The day comes and you are excited. People dive up, slow down and then keep on moving! Why is this happening? You’ve done your marketing; you’ve got directional signs everywhere. And you know it’s worked, because people are coming by the house. But they’re not stopping. Why is that? They’re missing all of the wonderful things that you have done inside this house. But that’s the problem, all of your work has been done inside the house.

Curb appeal is something that is very important, but many rehabbers overlook. Simply put, how does your house look on the outside? When someone pulls up, is it inviting? Does it fell homey? Does it make them want to go inside? Is it appealing form the curb? If the answer is no, you will have a hard time renting the house. There are some simple ways that you can increase the curb appeal of your house, and the chances of renting it out. Let’s discuss them now.

Landscaping

One of the first things that you can and should do is landscape your yard. This can be as simple as making sure that the grass is cut during the spring and summer. This is your most low cast maintenance option. However, there are other things that cost a little bit more but will allow you to reap huge benefits by moving your property quickly.

You may purchase a property that doesn’t even have any grass. Now, it is not a necessity that a house has grass, but any family and most couples who are looking to move into a house and make it a home would like to have a nice lawn. It doesn’t have to be huge, but most people want a yard. The simple solution is to put down sod. Builders do it all of the time, because they recognize the importance of this feature.

You can also plant bushes, flowers and trees. If you do this, we suggest that you budget a few more dollars of your escrow budget purchase the mature bushes, flowers and trees. These items will be bigger, heartier and provide a homier feel to your yard. You can also put down pine straw or mulch. All of this will work wonders.

Lastly, if you can do something to the backyard, we recommend that you do. You don’t have to go all out, because this is not what people see first. But, if someone is truly interested in the house, they will check out the back yard. Do what you can to make it inviting as well.

Driveway

Let’s face it. A lot of rehab properties don’t even have driveways. So, if yours does. That is a plus. But, you want to make sure that the driveway is in good shape. A cracked up driveway is worse than not having one at all. If the house has a gravel drive, we recommend that you turn it into concrete. Gravel driveways are dusty and hard to walk on. There are companies that specialize in driveways and they can handle all of this for you.

Front Door

Have you ever thought about the front door to a house? Probably not, most of us don’t. However, the door that you choose can greatly influence the “character” of a house. Will the house appear closed and foreboding, or open and inviting? The front door can have a lot to do with that.

We recommend that your door have a window of some sort. It doesn’t have to be huge, but there should be something that lets light in and out. The glass on the window should be decorative, not a plane pane. Why? Again, these are small touches that can make quite a difference. And there are so many options to choose from. Go to your local building supply store and tour the door department. You will see tons of designs at reasonable prices. Remember, your potential tenants are going to walk through this door. You want them to feel welcome.

Windows

Windows are nearly as important as the doors. They are like the eyes of the house. What will people see when they look into those eyes? If the windows are old and look out of date, they need to be replaced. There are tons of styles to choose from and they will really make a difference in how your house looks from the street. They are also a great selling point, because new windows are more energy efficient and provide better insulation than older models.

Paint/Trim

This should be a no-brainer, but many people are so busy fixing up the inside of the house, they forget about this. Let’s start with a brick house. If the house is brick, you really don’t have a lot of painting to worry about. But, you should make sure that all of the trim is freshly painted. This simple step will bright up the outside of the house. Depending on how the brick looks, you can also get it pressure washed.

Quite a few houses today have vinyl siding. This is because siding does not have to be painted, and it wears well. If your numbers work, you could consider adding siding to your wood frame house. Again, this will be a selling point for your potential renters. But, since the upkeep will your responsibility, many renters are not particular. So, unless you are selling on a lease/purchase or rent to own, you can decide if you want to go with siding or fresh paint. However, before you have your open house, you need to do one of the two. A house with peeling and flaking paint does not show well.

Fencing

Part of the fabled American dream is to own a house with a white picket fence. This is something that you can provide! Of course, you need to take a look at the layout of your property and make sure that there is room for it. If there is room, we say go for it. Fencing really makes a house look nice and inviting.

Remember, you want your house to look inviting from the street. These are just a few things that you can do to turn that “haunted house” into an inviting home.

The Haunting in Connecticut Movie Review - Plot Based on a true story, Lionsgate’s The Haunting in Connecticut charts one family’s terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner’s clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover. Now unspeakable terror awaits, when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the powerful dark forces of the supernatural, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family. The Haunting in Connecticut Movie Review - cast Virginia Madsen as Sara Campbell Kyle Gallner as Matt Campbell Martin Donovan as Peter Campbell Amanda Crew as Wendy Elias Koteas as Reverend Nicholas Popescu Michael Glen Forrester as Demon The Haunting in Connecticut Movie Review - Production Directed by Peter Cornwell Produced by Scott Niemeyer Norm Waitt Steve Whitney Paul Brooks Daniel Farrands Phyllis Laing Wendy Rhoads Andrew Trapani Written by Adam Simon Tim Metcalfe Distributed by Lionsgate, Gold Circle Films Release date March 27, 2009 Country United States Language English

The Haunting in Connecticut Movie Review - cast

Virginia Madsen as Sara Campbell

Kyle Gallner as Matt Campbell

Martin Donovan as Peter Campbell

Amanda Crew as Wendy

Elias Koteas as Reverend Nicholas Popescu

Michael Glen Forrester as Demon

The Haunting in Connecticut Movie Review - Production

Directed by Peter Cornwell

Produced by Scott Niemeyer

Norm Waitt

Steve Whitney

Paul Brooks

Daniel Farrands

Phyllis Laing

Wendy Rhoads

Andrew Trapani

Written by Adam Simon

Tim Metcalfe

Distributed by Lionsgate, Gold Circle Films

Release date March 27, 2009

Country United States

Language English