Morbid Real Estate: May Edition

1211 Macon Ave., Pittsburgh

Welcome to another exciting edition of Morbid Real Estate, where I hunt down homes for sale that come with a tragic history. Like many states, Pennsylvania doesn't require real estate agents to disclose whether or not a death has occurred inside a house unless asked directly. In the handful of states with laws requiring sellers and agents to disclose deaths on a property, such rules only apply to murders and suicides that have occurred within the previous one to two years. 

But what if you're thinking about buying a property and have concerns that someone might've croaked inside your future home in a most unnatural way fifty years ago? Or a hundred years ago?

Well, I'm here to help... and, maybe even strike a blow for homebuyers against the unbridled greed of real estate agents, mortgage lenders, private equity firms and half-assed house-flippers who think that it's perfectly acceptable to ask $475,000 for a two-bedroom, one bath with a leaky roof and cheap wood paneling that looks like it came from the side of a 1970s station wagon. With all that being said, let's check out this month's listings.

1211 Macon Ave.

1211 Macon Avenue, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County). Price: $499,900

First, we have this well-maintained 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home in the Regent Square neighborhood. The first floor features an open concept dining and living area, which includes an off-kitchen mudroom providing easy access to a detached two-car garage and a sunroom in front of the house ideal for kicking back and enjoying a good book (such as Pennsylvania's Coldest Cases: Ten Unsolved Murders That Rocked the Keystone State).

Upstairs you'll find a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and two additional bedrooms, along with a full bath, while the third floor features a finished room that would be perfect for a home office or a hobby or game room.

1211 Macon Ave.

This property also features numerous upgrades and improvements, such as a new roof, updated windows, a new garage door, updated lighting and replacement front and rear concrete steps. All in all, this is a lovely home, but is it half a million bucks lovely? Well, that depends on how you feel about living in a suicide home.

1211 Macon Ave.

In this 1930s, this was the home of Mrs. G. Homer Johnson, whose father, William A. Smith, was once the president of the L.W. Smith Woodenware Company. William retired in 1930 and moved to New York, but returned to Pittsburgh in the spring of 1937 to visit his daughter on Macon Avenue. On the morning of April 5, Mrs. Johnson went upstairs to discover her father dead in a bed, with a light cord twisted tightly around his neck. According to Mrs. Johnson, her father had been suffering depression ever since his retirement.

 

416-418 Hallett Place, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County). Price: $299,900

416-418 Hallett Pl., Pittsburgh

This pair of brick duplexes in the Bellevue section of Pittsburgh is advertised as "perfect for an investor looking for a great cash flow", which, judging from the pictures, seems to suggest that the current owner was getting fat and happy by charging high rents and doing just enough maintenance and repairs to avoid getting a fine from the housing authority. 

416-418 Hallett Pl.

From the chipped and faded paint of the front porch to stairway carpeting that looks more worn out than Andy Dick after a hard night of partying like Andy Dick, it's clear that no expense has been expended in the care and upkeep of this property.

416-418 Hallett Pl.

Not surprisingly, this listing adheres to something I like to call "The Law of Inevitable Costly Repairs", which states that the amount of money required to polish up a turd like this is directly proportional to number of extraneous exclamation points the realtor uses in the property's description (see below).

It's also worth pointing out that this home has a tragic past. In 1929, a 16-year-old girl named Wilhelmina Richter resided at 416 Hallett Place. Wilhelmina, a student at Gladstone Junior High School, was described by her teachers as an A student, and was a Girl Scout leader. Yet, for reasons unknown, she swallowed poison on June 9. And, for reasons equally as mysterious, she was not taken to the hospital until June 17, where she died a short time later.

 

504 Tenth Street, Altoona (Blair County). Price: $35,000

504 10th St., Altoona

If the previous property was a bit too well-maintained for your liking, then consider this 2 bedroom, 2 bath investment opportunity. This place needs a complete restoration, so if you enjoy making endless trips to Home Depot and a trip to your family doctor for a tetanus booster, this home might be just what you're looking for.

504 10th St.

This home is a golden opportunity to practice not only your painting skills, but your electrical, plumbing, roofing and landscaping skills all at once. Best of all, since this property is in the heart of the city of Altoona, after you get done spending $80k in repairs, you'll be able to re-sell the house for $65k. Ka-ching!

504 10th St.

 

Having been built in 1880, there's no telling just how many people have died under this roof over the years, but we do know there was at least one who died by his own hand. In 1905, this property was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Geesey, whose 24-year-old son-in-law, Louis Bardsley, lived there with his wife.

 According to the Altoona Times, Bardsley was laboring under the belief that he had lost his job as a clerk. On July 16, after a night of heavy drinking, he went to the drugstore and purchased two ounces of laudanum before coming home and going upstairs with a drinking glass. His wife followed him up to his bedroom and snatched away the glass, but not before Bardsley swallowed the contents of the bottle. A physician, Dr. Frank Black, was summoned to the home and attempted to save the young man's life with a stomach pump, but Louis Bardsley fell into a deep sleep and never woke up.