Whether or not you believe in haunted houses there certainly are a lot of spooky stories out there. It’s the perfect time of year for a scary story or two… Presented for your perusal, two tales of chills and thrills from our agents.
First the story of the spooky rental from Chelsea Robinson:
I had been managing a furnished rental in a historic building downtown and had a client complaining that they were hearing cabinets opening & closing & pipes in the middle of the night. Once they left, I had the home turn & cleaned and locked up. The doors are heavy with electronic locks. When I went to walk it next day–the door had been cracked open, and a knife from the knife block on the counter had been removed & was pointed towards the door. I checked the key system and no one had been in there. The housekeeper confirmed that the knife had not been pulled out–and that she had felt watched the entire time she was in the home. Let’s just say the housekeeper never came back after that. And I stopped managing the apartment as soon as the contract was up!
And now a tale of mistaken identity from Rodeo Realty agent Lou Woolf…
…A True tale of Terror!!!
A couple of years ago I had a probate listing in Silverlake on Edgeware St. The front door had been blocked off, so the attorney that had referred the listing to me suggested that I enter from the rear.
Now the… entire property was littered with debris, and garbage was strewn everywhere. So with great difficulty, I finally made it to the back of the home. The key I was given fit the lock. The door opened without too much trouble. The home was reportedly vacant, so with a little bit of hesitation, I started to explore the home.
It was already well past 5:00 PM, and it was starting to get dark. The power was off in the home which didn’t help. As I went from room to room, I started to hear noises, which I didn’t think too much about as this was a 1905 Craftsman style home, which one should expect to be prone to creeks, and groans do to age.
I’ve often encountered people in homes that were supposed to be vacant, so as a habit, I called out a loud hello while I wondered from room to room. As I entered the turn of the century living room, I heard a very loud crash. I turned completely around and found nothing out of place…..However, that’s when I started to hear what I can only describe as murmurings. It sounded like people talking softly, but from a great distance.
At this point, I was definitely feeling a little bit “creeped out”. I quickly wrapped up my tour of the home. Yes I even checked in the closets. Outside of a few sheet covered pieces of furniture, there was nobody home. As I headed for the back door off the tiny kitchen, I tripped on a piece of curling ancient flooring vinyl, and simultaneously heard laughter erupting all around me.
Needless to say I was back on my feet, and out the back door faster than I would have believed possible. I barely had enough time to lock the door before a sudden noise just behind me nearly caused a need for fresh underwear. I turned to see 3 silhouetted forms arising from the ground.
I was shocked and unable to move for what seemed like forever. As my eyes found focus, I did a double take and realized that there were Indeed 3 figures approaching out of what appeared to be the vary ground….
It was then that I realized this home had a basement. I was not seeing phantasm’s – I was seeing squatters that had been living under the home! I Finally sold the home to a young couple a few weeks later…Vagrant and Ghost Free!!!
Happy Halloween from Rodeo Realty!
Rodeo Realty agents often take an active role in their communities. Sam Kwasman was instrumental in engineering a change that led to North Hills West returning to being part of the community of Granada Hills. Kwasman, who heads the local neighborhood watch, was quoted in the LA Daily News as saying” “We are back to where we belong as part of Granada Hills.” After learning that the name change to North Hills West had never been made official, Kwasman and his neighbors collected petitions from other residents to show that the community wanted to be part of Granada Hills. 
