Definition of "Stigmatized Property"

Mandy Love real estate agent

Written by

Mandy Loveelite badge icon

Listing Leaders Prestige

Stigmatized property is a property that home buyers might back off on closing a deal due to factors that are not related to the property’s price, structural/aesthetic conditions and overall features.

The stigmas of a stigmatized property can include:

Criminal – a stigmatized property by a criminal activity. Say a house used to be a brothel or a drug den; it’s likely that a lot of home buyers will shy away from closing the deal worrying their doors will be knocked on a lot by former customers.

Debt – if the former owner of the property held a lot of debt, home buyers might look at the house as a stigmatized property fearing a lot of collectors unbeknownst to the change of ownership will come and annoy them.

Death – if there was a homicide or a suicide inside the house, home buyers might feel a bit weird living there. Some states and cities even demand the home seller disclose that information in their full disclosure. In California, for instance, it’s required that this information is made available to the home buyer if the death occurred less than 3 years ago.

Phenomena – Would you live in a haunted house if the price was right? Well, many consider a haunted house a stigmatized property, and some places do obligate the home seller to disclose that information.

Minimal – those are properties that are only stigmatized by a small group of people. Example: a person from one certain religion might see a property that used to be a temple for a “competing” religion, as a stigmatized property but people from the same religion as the temple will not care.

Public – it’s the opposite of the minimal; it’s that stigmatized property that everyone knows about its stigmatized history. A home where a slaughter of national dimensions occurred will fall into this stigmatized property category.

Real Estate Tip:

Need to know if a property is stigmatized – and how to deal with one that is? Get a
real estate agent and let him (her) show you how!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Prepayment to a landlord for refurbishing the unit beyond what would be anticipated from customary wear and tear. It is like a damage deposit. The security deposit may be refunded at the ...

Property devoted to only one such as a medical building. ...

Tank placed beneath the ground to accumulate sewage. ...

Span of time a rental agreement is free to the occupant. A landlord may offer this as an incentive to stimulate rentals. For example, an owner of an office building may provide a free ...

The definition of obligor is a position that comes from obligation and indicates a party that has ‘promised’ to perform a specific act. In the financing world, an obligor is ...

(1) Judgment against a defendant who does not respond to the plaintiffs lawsuit or fails to appear in court at the hearing or trial date. (2) Judgment issued by the court against the ...

Mock closing; all information is available prior to an actual closing in order to insure all documents are properly executed by the appropriate parties. A preclosing is normally used only ...

(1) Judges remark in a court ruling not in and of itself embodying the law. A dictum merely illustrates or amplifies the ruling. (2) Arbitrator's ruling. ...

Same as term REIT: Type of investment company that invests money in mortgages and various types of investment in real estate, in order to earn profits for shareholders. Shareholders receive ...

Popular Real Estate Questions