You love your house – it’s a little older, a little quirky, but that’s why you wanted it in the first place. Sometimes, though, you find yourself stretching logic thin to explain away faulty wiring, sounds outside the normal realm of old house sounds, closed doors that you were sure were left open or freezing up at the feeling of being watched. You always forget about it by morning and chalk it up to being tired and your mind playing tricks. Every time, though, you remember how eager the sellers were to close, but you know it could be a litany of other reasons other than that.
When trying to figure out if that weird groan is the house settling or something paranormal, it’s difficult to measure how much is our imagination and how much are normal occurrences. Here’s a few of the most common manifestations of a haunting:
1. You feel like you're being watched when no one's there.
It’s usually one of the first signs you’ll experience if your home is truly haunted. Occasional paranoia can be reduced to your imagination, especially after you’ve watched an episode or two (or binged it all in one day, I don’t judge) of The Haunting of Hill House. Consistent feelings of being watched, in the same room or area of the house, even, could be a sign of a haunting. A near-constant feeling of being uncomfortable for no reason could also be an indication. If you live with other people, it might be a good question to ask to see if they’re being affected as well.
2. Strange noises.
Sounds outside the realm of normal creaks and snaps. A good rule of thumb to differentiate between natural and supernatural is repetition. Not only with consistency in what time of day it happens and how often, but also in the sounds themselves, like tapping, scratching or footsteps. A classic is always hearing footsteps in the attic when no one’s up there – footsteps that are quite different from the pitter-patter of mice or the odd squirrel.
3. Strange animal behavior.
Whether you believe in it or not, many paranormal enthusiasts agree that animals have a stronger sixth sense than humans, which is why in many horror movies or ghost stories you’ll see the pets affected before their owners start picking up on anything. Barking, growling, hissing or staring at seemingly nothing are all possible signs they’re sensing a presence from the other side.
4. Electric anomalies.
There’s a pretty easy explanation for a lot of this stuff: things like faulty wiring could cause lights to flicker or turn off and on by themselves. If it concerns you enough to get an electrician or some other expert to check on it and they give the all clear despite all the issues you’ve been having, you might consider the supernatural.
5. Cold spots.
Paranormal experts say that since ghosts need energy in order to manifest themselves, they will absorb the heat around them to build up their strength. That’s why, in movies, characters will suddenly comment on how cold the room has gotten or you’ll see their breath moments before a jumpscare. Make sure to rule out logical explanations with this one as well; it could easily be an overactive AC unit, a draft or poor insulation in that area of the house.
6. Objects being misplaced or disappearing altogether.
You lose your keys or your phone all the time, sure, and always find them in a weird place you’ve never left them before. But maybe this time it’s a piece of jewelry that’s special to you, you go to put it on and it’s not where it’s supposed to be. You know your kids couldn’t have taken it because your jewelry box is high up on a dresser. You search frantically for it but give up, then end up finding it a few days later, maybe where it always is, or maybe somewhere you know you’d never have left it. Ghosts like to tease us like that.
Of course, this is all in good fun, so don’t get too spooked. However, it’s all good information to keep rolling around in the back of your head the next time you’re interested in flipping that decrepit-looking house at the end of the street.
