8 replies to this topic

[BobbySpookyHouse]

I'm trying to determin weather or not my house is haunted, and I need a bit of help. Here is a quick summary of the situation; my dad and I were the last remaining occupants of the house that my parents bought fifty years ago. It was built in 1961 and we are the original owners. Two years ago my dad suffered a debilitating heart attack and suffered greatly for a long period of time ( he was a heavy smoker all his life ). He was very limited to what he could to ( he could barely walk ) and his quality of life was very low. Ten months later he passed away from another heart attack in a hospital. A few months later I had a lifelong friend move in as a tennant. Not long after he moved in he started hearing strange sounds in the house when he was by himself during the day while I was at work. He would hear footsteps in the living room above him while he was in the basement, and when he came upstairs no one was there, but would smell cigarrets ( I had the house thoroughly cleaned after my dad passed away to get rid of all tobacco smells ). After the sound of footsteps, his dog would start barking at the end of the sofa where my dad sat all the time, or would bark at the wooden cabinet where my parent's urns rest. My friend has heard these sound many times over the past year. But always when I am not home, and even his girlfriend hears the mysterious footsteps when I am not home. But I never hear them when I am at home. And I trust my friend 100% so it's not an issue with him lying to me. What should I make of this? Is it the spirit of my dad looking for me when I'm not home ( as someone has suggested )? Or a "residual hauting"? Any help would be appriciated.
Thanks!

Bob
Brampton, Ont.

[Alienated Being]

In short - no.

[Hilander]

First of all I will say that I am sorry for your dads death and welcome to the forum.

It could be him, I wouldn't rule that out but it could be their imagination too.  If you could record these sounds it might be helpful to determine what it is.  It is strange the dog would bark at the sofa or your parents urn.  As far as claiming to smell the odor of cigarettes even though you had the house cleaned during humid days that smell will increase and you can't get it all out.

I have seen a ghost so I do believe haunting's are possible.

[coldethyl]

It could be rodents or it could be tree limbs brushing the house and you're just used to the sound.

I would discount the dog barking because dogs bark at weird stuff.

Set up a video camera, it will either stop or provide evidence.  I believe it will stop.

[Gutsy]

Is your friend used to live in a house of that age/quality?
A lot of people are freaked out by new noises, smells and impressions, and they can interepret them differently from you you. For instance: You are used to the smell of your house, and you might not notice the tobacco smell, that sometimes occour.
I´m not saying that the house isn´t haunted, but usually there are logical explanations. With that said; had it been me, then I would definately look into it. There is some reason for it regardless if it´s normal or paranormal.
I heard of one case where the residents of a house saw shadows and faces on the wall, and they were freaked out by it, but it turned out it was due to a lousy pain job. There are real estate agents and some engineers, that could give you an idea of what could cause it, and how it can be fixed. If you follow their advice and still have problems, there might be some more to it.
If we asume it´s paranormal I don´t think the camera will do you any good, when nothing has been seen, but sound recording might be the way. Especialla when sounds have been detected. There are other instruments that measure electromagnetic fields and thermal changes, but the easiest (and cheapest) way is definately audio equipment. As to what to use anything will go. Computer microphones and cell phones have the editing and enhancement beifits, however people seem to get more on regular cassette tapes. Maybe there is a connection between the magnetic fields an entity can cuase and the tape´s way of recording magnetism on to it.
As to wether it´s your dad or not is hard to say.
You say it´s a life-long friend. Did you dad know him? Could there be anything that your dad wants him to understand? Doesn´t have to be a bad thing. It could just as easily be a "I´m glad your here" or something.
You were the original owners to the house, but another house could have been here, so it could be someone else´s spirit.
So in short....
I would try to get a sceptical expert´s opinion at first.
I hope there is a non-paranormal explanation to it, but keep us informed.

[spirit2]

Welcome to the forum!
I would have to agree with some of the comments.. Even though you say you cleaned the house to rid it of old tobacco smells, you still get a certain amount remaining.. We have lived in this house for 30 years and the previous owners were heavy smokers. In certain temp humidity conditions yo ucan still smell smoke on the front door even though its been painted a few times..
It is interesting though and if you could capture something on audio or video  would be great!

[JGirl]

 BobbySpookyHouse, on 23 October 2012 - 12:39 AM, said:

I'm trying to determin weather or not my house is haunted, and I need a bit of help. Here is a quick summary of the situation; my dad and I were the last remaining occupants of the house that my parents bought fifty years ago. It was built in 1961 and we are the original owners. Two years ago my dad suffered a debilitating heart attack and suffered greatly for a long period of time ( he was a heavy smoker all his life ). He was very limited to what he could to ( he could barely walk ) and his quality of life was very low. Ten months later he passed away from another heart attack in a hospital. A few months later I had a lifelong friend move in as a tennant. Not long after he moved in he started hearing strange sounds in the house when he was by himself during the day while I was at work. He would hear footsteps in the living room above him while he was in the basement, and when he came upstairs no one was there, but would smell cigarrets ( I had the house thoroughly cleaned after my dad passed away to get rid of all tobacco smells ). After the sound of footsteps, his dog would start barking at the end of the sofa where my dad sat all the time, or would bark at the wooden cabinet where my parent's urns rest. My friend has heard these sound many times over the past year. But always when I am not home, and even his girlfriend hears the mysterious footsteps when I am not home. But I never hear them when I am at home. And I trust my friend 100% so it's not an issue with him lying to me. What should I make of this? Is it the spirit of my dad looking for me when I'm not home ( as someone has suggested )? Or a "residual hauting"? Any help would be appriciated.
Thanks!

Bob
Brampton, Ont.

well i don't know bob. your name here is bobbyspookyhouse so i figure what the heck it's almost hallowe'en - sure. your house is haunted and you will all perish if you don't get out now.

[orangepeaceful79]

Hey there, Bob.  Here's the deal with your house.  If you believe its haunted, it will seem to get more and more haunted by the day.  Your confirmation bias towards the belief that it is haunted will overtake your logic and you , at that point, will have officially put your ghost-goggles on.  Anything odd will seem like a ghost to you.  Until you install audio/video equipment, that is.  The video equipment will capture nothing because it is a well known fact that cameras scare ghosts away.  Or possibly because cameras see exactly what there is, unlike our eyes which see poorly in general and then whatever we do see is run through the filters in our minds to make sense of it.  Which takes you back to your original confirmation bias.

If you don't want your house to be haunted, try this.  Set up cameras to catch the activity - when they don't, quit believing in ghosts.  Your problems will be solved.

[Spky777]

op only you know the truth.  It is your ears and eyes that sense it and are witness.  If you capture the sounds or film it, its a plus.
It could be your pop but it can also be something else pretending to be your pop.  Becareful because and imposter will have fun making you
go through emotions related to your dad.  Allow as much light into the house and get a radio and play it pretty loud when it is silent.  This might make it want to go away somewhere else.  If it is your pop you might want to make a special service mass to him and ask a priest about what is happening and how to get your pop to rest peacefully.

It is true dogs are very sensative and will bark or howl at things that call their attention or frighten them.   When they do this its a good idea to  pet him and reassure him that you are their for him.

Edited by Spky777, 31 October 2012 - 12:30 AM.