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October 27, 2021

Would you live in a haunted house for cheaper rent?

People will do anything to save a buck.

Some skimp on haircuts. Some on child care. Some can’t even afford pants that reach their shoes.

But where resting your head is concerned, rent is often something you can’t cheap out on.

Trim a hundred bucks a month from your cost and you’ll be sleeping with a) bedbugs, b) screaming locomotives, or c) next to a meth lab.

That doesn’t mean people won’t try, though.

A new survey from Rent.com has revealed more than two-thirds of renters would live with ghosts or in an otherwise rumoured-to-be haunted house for a lower monthly rate.

According to the study, 69% would bunk with the Poltergeist for “the right price.” Fifty-one percent would share their home with a ghost for free rent, and 27% would open their doors to the spirits for half-price lodging.

But, wait, you didn’t think an outrageous survey would stop with only the bare essentials. There are more variables under which renters admit they’d live with ghosts. A kind of paranormal bartering system.

Rent.com concludes 30% of people would cuddle up with Casper for included utilities, and almost one-quarter (23%) said they’d do it in exchange for a free flat-screen TV with cable subscription.

Now, depending on how you look at things, there are still some rational people out there. Almost one-third (31%) of renters said they wouldn’t touch a haunted house under any circumstances, whether a complimentary toaster or bath mat or whatever be involved.

Of course, flipping that on its head, how ridiculous is it to suggest ghosts actually exist outside of the mind of Haley Joel Osment?

What’s your reaction to this? Would you stay away from an apartment spooked by the paranormal, or is this a no-brainer way to save cash from all the other suckers who buy into this kind of thing?

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...