PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Pensacola homeowner says they bought a historic house, started noticing strange things happening inside and then learned something they hadn’t known before closing: a previous owner had died there.
Now they’re looking for a priest.
The homeowner turned to the Pensacola subreddit Tuesday asking locals where they might find a priest willing to bless or cleanse the house.
The poster made clear they aren’t particularly religious — or even convinced anything supernatural is happening.
But after flickering lights, a television apparently turning itself on and off, a glass mysteriously shattering on a counter and pets seeming unusually unsettled inside the home, the homeowner decided a blessing couldn’t hurt.
They said an electrician had already inspected the house and found its wiring to be solid.
The homeowner also told commenters that carbon monoxide detectors had been checked.
Then came the detail that transformed a home-maintenance mystery into a very late-October Florida story.
The poster said they learned after buying the house that its previous owner had died inside.
That account, including the circumstances surrounding the previous owner’s death, has not been independently verified.
Florida law has a surprise for buyers
The homeowner jokingly questioned what happened to the disclosure process after learning about the alleged death.
But Florida law has a fairly clear answer.
Under Florida Statute 689.25, the fact that a property was the site of a homicide, suicide or other death is “not a material fact” that must be disclosed during a real estate transaction.
Florida Realtors likewise explains in its guide to state disclosure requirements that sellers generally must disclose known facts that materially affect a home’s value and aren’t readily observable — but a death at the property falls outside that requirement.
So even if the Reddit poster’s account is confirmed, the fact that they weren’t told about the death before buying the home would not, by itself, indicate that the seller violated Florida’s disclosure law.
Whether that makes the homeowner feel any better about sleeping there is another question.
Lights, a television — and one shattered glass
The Reddit poster didn’t describe shadowy figures, mysterious voices or anything as cinematic as a traditional haunted-house story.
Instead, it’s been a collection of smaller things.
Lights have reportedly flickered strangely.
The television has turned itself on and off.
A glass broke while sitting on a counter.
And the homeowner says their dog and cat appear uncomfortable inside the house while behaving normally elsewhere.
The poster initially wondered whether storm-related electrical problems could explain some of it, but said an electrician subsequently inspected the home’s wiring and didn’t find an obvious problem.
Importantly, the homeowner repeatedly acknowledged that there could be perfectly ordinary explanations.
They also pushed back when commenters suggested an exorcism or paranormal investigation.
That’s not what they’re looking for.
They just want someone to bless the house.
Reddit had practical advice — and plenty of jokes
The Pensacola thread quickly became a mix of serious recommendations, skeptical troubleshooting and exactly the kind of jokes you’d expect when someone asks Reddit how to cleanse a potentially haunted Florida house.
One of the most upvoted pieces of practical advice was to check the home’s carbon monoxide detector, something the homeowner said they’d already done.
Another user offered a potential explanation for the television, pointing out that HDMI-CEC connections involving streaming devices, gaming consoles and other equipment can sometimes cause TVs to behave unexpectedly.
Other commenters recommended contacting a Catholic parish directly, visiting local metaphysical shops or using sage.
Some simply wanted more ghost stories.
Several Pensacola-area priests were also recommended by name in the discussion.
For someone interested in going the Catholic route, the Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee maintains a directory of priests and Pensacola-area parishes. The diocese lists multiple priests serving at churches throughout Pensacola and says people who need help finding the appropriate contact can reach its Pastoral Center.
The Reddit poster said they planned to start making calls.
Skeptical — but no longer quite as skeptical
Perhaps the most relatable part of the thread is that its author doesn’t sound like someone who went looking for a haunted house.
They told commenters they normally laugh at paranormal television shows and remain unsure whether anything unusual is actually happening.
But experiencing unexplained things in their own house has apparently made those jokes feel a little different.
The homeowner said the strangest part is simply not feeling completely comfortable in the place they just bought.
For now, there’s no evidence establishing that anything paranormal is occurring at the Pensacola home.
There are possible mundane explanations for at least some of what the owner described, and the house has not been independently inspected as part of this story.
There is also no independent confirmation yet of the Reddit poster’s account regarding the previous owner’s death.
What is confirmed is that Florida law wouldn’t necessarily have required a seller to disclose such a death in the first place.
What happens next
The next development may be the best part of the story.
The homeowner says they’re going to contact local churches and try to arrange a house blessing.
They aren’t asking Reddit for ghost hunters.
They don’t want an investigation.
They aren’t even certain they believe there’s anything supernatural to remove.
They just bought a historic Florida home, learned something unexpected about its past and decided that, after a few strange nights, having a priest stop by might bring a little peace of mind.
And if the lights stop flickering afterward?
Pensacola Reddit will almost certainly want an update.
