What Really Haunts Homeowners? It’s Often Not the Home, But Home Repairs

As Halloween decorations start going up, homeowners start thinking about the scariest parts of their homes. You might think that they would go straight to ghosts and scary sounds, but for homeowners, the scariest things aren’t supernatural – they’re home repair problems. 

Our most recent survey took a deep dive into the true anxieties of homeowners and the pros who help them. The results? Most of us are far more terrified of a burst pipe than a ghoul or ghost. 

Repair Dread Trumps Monsters 

When you stack up the possibility of a monster against a sudden, costly repair, tthe repair wins the fear factor, hands down.

According to our survey:

• 92% are scared of a surprise repair bill

• 90% dread a plumbing emergency

• 89% worry about hidden mold

These numbers are about three times higher than the fear of monsters. In fact, 36% of homeowners say they’ve heard strange sounds in their home and 24% have seen lights flicker unexpectedly, yet they’re still more concerned with repair bills.

Halloween Home Damage

While you might worry about trick-or-treaters causing mischief, property damage around Halloween is also a real concern.

• 17% of homeowners have experienced minor property damage on or around Halloween.

• 11% have faced major damage during the holiday period.

• 14% have reported vandalism like eggs or toilet paper.

• 11% have had to hire a pro for repairs specifically due to a Halloween-related incident.

Whether it’s a punctured inflatable, a smashed pumpkin on the porch, or worse, sometimes the most frightening thing about October 31st is the damage.

Is Your Home Haunted?

While the fear of a repair bill is high, a significant number of homeowners do believe their home has some extra residents:

• 15% of homeowners believe their home might be haunted.

• 16% think they’ve seen a ghost in their home.

What Scares the Pros?

Home service pros, the people who venture into your deepest, darkest corners, have their own tales to tell:

• 43% have heard strange noises on a job site.

• 40% have had clients warn them their home was haunted.

• 32% believe they have worked in a haunted house.

• 14% have turned down a job because of an unsettling feeling.

• 12% have left a job site before finishing because they were spooked.

However, even the pros who have encountered ghosts are still more scared of tangible property threats. Their top fears when making a discovery on a job are:

• Hidden mold (83% are scared of this)

• Faulty electrical panels (77%)

• A rotting roof (76%)

And while they’re not scared of ghosts, many professionals do have a fear of certain spooky spaces: 39% admit to being scared to work in a crawl space, attic, or basement. Can you blame them? These dark, cramped spaces are where the real problems, like water damage and rodent infestations, often hide.

Don't Let Fear Freeze Your Fixes

This Halloween, remember that the best way to ward off both spooky speculation and real-world repair dread is to be proactive. Ignoring a small issue because you're scared of what you'll find only guarantees it will become a bigger, scarier, and more expensive problem down the road.

Don't wait for your furnace to start making strange, ghostly sounds before calling a professional. Use Angi to find top-rated pros in your area to tackle those real-life horrors.