It’s the house that made headlines for a truly creepy reason, but apparently that didn’t deter someone from buying it.
The infamous “Watcher” house in Westfield, New Jersey, was sold in July despite the former owners revealing they had received mysterious letters from someone claiming to watch their house.
Derek and Maria Broaddus bought the nearly $1.4 million 1905 Dutch colonial revival home in 2014. Just days after the purchase, they began receiving threatening notes.
“657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming,” the first letter read, as shared in a report in New York magazine. “My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time.”
In other letters, the writer referred to the couple’s three children, calling them “young blood.”
As the spooky notes continued, the family ultimately moved in with Maria’s parents. They put the house back on the market but it didn’t sell. So, they rented it out.
In 2017, their renter received a letter from the “watcher” which listed various forms of revenge that could happen to them, including a car accident, fire or even loved ones suddenly dying.
The Broadduses hired a number of experts, including a former FBI agent to try and solve the case, but the mystery still remains.
But now, a new owner will brave the home. According to a copy of a deed filed with the Union County clerk’s office obtained by NBC New York, the home was sold on July 1. The real estate agent, Beth Sullivan of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, confirmed the purchase with TODAY Home but said the new homeowners would like to remain anonymous and have no comment at this time.
Zillow reports the house was sold for $959,000 this time around, resulting in a significant loss for the Broadduses.
Perhaps, though, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.
