I spent my entire life in malls. If I wasn’t working there, you could definitely find me shopping in one. Malls are my happy place, probably because you’re never scared in a packed Nordstrom shoe department. You’re never thinking about the supernatural when you’re selling someone an engagement ring. It’s nice – and there are always tons of people around.

Fast forward to the first listing in my new role in real estate: a historic 1927 Colonial home in Maplewood, New Jersey. It had a sun drenched family room, fully fenced yard, updated kitchen AND a “nice ghost”. That last part must have been missed in the previous listing description.

Steph and I had been in and out most of the day. A staging walk through, a pre-listing inspection, mover walk throughs, a piano pick up; the usual things we do to prep our seller’s homes for market.

The appliance delivery company called with a delay but said they would “be there before 9pm”. I volunteered to stay to wait for their install. No biggie! I ordered GrubHub, cracked open my laptop and started planning our website launch party. That’s when I heard it. It sounded like someone was moving the armoire upstairs… except THERE WAS NO ARMOIRE UPSTAIRS.  

Let me set the stage. I hate to be scared. I can’t do it. I just can’t handle the anxiety of it. My friends used to invite me on haunted hayrides during the Halloween season but I always politely declined. No shot you are going to find me sitting in the back of a wagon, in the woods, with a Jason look-a-like coming at me in a hockey mask with bloody knife. Why would I EVER do that to myself? NOPE. So you can understand that when I heard the noise upstairs, I was shook.  Nobody lived there. No sounds should be coming from upstairs.

Did I mention it was now dark outside? I’m all alone. In an old house.

I listened again. Furniture was being moved, I was sure of it. I decided that to be “safe”, I better sit on the floor in the dining room with my back against the wall. Then, more furniture moving upstairs. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m delirious, maybe a pipe burst, maybe the house is settling. Then… quiet. I exhaled, opened my eyes, looked around and that’s when I saw it.

On a shelf with a few games that were being donated: A LONE OUIJA BOARD. I thought well that’s it, I’m dying tonight & the contractor is going to find my lifeless body in the morning. I started writing my last will & testament, telling my family I loved them & praying for it to be over swiftly.

I had myself SO dead & buried that when the delivery guys finally rang the doorbell I jumped a mile high. Never has anyone been so happy to see a new refrigerator in theirlife. 

What did I learn? Choose the earliest delivery windows. Every time.