REPOST: 'Haunted' real estate signs in New Orleans are grabbers

Known to be one of the most haunted, if not the most haunted, cities in the country, New Orleans have scared away most of its potential real estate buyers.  Read this article from USA Today to learn about what an estate broker did to turn the city's reputation to their advantage.

Image Source: www.usatoday.com

A New Orleans real estate broker has been getting lots of attention since actor/director/comedian George Takei posted a photo on social media Monday of a real estate sign reading "Not Haunted."

On Monday, when Takei posted a photo on his Facebook fan page of a "For Lease" sign from Shelnutt Real Estate indicating that an apartment for rent was "Not Haunted," more than 121,000 people "liked" the post and more than 23,000 shared it with others. Some readers shared their own photos of the Shelnutt Real Estate signs advertising apartments and condominiums, with one side of the signs indicating the properties are "Haunted" and the other side reading "Not Haunted."

Hundreds of people called the company, many just to see if someone would answer, and the media came calling, says company owner Finis Shelnutt.

Takei could not be reached Monday night.

The signs are an apparent reference to New Orleans' unofficial title as the most or one of the most haunted cities in America.

In addition to the hundred or so telephone calls, Shelnutt says he also was a guest on two radio programs after the Takei posting.

The real estate signs are not so much an indication of whether potential renters and owners can expect to have see-through roommates, but more a joke to drum-up business, Shelnutt says. He says he thought what better way to edge out the competition than with creating a buzz about ghosts. All the signs say "Haunted" and "Not Haunted" because Shelnutt was once a bond broker and believes in hedging his bets, he says.

"Ghost tours is a very large business in the (French) Quarter – very large. I mean extremely large. You can't imagine," Shelnutt said. "Thousands of people a night doing ghost tours. It's, like, real big."

Shelnutt should know. He also is owner of French Quarter History & Ghostbuster Tours, a company that offers walking tours of French Quarter haunted spots.

This chapter in the life of the realtor/ghost tour guide in his late 50s is just one in a number of noteworthy tidbits. Shelnutt was married for nine years to Gennifer Flowers, the model and actress who said she'd had a relationship with President Clinton.

Shelnutt, a Little Rock native, says he wasn't always a complete believer in the spirit world "until we started doing these tours and it gets really bizarre," he says. "Every night, someone will pick up orbs," Shelnutt says, referring to white circles sometimes picked up in photos that some paranormal experts say represent ghosts.

Now, Shelnutt says he has seen so much – including a frequently swinging trash can lid in his kitchen – that he believes the eight properties he has listed are haunted.

"I think all of them are," he says.

As for Takei, he has been busy in his post-Star Trek days developing his talents as a social media star. His Facebook fan page has generated more than 6 million "likes" and the funny photos and memes with commentary that he posts daily get shared thousands of times.

Realtor Marian Khosravizadeh is connected with Woodland Hills Real Estate Services. She specializes on serving clients who are looking for real estate opportunities in Los Angeles County and its surrounding communities. Learn more about buying and selling homes here.