There are "haunted houses" -- you know, the ones that pop up this time of year where you pay to have the bejesus frightened out of you. And then there are "real" haunted houses -- the ones where ghastly spooks supposedly live on, long after they should have transferred into the afterlife.

If you enjoy the former, then you might have a hankering to live in the latter. According to the latest spirited survey from Clever Real Estate, a service that matches consumers with realty agents, most people don't set out to buy a haunted house -- but they also don't give a twitch if they happen to buy one.

Indeed, Clever's annual Halloween poll found that in the current seller's market -- where some houses are snapped up in a matter of hours, for far more than the asking price -- almost 75% said they'd be open to buying a place they'd have to share with ghosts, goblins and what-have-you. Somewhat more frightening, 13% of the 1,000 respondents would prefer to live in a haunted house, and 27% of those brave hearts would pay above market value to do so.

If that's you, consider the house in Burrillville, Rhode Island, that inspired the 2013 horror film "The Conjuring." The three-bedroom farmhouse on eight acres, which hit the market last month for $1.2 million, is one of the most famous haunted homes in the country.

The current owners, Jennifer and Cory Heinzen, who snapped up the home a couple of years ago for a mere $439,000, are said to have encountered numerous spirits while living there. After moving in, the self-described paranormal investigators spent their first four months in a single downstairs room so the spirits could get used to their presence. However, they say they still received a ghostly welcome from a dark figure that peeked at them from the room's doorway.

Purported to be haunted by the presence of Bathsheba Sherman, who resided there in the 1800s, the place is the subject of numerous books, movies and stories. But none is more chilling than that of the Perron family, who lived in the farmhouse in the 1970s. The family of seven noticed ghostly goings-on such as beds shaking and a broom moving by itself. The family brought in paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in 1973, who reportedly witnessed the terrifying events that inspired the film.

Although "The Conjuring" was not actually filmed at the house, living there could be a great conversation starter. Ghosts or not, beware of real-life visitors: The previous owners reportedly complained that fans of the movie would show up at all hours.

But that's not the only paranormal property on the market. London-based company lovePROPERTY lists several, including Earlshall Castle in Scotland.

Sir William Bruce, a descendant of 14th-century Scottish king Robert the Bruce, began to build Earlshall in 1546. Set on 34 acres, the castle is reportedly haunted by Sir Andrew, a brutal soldier nicknamed "the Bloody Bruce." A phantom figure is frequently seen in the bedroom that Andrew used, and heavy footsteps are heard on the staircase.

The asking price is not widely available, but the place last sold in 2016 for $6.7 million.

Closer to home -- and, at $899,000, not nearly as expensive -- the Priestley House in Canton, Mississippi, also has a spooky past. The four-bedroom manse was built by Dr. James Priestley in 1852. But the doctor and his wife, Susan, both died in the house in the early 1900s, and ever since, it's been allegedly been haunted.

The most recent owners insist they saw the ghost of Susan in the bedroom where she died, and neighbors are said to have seen her figure standing at the window. A piano has been heard playing on its own, too.

According to the study by Clever, most people aren't turned off by places like these -- and there seems to be no shortage of them. Nearly half of respondents said they'd already lived in a haunted house, and a large majority of those said they were aware of the otherworldly occupants prior to moving in. What made them believe their houses were haunted? Most heard strange noises, felt they were being touched or sensed they were being watched. Others saw strange shadows, objects that levitated or moved on their own, or other aberrations.

Here's the big question, though: Did these houses' sellers disclose the presence of wraiths? Only about half said "yes," even though the law in many locales requires sellers and their agents to do so.

If the respondents were the ones selling, on the other hand, nearly two-thirds said they would avoid disclosing a haunting -- including 10% who wouldn't do so even if required by law.

Thankfully, a third would warn would-be buyers, regardless of what the law demands.

Elder abuse takes many forms. But seniors are especially vulnerable when it comes to financial abuse and scams.

It's easy to see why: Americans age 70 and above have accumulated a total net worth of nearly $35 trillion, much of it in their homes and other real estate holdings. According to the FBI, seniors are targeted by con artists because they tend to be financially stable and often own their homes outright.

So-called "confidence/romance fraud" is the No. 1 type of fraud perpetrated upon seniors in terms of losses, with email scams coming in second. But losses from crimes involving real estate have been increasing recently, rising from $36 million in 2019 to $50 million last year.

The swindler can be just about anybody: a relative, a supposed new friend, a realty agent, a mortgage lender, an appraiser or investor. That's why the friends and relatives of any senior entering into a real estate deal should watch for red flags -- as should the agents, lenders, title companies and other professionals involved in the transaction.

One of the most popular scams the FBI sees revolves around home equity conversion mortgages, aka reverse mortgages. A legitimate HECM allows eligible owners to extract equity they've built in their houses over the years without having to make payments until they leave the property for good. Although there are some proprietary programs available, reverse mortgages are mostly insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

Con artists looks for seniors who are not familiar with the loans' requirements or the detailed approval process. In some cases, the Oregon FBI reported recently, the scammer will pressure seniors into taking out loans that they don't need or that are totally inappropriate for their situation.

Another popular real estate ruse uses elders as "straw buyers." Here, the criminal wants to buy a house, but for some unknown reason, can't qualify for a mortgage. So they persuade a senior to sign the necessary papers "as a favor." Or maybe they offer some cash to go along with the deal.

In the end, the bad guy ends up skimming all of the equity out of the property and leaving his victim not only holding a hefty 30-year mortgage, but also with potential criminal liability.

Some years back, Sacramento agent Elizabeth Weintraub learned of a case in which a law firm advised a senior that she could do a loan modification on a second mortgage that was already charged-off through bankruptcy -- and then took her money. Weintraub says she was "appalled, not only at the audacity of the lawyer, but that crooks are still running elder abuse scams like this and getting away with it."

In other real estate-related scams, seniors are offered free houses, investment/refinance opportunities, or ways to get out of a timeshare or avoid foreclosure. But the result is often the same: The senior loses all or part of their nest egg, and their credit history is left in tatters.

So how do you know when a senior in your life may be headed down the wrong road? Here are some telltale signs:

-- If you can never speak directly to the person the elder is dealing with, your antennae should wiggle. Most con artists hide behind the telephone, email and text messages. Or maybe they claim to live in some far-off country. Either way, they don't want to be seen so they cannot be identified.

-- On the flip side, be leery if your senior is not allowed to speak for himself or herself. If the "partner" does all the talking, the senior is probably being taken advantage of.

-- If your senior cannot explain what they are about to do and why, they should not move ahead. Push them to demonstrate that they fully understand the transaction and its implications.

-- If they say this newfound pal is a nice person and that they just want to help him out, bring in the authorities, or at least ask a certified housing counselor to look over the details. Criminals always try to gain their targets' trust, and seniors are often not only trusting, but polite.

-- Look for documents that support the transaction, if there are any, and run them by a real estate attorney to make sure they are on the up-and-up.

-- Con artists sometimes use fraudulent powers of attorney. And if the proceeds are disbursed to someone other than your senior, stop the transaction in its tracks.

-- If the senior is being pressured to act quickly, don't let them. Scammers often create a sense of urgency, so try to get in the way and slow things down.

-- Check contact information online -- names, phone numbers, addresses -- to see if anyone else may have been ripped off by the same scammer. People who have been stiffed often post their stories in hopes of preventing others from going through the same thing.

Meanwhile, realty and allied professionals involved in the deal should take note of any signs of cognitive impairment, confusion or lack of understanding by the senior. And if the senior is accompanied by an overbearing third party with no apparent role in the transaction, the professional should ask the senior to consult with a relative or friend -- or even make a call themselves.

Says Weintraub: "We can't sit on the fence and be part of the problem."

For the next 60-odd days, some homebuyers have an unusual opportunity to find financing at a tad lower cost.

The ceiling on mortgages that can be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac changes annually at the first of the year. That's important because when the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) put their stamps on loans, the cost to borrowers is generally a quarter-percent to a half-percent lower.

But some wholesale lenders, which fund mortgages written by brokers, are jumping the gun. Even though the new limit isn't normally announced until the week of Thanksgiving, two companies -- United Wholesale Mortgage and PennyMac Financial Services -- are already telling direct lenders they'll go higher on single-family houses.

The current limit is $548,250, but UWM and PennyMac will take loans as high as $625,000. And according to trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance, more wholesalers "are expected to follow suit."

That means homebuyers and refinancers who can't wait until 2022 can grab slightly lower rates right now. It's a tight financial window: If you need more than $548,000, but less than $625,000, a small gift is falling into your lap.

These lenders aren't breaking the rules; rather, they are funding these loans and holding them until Jan. 1 before selling them to the GSEs. They're rolling the dice that the Fannie-Freddie limit for 2022 will rise at least as high as $625,000. Given the way prices have jumped this year, that seems a pretty safe bet.

IMF "conservatively estimates" the new one-unit GSE loan limit will be at least $618,000, but could be as high as $656,000. Another trade pub, Mortgage News Daily, says the new ceiling will "almost certainly be higher than $625K," an amount it says "reflects an extremely safe, highly educated guess."

OK, let's catch our breaths and give this a fuller explanation.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are giant financial institutions created by Congress to keep money flowing to the mortgage market. They do that by purchasing loans from the Main Street lenders that you and I borrow from and pooling them into securities for sale on the secondary mortgage market to investors worldwide. The money they take in is used to buy more loans, and the cycle goes on and on.

Since the two GSEs were minted by Congress, and have been under the stewardship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since the Great Recession of 2008, it is widely believed -- but not necessarily true -- that Uncle Sam will come to investors' rescue should borrowers default in any huge numbers. In exchange for the perceived safety of Fannie and Freddie's bonds, investors are willing to take a little bit of a haircut on their expected returns. And that discount is returned to borrowers in the form of lower interest rates.

The loans that Fannie and Freddie can purchase are called conforming loans because they must adhere to the agencies rules, including the amount consumers can borrow. The amount is determined by a formula set down by Congress in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act to reflect changes in average home prices.

In 2020, the average increase as measured by the FHFA was 7.42%. Consequently, the "baseline" loan limit was raised by the same percentage: from $510,400 in 2020 to $548,250 this year for single-family homes, in most places. In some high-cost markets, though, the lid is $822,375.

But prices this year have been booming. According to the FHFA, the average price rose an astounding 19.2% between July 2020 and July 2021. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller gauge reported an even larger 19.7% year-over-year gain in July. And in August, CoreLogic said annual price gains reached another all-time high of 18.1%.

There are some signs that price increases may be slowing. But the key to 2022's conforming loan limit will be prices for the entirety of the third quarter because the formula is based on quarterly, rather than monthly, shifts. Even if prices go flat in August and September, housing blogger Bill McBride believes there will be "a large increase in the conforming loan limit for 2022."

How large? That's anybody's guess right now. But let's use July's price jump as a benchmark and see what happens: If the current ceiling of $548,250 is adjusted upward by 19%, the 2022 limit would be around $652,500 in most markets and $978,750 in expensive ones.

For the base loan amount, the difference in the monthly payment for a 3% loan versus a 2.75% loan is a modest $87. Not a lot, but over a year, that adds up to $1,044. And over the full 30 years of the loan, the total savings is $31,320.

Of course, prices could have dipped some in August and September, causing the new cap to be less than those numbers. Or they could have risen even higher. Right now, it's pure conjecture.

Bottom line: If you are in the market, you can raise your price horizon and still secure a somewhat lower mortgage rate. And you can do it right now, without waiting until Jan. 1 for the new cap to kick in. The same goes for owners whose current loans exceed the current ceiling: You can refinance now to take advantage of the lower conforming loan rate.

Again, it's a tight window -- but not nearly as tight as it usually is.