Local real estate broker shows off 'haunted' houses in Montgomery County

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - As if the prospect of buying a home weren’t already scary enough, one area real estate broker is taking things to a whole new level.

The story starts a few years back when Halloween-lover Donna Kerr created her own “Haunted Garden” at her home in Silver Spring. She said people loved it. But time passed, and it all got to be too much work – until a call from a friend earlier this year got Kerr back into the Halloween spirit.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

“She told me about the skeletons,” Kerr recalled. “And I just thought oh my God, how awesome are 12-foot skeletons, and how great would it be to have a whole bunch of them in our yard?”

That’s right. Kerr bought 10 12-foot tall skeletons and planted them right in front of her house. Immediately, they attracted a crowd.

“They walk by, they smile, they point. They take photos, they bring their friends by, their kids by, their parents by,” she described. And that’s when Kerr, who’s the head of Donna Kerr Real Estate Group, got an idea. “We thought, hey, let’s take some of them on tour.”

She showed FOX 5 the end result Thursday at a home that’s on the market in Bethesda. One of those giant 12-foot skeletons is placed out front, and eight other smaller ones are inside. They’re all dressed up (one in a banana costume, another like a chef), and Kerr’s team members have given them names too (Goulden Ramsay for the chef).

Kerr said the skeletons have surprised some folks, but overall, the idea has worked – attracting media attention like an article in Washingtonian, and also leading to an uptick in business too. Not to mention, in a year that’s been really tough, Kerr said she also feels good about spreading some Halloween fun.

“Kids aren’t gonna even get a Halloween this year, some of them, and no trick-or-treating,” she said. “So if we can bring some joy with some giant and regular size skeletons, then that’s what I’m about.”

If you’d like to see the skeletons in person, Kerr said the best way to find their next location is to go to her group’s website or Instagram page.