Some homeowners are horrified to discover that their house was once the scene of a crime.

Back in 2003, homebuyers Gregory Walker and Mary Lou Rosato fell in love with a 100-year-old Victorian home for sale in Los Angeles. The bank-owned property had some rather unusual features -- including a toilet in the sunroom -- but it was a bargain at $240,000, more than $100,000 less than similar houses nearby. But their dream come true quickly became a nightmare when they found out that the home's previous residents were gang members who used the sunroom toilet to flush crack rocks in case the police showed up. They had already purchased the home, but they wrote an angry letter to the bank and got out of the deal.

TIP: If you unknowingly buy a property that has a shady past (also known as a "stigmatized property") and you want out, you may have legal recourse. However, disclosure rules are vague. For instance, Walker and Rosato were not informed of their home's past because California banks are not required to submit a disclosure form.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a great deal on a home and you think you can get past a grisly background, you might be able to find a bargain on a stigmatized property.

• Learn more about getting a deal on a stigmatized property

• Need to sell a home with a bad reputation? Learn how to sell a haunted house

• Get through the buying or selling process in one piece with tips from our Real Estate Survival Guide

• Take the drama out of buying or selling a home with our Drama-Free Real Estate Guide

NEXT: FrontDoor's Top 10 Real Estate Nightmares >>

GO TO: FrontDoor's Top 10 >>

More on FrontDoor:

• First-Time Homebuyer's Guide
• Home Seller's Guide
• Home Finance Guide
• Foreclosure Buying Guide
• Tools and Calculators

More About Haunted Houses:

• How to Sell a Haunted House
• Famous Haunted Houses
• Haunted House Hunters
• Secrets from the Real Ghostbusters
• Tips for Living With Ghosts
• Haunted Bargains
• Tour the Amityville Horror House