Hard sell in The Garden of Earthly Delights?

“Sun-drenched kitchen”, blood-drenched basement?

Ghosts in the radishes

Serial Killer Joel Rifkin’s Former Long Island Home Where He Murdered Multiple Women Returns to the Market for $800K

The Long Island property where notorious serial killer Joel Rifkin murdered and dismembered several of his victims has returned to the market for $799,999, more than 15 years after it was last sold.

"This well-maintained home offers a spacious and versatile layout with sun-filled living areas, an updated eat-in kitchen, generous sized bedrooms, and plenty of storage throughout," the listing continues.

However, perhaps unsurprisingly, there is one key aspect of the home that is not mentioned in the listing: its gruesome ties to Rifkin and his horrific crimes, which were carried out between 1989 and 1993, during which time he was living at the home with his mother, Jeanne Granelles Rifkin, and sister, Jan Tsistinas.

….

Having been flagged by the authorities while driving a pickup truck along the Southern State Parkway on Long Island, Rifkin attempted to flee, sparking a lengthy police chase that ended only when he crashed his vehicle into a pole.

…. After being taken into custody, Rifkin confessed to murdering 17 women, all of whom had worked as prostitutes, admitting that he had killed several of his victims inside his mother's abode.

Many of his victims were dismembered, and their remains were hidden in various locations surrounding the property.

Rifkin's mother and sister were said to have been left stunned by the charges levied against the killer—with his lawyer, Robert Sale, telling the New York Times in 1993 that they had been "destroyed" after learning of his crimes. [Sure they were — ED]

Neighbor Joy Reiter, who lived next to the Rifkins for more than three decades, also told the publication that it was clear Jeanne "had no inkling" of the atrocities her son had carried out under her roof, adding that the family had been known for being particularly kind to their neighbors, regularly sharing vegetables from their garden. [Fertilized with her “special blend” of organic materials, no doubt. Ed]

…. His mother continued to reside in the Long Island home for more than a decade after her son was sentenced, remaining there until her death in 2010, after which it was put on the market for the first time since her son's crimes were revealed.

But the dwelling's history made it a very hard sell—and it would take nearly a year, and several price cuts, before it found a buyer, who ultimately paid $322,000 for the dwelling. It was originally listed for $424,500.

At the time of the sale, its listing agent, Greg Berkowitz of Laffey Fine Homes, explained to the New York Post that the buyers were undeterred by the property's sinister history, insisting that they were grateful to have secured the dwelling at such a bargain price.

"They realize they are getting a good price on the house," he said. "There was a little consideration because of the situation there, but they’re happy with it."

He did, however, concede that several other prospective buyers had walked away from the home after learning about its past.

Now, 15 years later, a new listing agent… is taking on the challenge of securing a new steward for the expanded Rifkin abode, which is currently marked as a "coming soon" property on Realtor.com®.

Spanning just over 1,600 square feet, the property—which was originally built in 1951—features an open plan kitchen and living area, with large floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the backyard.

A staircase in the center of this space leads to the second story of the home, where three of the four bedrooms are located. One of them is currently being used as an office.

There is also a finished basement space on the lower level of the dwelling, which also features a detached garage [both of which come with their own, distinct history — Ed]

These houses aren’t always hard to sell; I remember showing a house on Horseshoe Lane in Cos Cob whose late owner had recently hanged himself from a garage rafter. The couple I represented weren’t bothered: “we’re Indian, the husband explained, “we don’t believe in ghosts”. I personally found it a bit creepy to be in the garage; they didn’t. They ended up not buying the property, but that was because it offered only a huge, towering rock ledge instead of a useable backyard. The house did sell, to someone else, and is still there.

There was not such an easy sale for 10 Dairy Lane, where Andrew Kissel was bound and stabbed to death in the basement in 2006. It lingered on the market for months before a builder finally bought and razed it, and changed its address from No. 10 to No. 8; that did the trick.

Notice the dismembering table on the right: all cleaned up now.

It’s happened before: happy house hunters mortimer and elaine brewster discover an unpleasant surprise in the backyard garden