Nightmare. Fired by a local family. I'm scared she's gonna put my house on fire. She's gonna poison us. She'll come in my room and do a whole knife thing on me. I don't know. Tonight on 20/20 ` the live-in nanny who won't move out. She knew exactly what she was doing. They called me a dog. They swore at me. The notorious nanny versus a suburban family of five. They were exploiting me. Would you work for free? And lucky enough to get a new kidney. How hard was it to let him go? How hard was it to let him go? Probably one of the nastiest things I've ever had to do. Saved by his mum. Sheer panic that his operation would be on the go. Yes, nervous few hours. They're here. And haunted houses for sale ` We'll be down here, and you hear footsteps upstairs. ghosts included. You could have a dead body swinging from the chandelier, and I'm still gonna have 10 offers on the home. Kia ora. I'm Sonya Wilson. How could it happen? The whole point of hiring a nanny, of course, is that it's supposed to make family life easier, but instead, for this family, it's becoming a living hell. Now, the nanny they hired then fired won't move out. Instead of packing her bags, she's just stayed put, and now the family is afraid to leave their home for fear she'll lock them out. So how can a 64-year old nanny strike fear into an entire family? Here's Nick Watt. Joey's good at this. Marcella and Ralph Bracamonte worked hard for their American dream ` a home, three kids and happiness. High five. Boom. Now, they say, they're living an American nightmare. She's trying to get us on a lockout. That's it. It's a set-up. It's a set-up. < It's a set-up. We're going through pure hell. They blame the nanny. I fear we could lose everything. I fear we could lose everything. Our livelihood. I fear we could lose everything. Our livelihood. I fear that she knows this game well enough that every word that she says is gonna be meant to impact us as hard as possible. They say they fired the live-in nanny, but the nanny won't leave. She said, 'If you want me to leave, then you're gonna need to evict me,' and slammed the door in my face. The woman they hired ` the woman they once trusted with their children ` still has a key to their home, still has a room in their house. Attorney Marc Cohen is now representing the Bracamontes. So, she has a legal right to come in there at any time. She can come in in the middle of the night, let herself in with her key, and that's fine? That is correct. They couldn't change the locks. The Bracamontes say they sleep with one ear open. I hear something move, I get up, and I walk out. I don't care if I come face to face with her. She should not be roaming in my home. Joey, their eldest, is 11. So you feel scared in your bed at night? Yeah. I wake up in the middle of the night, and I just sit there listening to the sounds. It all began when Marcella, who wanted to start her own business, posted a want ad on Craigslist offering room and board in exchange for 'house-cleaning' and 'caring for my kids'. Help out with the kids when needed, pick up little things and maybe prep up a little bit of dinner if she was running a little bit late. 64-year-old Diane Stretton answered the ad. Her references checked out. She seemed nice. That's her room. This is her bathroom. She moved in March 4th. We wanted the person that we first met. She was awesome. She was part of our family. She was awesome. She was part of our family. The person that we first met. It wasn't even like a job. Ralph Sr made Diane dinner on Mother's Day. She attended family gatherings, tutored their 4-year-old. But big brother Joey says all was not as it seemed. When your parents weren't around, did she act different? Yeah. When my parents left us, she would just tell us to go in our room. And I was telling my mom, but she wouldn't believe me. A couple of weeks in, his parents also began having doubts. She was absolutely part of our family, then she changed. She refused to perform. Marcella says staying in her room, demanding meals, refusing to work. Marcella claims she gave the nanny verbal warnings, finally penning a last-chance letter laying down some new ground rules. 'Help with all duties that I do ` cleaning, cooking, trips with kids, and anything else Mother asks.' 'If you don't see anything for you to do, find something.' 'Either Friday or Saturday, I want you to steam clean all floors.' Diane refused to sign. So that's when you realised that you might have a bit of a problem here? Oh yeah. And I already saw it from her face that she knew exactly what she was doing. Marcella claims she fired Diane June 6th. Diane refused to get out, and that's when the fear set in. Call me paranoid. I gotta keep my family safe. Every night, Marcella puts a lock on her own refrigerator. I'm scared she's gonna put my house on fire. She's gonna poison us. She's gonna steal things. She's gonna come in my room and do a whole knife thing on me. I don't know. I don't know who she is, and so I've been scared. We're right here. We're watching the house now. Neighbours on this friendly street rallied around the family. Yes, I went on Google last night, and believe me, I will not forget her face. (LAUGHS) What does she want? What does she want? She wants to feel superior of somebody. It's an ego thing. She wants money? She wants to scare you? What do you think it is? She wants money? She wants to scare you? What do you think it is? Scaring us, money. Marcella took her nanny to court to throw her out, only to find that tenants have rights and the nanny is a tenant. Marcella contacted the media. A bizarre story. Nanny nightmare. Nightmare. Fired by a local family. MAN: She refuses` MAN: Refuses` She refuses to go. WOMAN: Won't leave. Won't do any work. They've asked you to leave. Why won't you leave? And Diane, caught in the spotlight, disappeared, leaving her belongings behind but taking a key with her. She can come in the house anytime. She could walk in tonight. I'll see you guys later. Ralph, a lineman for a power company, says he's scared when he leaves for work. It's put a stress on my family. It's put a stress on me. I try not to work as much, because I'm afraid that something could happen while I'm gone. So, that's her room, and... So, that's her room, and... That's my son's room right here. By law, the Bracamontes can't even enter the nanny's room in their own home ` a home they own. Ralphy, do you understand? Ralphy, do you understand? Yeah. What did I just tell you to do? What did I just tell you to do? Not open the door. Why? Why? Because we can get in serious trouble. The way she's trying to come off now, it's really sad to me. I really don't think we need to defend ourselves, because` I really don't think we need to defend ourselves, because` No, no, let me talk. Let me talk. It's put a stress on the Bracamontes' marriage. This is real, and people torment people like this for fun. OK, and that might be your thing, but I got three kids I gotta worry about too, And I don't wanna keep on putting them through this. There was a media scrum outside 24-7, but... This way. ...20/20 was inside on the couch with the family as the drama unfolded. (MAN) RT: She's saying because of her disability and the heat, she needs to do it early in the morning. She'll leave for good, she says, but only if the Bracamontes meet her demands, like Marcella and the three kids getting out of their own home every day between 8am and 5pm for a month. If not, possible legal action. She said she could be out by July 4th. (GROANS) Oh! (GROANS) Oh! No, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. We can't do that, cos we'll be out of town, and` No, she needs to be out. No, she needs to be out. And if no one's here, she could end up doing a forced lockout. She didn't lock the Bracamontes out, but she also didn't move her stuff out or surrender her key. She stays away. We found her in her car. This is my car. This is where I've been sleeping. It's where I slept before. You see, before she moved in with the Bracamontes, Diane Stretton was homeless. She lived in her car eight years. OK, when we come back ` the most infamous nanny in the US steps forward and breaks her silence. And according to her, there's another very different side to this story. Do you feel they were abusing you? Do you feel they were abusing you? Oh, absolutely. They just thought that they could have me 24-7. They treated me in just an outrageous manner. They called me a dog. Marcella Bracamonte, a young mum of three from Upland, California, says she fired her live-in nanny over a month ago, but the nanny refused to move out. Branded a 'nanny from hell' in the media,... And we've all been talking about this case ` the nanny. The Bracamontes have told their tale, but... This is your chance to tell us what you would like us to know. Who is the nanny non grata? Tonight she is stepping out of the shadows, talking exclusively to us. This is her chance. It's time to hear the nanny's side of the story. The issue was they just thought that they could have me 24-7. She said, 'You know, you have this beautiful room, and you have access to a pool and all this stuff. 'We're really giving you a lot of value. You need to give us more.' They just wanted more? They just wanted more? It was just an issue of more. How many hours were you working? How many hours were you working? Between 50 and 60. Diane claims after months of unscheduled long hours, she became sick in bed with the flu. Marcella threatened to fire her, so she says she quit. Why do you think they were doing this to you? Because they like to get something for nothing. Diane claims she stuck around just because she needs time to find someplace else to go. And the Bracamontes, she says, tried to get her out. RT: (MAN) She would like to stay there three more nights. I cut her Wi-Fi, the telephone and locked the fridge. I turned off the air conditioner. I tried to heat her out. (CHUCKLES) Doesn't work. That, says Diane, was not all. They put dog food outside the room. They called me a dog. They swore at me. They treated me in just an outrageous manner. She claims you've put dog food outside her bedroom door. You've called her a dog. You've harassed her. You've left tape recorders blasting music at her door. That's the first time I'm hearing that one. I've heard the dog food, and I think all of that's absurd. But Diane claims these are the pictures that prove it. At that point, many people would just have moved out, but you didn't. I was going on the internet, looking for some other arrangement. But to stay in somebody's home when it's clear they don't want you there, they have young children ` that's quite a brazen act to remain in that house. I don't look at it that way. And neither does the law. She still has a key to their house, can legally come and go as she pleases, leaving the Bracamontes on edge. When I go to bed, I lock the door, and I sleep in the front with my brother, just in case, and I put my chair in front of the door handle so she can't get in if it unlocks or something. How does that make you feel to create such fear in children? They had nothing to be frightened of. Marcella put that idea in their head. I was in the room next to them, and I heard giggling and laughing going on past 10 o'clock at night. If someone's scared, do they laugh? Do they, um,... have... squeals of joy? I don't think so. Diane Stretton is 64 years old, college educated, a one-time medical technician. I was always a top scholar. I always got a lot of awards. I always did real well. I was well-off. But she'd fallen on hard times, unwell and eight years homeless when she answered the Bracamontes' want ad offering room and board in exchange for a few hours' help around the house. It seemed like a reasonable deal to enter into. Not a deal that you then felt you could take advantage of at a later date? Absolutely not. It seemed like it'd be a really good trade for both of us, you know? For 20 hours' a week work, I'd get my legs up and take care of my heart condition and, uh, get to sleep in a bed. and, uh, get to sleep in a bed. Have you ever had an arrangement like this before where you get a room for work, but you don't get paid for the work? where you get a room for work, but you don't get paid for the work? No. I was a total newbie. I was giving them way more hours than they were entitled to for the value of the room. They were exploiting me. Would you work for free and just get a little, small, standard tract house bedroom? I don't think so. And under California law, for even 20 hours a week, minimum wage law would require the Bracamontes to pay a wage as well as room and board. Yes! She claims the original deal was 20 hours a week. She claims the original deal was 20 hours a week. No. So what was it? So what was it? I would say she probably ` a week ` maybe 10 hours,... if that. This is the first time I've heard you say this. I mean` This is the first time I've heard you say this. I mean` You haven't seen me very often. My understanding was that it was more than 10 hours. It was to help out as my wife needed. Nothing was really written down. Nothing was really written down. And that's what's biting us in the butt. I had tried from the get-go to get the contract in writing, and she didn't wanna do it. You were, perhaps on a number of levels, naive. Yes. Yes. Very naive. Yes. Very naive. We messed up. Can you see how this looks? This is a 64-year-old woman who you are asking to work. It's open to question how much you were asking her to work. Man, you're back on that subject again, aren't you? Sorry? Sorry? You're back on that subject again. I thought we were going somewhere else with this. I thought we were going somewhere else with this. Let him finish, love. I'm just saying to you how some people perceive this, and I'd like to give you the opportunity to answer this. Mm. Mm. How some people could perceive this is you were taking advantage of a 64-year-old woman who didn't have a house, and you were asking her to work for you, and you were not gonna pay her. You know what? I think that her character speaks for herself. Okay, well, I mean, while we're on this route, why did you hire somebody from Craigslist who had no previous childcare experience? She said she was a stay-at-home mom for several years, and I thought that was sufficient. They checked her references, but not her court records. If they had, they might have discovered that Diane Stretton is what they call a vexatious litigant, accused of filing nuisance claims. You filed a number of cases for medical malpractice, various small claims, personal injury. You know, I mean, I found 20 or more. I mean, you are a vexatious litigant, right? All of those... Well, I would strongly disagree with that. But that's what you officially are. But that's what you officially are. Officially, I am, but I shouldn't be. Why not? Why not? Because, uh,... a lot of those cases, first of all, I won. In this case, Diane thinks she's the victim, not Marcella. Little Joey's betting on his mum. What do you think's gonna happen? What do you think's gonna happen? That my mom is gonna get it up, because my mom never loses. Her Facebook page said that she was out to destroy me. And frankly, after all of this, if something doesn't turn the tide, I will be destroyed. I won't be able to rent any place. I won't be able to get any jobs. Are you gonna sue her? Are you gonna sue her? I don't plan to at this point. What do you want? What do you want? I wanna get my things out. Yesterday the Bracamontes' attorney advised Diane she has 18 days to collect her possessions and told his clients they can now change the locks. They haven't ` not yet. Diane says their latest move is 'unlawful'. The lesson you've learned is what? I'm gonna get my pinch, and I'm gonna get a place and live by myself. (CHUCKLES) Are you gonna hire another nanny? Are you gonna hire another nanny? BOTH: Never. Up next ` a story we're updating from last year. The little boy from Auckland and his miraculous recovery. And it's all thanks to his mum. How hard was it to let him go as you walked out that`? How hard was it to let him go as you walked out that`? Oh, very hard. It was not nice. Probably one of the nastiest things I've ever had to do. Sheer panic that his operation would be on the go. Yes, nervous few hours. FAST-PACED MUSIC One day I was happy-go-lucky JK; the next morning I got up, looked in the mirror, and there was this guy I didn't like looking back. MUSIC CONTINUES I was so scared they were gonna put me into a straitjacket and lock me away. I went to a mate of mine, and he said, 'Harden up.' (LAUGHS) Hardening up is` is not what you need to do. RAPID GUITAR MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Welcome back. Now, here at 20/20, we do like to go back and visit our old friends, and this next story features one of our youngest mates. Last year we brought you the story of 3-year-old Connor Campbell, a mischievous wee warrior who had both cancerous kidneys removed at the age of 1. Now, the goal was for mum Nikki to keep Connor cancer-free to be eligible for a transplant, and she wanted to be the donor. Here's Emma Keeling with Connor, a kidney and the mum who just never gave up on her little boy. Oh. POIGNANT MUSIC Nikki's not sure if this is the last time she'll see her son. < You give Mummy a cuddle. Tonight she'll say goodbye. Tomorrow one of her kidneys will be given to Connor. MUSIC CONTINUES How hard was it to let him go as you walked out then? Real, very hard. It was not nice. Probably one of the nastiest things I've ever had to do. He was just completely oblivious, and he was just` he just wanted to play and do his thing and watch his TV. I just wanted a big hug, yeah. (LAUGHS) A big hug and a smoochy kiss. (WHINES) (WHINES) All right, you can turn it off now. It's November 2013. For three years, Nikki's been focused on this moment. What about you? How are you feeling? What about you? How are you feeling? Yeah, so, so. So, so. It's getting real now, isn't it? It's getting real now, isn't it? It's starting to. Not long now. The enormity of what's about to happen is hitting hard. The nerves ` are they starting to build a little bit? They will. I'll start shitting myself soon. I don't like needles. I'm not good with needles. So your biggest concern is about the needle? The needles, yeah. Oh, and not waking up. Oh, well... Oh, well... Yeah. That` That's an issue. All right. Gonna give you a hug now. All right. Gonna give you a hug now. Thank you. (GRUNTS) You'll be right. You'll be right. You'll be right. You'll be right. Yeah, I'll be fine. Connor? Connor, tummy time. 20/20 met them in 2012. Two years earlier, Connor was only 1 when he had both cancerous kidneys removed. (GIGGLES) He's survived on dialysis, which Nikki does from home. And away we go. Infection is a constant threat, and water is also dangerous. He's on an allowance of 450ml fluid a day, and 200 of that is his overnight feed. So, and that's it. That's all he can... all he can have. Connor had to be two years cancer-free before he could be considered for a transplant. Nikki was determined to be his donor but needed to lose weight and stop smoking. You've hit the 16kg mark. Whoa, I'm so proud of you. Well done. LAID-BACK MUSIC We filmed over several months as each milestone was reached,... Hi. ...moving towards the ultimate goal ` a transplant. He's been accepted on the live donor list. We're all go, dude! (GIGGLES) MUSIC CONTINUES Seven months later, a few days out from the operation, I check in on the family. Ooh! Connor was busy being Connor. If he rejects the kidney, if his body rejects the kidney, > will he have to go to daily trips to the hospital? > Would that be his future? > Would that be his future? > Yeah. It would be five times a week. REFLECTIVE MUSIC This will be the first time Nikki's ever been apart from Connor. Oh, that's a mummy's job, isn't it, to be there. So I just have to think the outcome... TENSE MUSIC ...think of the outcome. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) So, here we are. It's November, the morning of the transplant. So, what's going through your head this morning? So, what's going through your head this morning? Not much. It's all fuzzy. Suddenly, it's all go. TENSE MUSIC Bye. Bye. See you soon. Yeah, in a few hours. Yeah, in a few hours. Yeah, we'll be there. MUSIC CONTINUES As Nikki's taken to surgery, Connor's being prepped. A little later in Starship, with dad Gordon by his side, Connor's wheeled to surgery to receive his mum's kidney. POIGNANT MUSIC At midday, Nikki comes round. Her first thought is... I'm alive and then the sheer panic that I'm awake, so Connor would be under and his operation would be on the go. Yeah, so a nervous few hours until that surgeon rang. POIGNANT MUSIC CONTINUES But Connor did come through, and his new kidney is doing its job. GORDON: Not as many as you had last time. Just two days later, Nikki's being discharged. You're looking really good. Do you feel all right? > You're looking really good. Do you feel all right? > Yeah, not too bad. Sore? Pain? Anything? > Sore? Pain? Anything? > Just like I've done a few hundred sit-ups. She still hasn't seen her boy and is impatient to get going. Finally, we're out of here. Finally, we're out of here. Finally, yes. Bye. Bye. Thanks. Bye. Thanks. See you on TV. > Yeah. (LAUGHS) Sometimes it's handy to have your own TV crew when you need a push next door. Corner! Corner! Jeez, Emma! Corner! Jeez, Emma! (LAUGHS) Hang on! I'm beginning to worry for my health. Nikki won't believe Connor's OK until she sees him with her own eyes. Hi! Hi! LAUGHTER Hi! LAUGHTER Hi! Hello, gorgeous boy! Hello, gorgeous boy! < Who's this? Hello, gorgeous boy! < Who's this? Hi, darling. < He's been doing really well? < He's been doing really well? Yeah. Yeah, he's doing good. < He's been doing really well? Yeah. Yeah, he's doing good. ALL CHATTER Over the next couple of weeks, there are setbacks but good progress too. And how's the little fella? And how's the little fella? He's great, yeah. Kidney's working really well. < Excellent. So that side of it's all good. Just trying to get the fluid into him now. He's not used to drinking it. Also, his tummy's so small, it can't take the volumes needed, so his tummy's got to stretch a bit to be able to accommodate all what he needs. BOTH LAUGH And what was it like when you saw Connor for the first time? And what was it like when you saw Connor for the first time? Oh, yeah. (CHUCKLES) My boy. (CHUCKLES) UPLIFTING MUSIC KIDS LAUGH Nikki's dream was to have Connor home for Christmas, and it came true. MUSIC CONTINUES Waking up on Christmas morning, and you already have your best present. Waking up on Christmas morning, and you already have your best present. Yeah. Healthy little boy running around. < Connor, what have you got? No more. (LAUGHS) We've started something. It was my fault. That was my fault. (GROWLS) Seven months after the operation, Connor's more himself than ever. What is it? What is it? Pineapple. What is it? Pineapple. Pineapple. Hear that word! Pineapple. Now, that's amazing, because the last time we saw him, he didn't say any words. No. We've got very extensive vocabulary now. Now Connor's body is functioning properly, he's developing mentally and physically. I mean, he's growing already. He's grown a few centimetres. He might catch up one day. Is that your water over there? Is that your water over there? No. Is that your water over there? No. No? (SQUEALS) This is the only way he will drink it. It took three and a half, four months to get him to drink. Cos it was so foreign? Cos it was so foreign? It was just too foreign. Now Connor has a kidney, he doesn't need daily dialysis, so has way more freedom. (GIGGLES) (GIGGLES) Your first time in a paddling pool for three years. Was summer good? Cos you had all that freedom. Yeah, he loved the paddling pool, thought that was great. LAUGHTER All these firsts, all these big changes for him, things he could now do that he couldn't do before. So, and hopefully this summer he'll be able to go swimming in a pool, because that was still a bit high-risk for him, so... And what next? What next for Connor? And what next? What next for Connor? He's due to start school next month. He's 5 next month, so keep him at kindy until at least the end of the year. Just try and get him ready in all ways to start school. LAID-BACK MUSIC Finally, life for this family is normal, and it doesn't get better than that. Does Connor call you by name now? Does Connor call you by name now? Bored. What does he call you? What does he call you? Bored. What does he call you? Bored. Bored? He calls you Bored? (LAUGHS) Yeah. It's like everything you've ever wanted is finally` it's happening. You've got exactly what you wanted. Everything's going well, and, yeah, it's pretty awesome. It's hard to describe. Go tickle Maud! Go tickle Maud! BOTH GIGGLE Oh, he's such a cutie. Connor has now turned 5 and has been cancer-free for three years. There is a Facebook page where you can follow his recovery. It's called Kidney for Connor. Now, up next ` being at home and never alone. Haunted houses in the neighbourhood ` would you buy one? WOMAN SCREAMS That's when we started to notice things moving. We'll be down here, and you hear footsteps upstairs. You're talking about haunted houses. MAN SCREAMS Right now we are in a seller's market. You could have a dead body swinging from the chandelier, and I'm still gonna have 10 offers on the home. Welcome back. Would you buy a haunted house? Now, they're known, apparently, in the real estate business as 'stigmatised properties', and it usually means that the house sells for less than market price. But if you do buy one of these houses, and if you believe in all of this sort of thing, of course, you'd better get used to the idea of living with a bunch of ghosts, like this restaurant owner in California. They're here. DRAMATIC MUSIC Looking to buy a new home? Maybe the family from Poltergeist should have. Turns out that just like in the '80s cult classic House, some places offer buyers more unusual features than walk-in closets or a wood-burning fireplace. All my staff knows about our friendly ghosts. When Susie Garcia and her husband bought this 1888 colonial revival mansion in Pleasanton, California, she says they didn't know all its rich history until they started to renovate the property. And when we did that, that's when we started to notice things moving. On a street infamous for its shoot-outs in the 1850s in a locale then called 'the most desperate town in the West', this is now the site of the Garcias' restaurant, the Blue Agave Club, where, Susie says, they are not alone. We'll be down here, and you hear footsteps upstairs. So if you are the manager, and you're ready to close, you always have a buddy to close at night. Susie herself has had a spectral patron who wanted a table for none. I had a knock on the door,... and I went to go see who it was ` nobody. And just started talking and letting the person know that I was happy to play, but I was busy... (CHUCKLES) and to please not bother me, and it stopped. But if you think Susie's spooked about having purchased a place she says has ghosts inside and out, you're in for the fright of your life. Would you say on balance that having spirits in your restaurant and the building above is a good thing or a bad thing? I would say it's a good thing. I really feel like those that are here are here, and they like us. There are buyers out there that think it's cool to own a home that may have ghost. Based here in Northern California, real estate agent Cindi Hagley specializes in the selling of so-called stigmatised properties. You're talking about haunted houses. Haunted houses, yes. Right now we are in a seller's market in almost all of Northern California. You could have a dead body swinging from the chandelier, and I'm still gonna have 10 offers on the home. Cindi runs Past Life Homes and says plenty of houses for sale come with tenants who may have lived there for hundreds of years. What's it like when you tell a potential buyer that the house they're looking at is haunted? Some don't care. Some expect a huge discount. How much of a discount do you get on a haunted house? With me, they get nothing. With me, they get nothing. Zip, nothing? No. The listing` No. The listing` You have extra tenants. No. The listing` You have extra tenants. (CHUCKLES) But if it's regrets only for these smooth apparators, and they prefer to stay housebound, such demons aren't deal-breakers. Any time things get a little ethereal, Cindi has it made with the shade. I have a team of paranormal investigators and partners that will come in. Paranormal investigators and partners? Yes. Yes. Is this just because the term 'ghostbusters' is a trademark? Who's she gonna call? Mark Christopher Nelson ` medium rare. He's got a sixth sense to spot the undead where you or I would only see dust bunnies. At our request, he agreed to check out the upstairs at Susie's hotspot. One of the first things I got was a bunch of children running around this place. There's kids all over. Feels like an echo. I really wanna go in this room. I feel like there's something happening there that I'd like to get a sense of it. Don't let me stop you. As he does for buyers who want spirits to skedaddle,... There is activity here. Mark implores any perturbed paranormals in this house to find a fixer-upper elsewhere. I am asking all negative energy to leave this room. We're gentle in our approach. We're gentle in our approach. But you're evicting these spirits. We're not evicting them. We are helping them. What happens when somebody gets kind of a gleam in their eye when you tell them that the house they're looking at is haunted ` that they're excited at the prospect? What's that like? Well, I usually call a security guard to protect me, because they're usually nuts. In Cali and elsewhere, realtors are required to tell buyers if a home purportedly has ghostly inhabitants. Landlords? Not so much. This week, Catrina McGhaw told KMOV in St Louis that she learned from a TV documentary the apartment she'd rented had been used by serial killer Maury Travis. This whole basement was basically his torture chamber. Why hadn't she been told? Uh, maybe because the landlord was the serial killer's mother? Haunted houses can come in all shapes, sizes and scary histories ` in real life and in popular culture. Take this landmark leviathan in the heart of Los Angeles. It's got a list of credits any actor would kill for, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Recently, it starred in the Emmy-winning American Horror Story. Welcome. In the first season of American Horror Story, there was a body hanging from the rafters up there in the foyer, but that didn't really happen. That was just in the TV show. It was all make-believe. It was all make-believe. This is a very special house. 'Joe Babajian is one of LA's top realtors.' He's sold the most stigmatised properties imaginable ` OJ's house and Nicole Brown Simpson's condo. In your view, did it sell for less or for more than an average property of that kind would have sold for? Probably a little less. I think that there was a negative stigma there. This house's TV notoriety seems to attract looky-loos daily. There are tourists right out there now taking pictures of this house. There are tourists right out there now taking pictures of this house. Yeah, all the time. They're always out there. Part oversized frat house, part elegantly distressed early-20th-century gem, this one-of-a-kinder is screaming for purchase by some eccentric entertainer. At times, it may also just be screaming, period. MAN SCREAMS Pardon me if this sounds like a moronic question, Joe. Is this house haunted? I kinda have that feeling. (CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS MANIACALLY) Ask the man who owns it. Anybody home? He sees dead people all over his place, especially in the basement. Do you think this property is haunted? I know it's haunted. I see ghosts here on a pretty much weekly basis. What are they doing? What are they doing? Uh,... watching me, doing things. Doesn't freak you out? Doesn't freak you out? No, not at all. John Gocha points out a bricked-up room in the basement where he suspects... well, let's just say it's not where the ping-pong table was. There's no way in and no way out except for this little door right here. Yes. > Yes. > Now, why did somebody do that? If you wanna stand up on here,... All right. All right. ...you can take a peek and see what's in there. (SCREAMS) There's a secret passageway of some kind? That's a really good question. How come there's no doors going into it? That's the big question. So maybe people go in, and they never come out. Every time I go by the laundry room with the washing machine on,... < Sure. < Sure. ...I hear conversations. People are having conversations, and it's as clear as day. So anybody who buys this house, in your view, had better get used to the idea of living with a bunch of...? Yeah. And they're not bad. They're good people. I think they're looking for somebody to hang out with. And for the right buyer at the right time, the spirits may be willing. So, you like working in a haunted house? Yeah. Just not... (CHUCKLES) at night by myself. (LAUGHS) DISTORTED LAUGHTER Gosh, I don't know. I think I'd be more worried about some of the live people in those houses than the dead ones. Up next ` more problems about the place you call home. This family lives in a calm, rustic neighbourhood ` safe, green and good for kids. But what if wild animals move in next door? The last thing we wanna worry about is tigers getting loose and eating our children. PEOPLE CHANT: Deer Creek, not Tiger Creek! What are you ` absolutely nuts? We're never gonna go for something like that. You'd be crazy. At the end of the day, it's a problem. It's a big problem. (GROWLS) Welcome back. Now, still on the subject of real estate ` we've all heard about nasty neighbours, but what if the problem is not human but animals next door? From having too many to having them be too wild, The wrong animals next door can not only affect your neighbourly lifestyle, of course, but also the resale value of your home. Now, fortunately, we can't have tigers living next door to us here in NZ, but they might well be moving into this East Coast US suburb. FUNKY MUSIC High above Malibu, California, amidst the cliffs and views is a rustic neighbourhood called Deer Park. Nanette and Dan Bercu thought their home here was their castle ` the perfect spot to raise a family and the perfect real estate nest egg, until one day, they say, something reared its ugly head, something that would ruin everything ` their safety and their property values. Are you absolutely nuts? We'd never go for something like that. You'd be crazy. The threat is something they never anticipated ` this ` Good. a white Siberian tiger. Trainers Irina Hauser and Sophia Krysze want to move their tigers to their home here. They brought one in a temporary cage to show us. Around this entire area would be a perimeter fence with barbed wire on top. The sisters thought it would be a formality to get a permit to permanently have tigers on their property. They thought wrong. They are our closest neighbours, and a tiger can get here in about 30 seconds. The Bercu family lives a few hundred yards away. We're a young family. The last thing we wanna worry about is loose tigers eating our children. They weren't the only ones upset. Signs went up all along the roadside. ALL CHANT: Deer creek, not tiger creek. And protesters went down to the Ventura County Planning Commission, among them the Bercus and their two oldest boys. They're gonna kill us if they get out, and they shouldn't be here. As mothers ourselves, we empathise. As mothers ourselves, we empathise. We say it's safe because it is safe. No tiger has ever escaped a property and gone to a neighbouring property and killed anybody. But Dan Bercu isn't just a concerned father; he's in the real estate business. A property adjacent to a wild animal preserve is basically worthless. No one would buy that. You'd have to disclose to the buyers that there's a wild animal preserve next door. It's a real-estate issue that's come up before. Believe it or not, it is legal to own exotic animals of some sort in 29 states, and so homeowners in a Cincinnati neighbourhood had to worry about this 16ft python. At this South Carolina apartment, the skin from an African viper. It's the crazy thing to have gone through all that we have in life and then maybe die by some rare African viper. And how do you think the folks in Dayton felt about a girl parading her pet bear cub on the front lawn. Well, you know what they say about real estate ` location, location, location. That's correct. Long Island realtor Maria Palmar says if the location has the wrong animals, prices absolutely take a hit. It'll drive the property values way down, and nobody wants that in their neighbourhood. But in her neck of the woods, the problem isn't the size of the cats; it's the size of the cat population. Houses overrun with cats is something Robert Misseri sees on almost a daily basis. Hi, guys. I'm dealing with hoarders. I'm dealing with good-doers. I'm dealing with people who are overwhelmed. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it's a problem. It's a big problem. Are you scared of what you'll see? Are you scared of what you'll see? It's always frightening... 'Robert runs the Guardians of Rescue volunteer group.' 'He drives all over, responding to calls from people concerned about cats on their block.' Sometimes it's realtors; sometimes it's neighbours like these. You get angry, you get frustrated, but then it comes to a point that this is the way we have to live. These people say they complained for years to official agencies about a cat hoarder. < What happens? < What happens? BOTH: Nothing. < What happens? BOTH: Nothing. Nothing. It sounds like if you have a problem and call, nothing will happen. Nobody's coming. Nobody's coming. Nobody's coming to help. Hi. So Robert does. I have dedicated my life to these cats. At this house, he meets a woman with an eccentric front yard full of cat decorations. There is a home for sale directly next door. How do we resolve the issues with the neighbours? That's the goal here. What is their problem? What is their problem? Well, they're calling and complaining. She has 60 live cats she says she is rescuing. Yes, it's a lot of cats, but I'm their last chance. It's either me or they go to the place and they get killed. Go ahead and look in here. Go ahead and look in here. Thank you. > She shows us a bunch of cats inside... OK, you gotta close the door. OK, you gotta close the door. OK. ...and many more in her sanctuary out back. But we do have to resolve these constant calls and complaints. Well, what is their problem? Well, what is their problem? Well, something is bothering that person. I don't see what it could be. Robert knows what it could be. Sometimes neighbours complain about smells. Let's get this under control. Sometimes it's a concern over property values. This woman tells Robert she has 75 cats. They stay because they're scared because people throw rocks at them and stuff. And, uh, like I said, people have complained, but the same complaint all the time is, 'I don't want the cats on my property.' Many are sick. They fill the tiny interior. The smell is powerful. I mind the smell, sure, but I'm used to it. Have you ever brought a potential buyer to one of these blocks and seen a look of complete disgust on their face? Completely. They've turned around and walked away. They won't go into the home. That's why Robert's work is so important. When successful, he's able to relocate these cats to other homes and bring much-needed relief to the neighbourhood. We need to solve the problem and make sure the block goes back to where it was five years ago. Now back to the big-cat crisis in Malibu. The Planning Commission voted here in Ventura a couple of hours ago. For now, the block is staying as it is. The sisters' request for a permit for their tigers was defeated 3-2. We still do not know what fact allowed them to come to that decision. But it isn't over. The sisters say take away the emotion, and the zoning law is on their side. Now they're headed to court. They're suing the county, hoping a judge will see it differently. So for the Bercus, the catfight goes on. No tigers. (SNARLS) Now, if you want to see any of tonight's stories again, you can head to our website. It's... Or you can go to our Facebook page ` we're at 20/20 NZ ` and let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. And next week we've got a television exclusive for you. They're being touted as NZ's next big musical export, and they're talking to 20/20 ` Nelson brother-sister duo Broods. BOMBASTIC MUSIC I guess we'll give you a tour around. I guess we'll give you a tour around. Yes, please. They came here as nobodies, and now they're sharing studios with the biggest names in the business. There she is. There she is. There's your Katy. And your Beatles. > And your Beatles. > Your Beatles. > And your Beatles. > Your Beatles. > Hi, Katy. > When Broods are in town, this is their office. No camera crews are ever allowed down here, but somehow... Kiwi accents. Kiwi accents. (LAUGHS) We've got it. BOMBASTIC MUSIC Our studios are down here. Our studios are down here. Yeah. Pictures on the walls of, like, all these amazing artists, as you can see. Yeah. Yeah. All singing into Frank Sinatra's mic, which we also got to do. Looking forward to that one. Well, that's our show for tonight, though.