At first glance, there’s nothing notable about the blue and stucco house on the corner of Butler Crescent in the city’s northwest.

With paint slightly peeling under the eaves and a brimming garbage bin in the driveway, it looks like any other fixer-upper on the market, just waiting for someone to see the potential of its sturdy structure, large corner lot and mature, leafy trees.

But venture over to the crabapple tree on the far side of the garage and you’ll see evidence of the property’s tragic recent past. Bouquets of silk flowers sit under Tibetan prayer flags, and a photo of five young faces laments their violent loss in what has been called Calgary’s worst mass murder. Kaiti Perras, Jordan Segura, Zackariah Rathwell, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong were stabbed to death at the longtime rental property April 15 while celebrating the end of university classes. Matthew de Grood, 22, has been charged with their murders.

But that dubious detail is noticeably absent from the online posting for Brentwood’s newest real-estate listing, which touts the $489,900 home for its four bedrooms, massive lot and appeal for the do-it-yourself buyer.

“The location of this property could not be better and it awaits your personal touch to turn it into something GREAT!” reads the post by realtor Tom Malin on the Alberta MLS site. “This property has all the right bones for you and your family.”

Malin did not respond to requests for comment.

But the glaring omission may not be an attempt to deceive potential buyers, said Bill Kirk, president of the Calgary Real Estate Board.

In the case of “stigmatized” properties – be they former grow ops or grisly crime scenes – realtors are stuck in an awkward position between buyer and seller.

Unless the history of a property contributes to a structural or safety defect, realtors are only allowed to disclose histories buyers may find psychologically disturbing at the express direction of the seller, he said. “The issue has always hinged in Canadian common law, which is based on caveat emptor: buyer beware,” he said.

“The law says you should make all of the inquiries you can before you buy the property.”