Been doing this for about five years now, and I've noticed a lot of newcomers get excited too easily. They hear a creaky floorboard, their EMF meter twitches, and suddenly they're filming a TikTok about ghosts. It's sloppy, and it's why the paranormal community gets laughed at.
Here's what I do:
First visit is always a reconnaissance mission. Walk the location in daylight. Look for obvious sources of noise: loose windows, settling beams, pipes, animals. Check electrical wiring, measure baseline EMF, note building age and construction type. Photograph everything. This is boring and takes hours, but it's essential.
Second visit: evening or night, bring a small team, document everything with multiple recording devices. Audio recorder, phone, thermal camera if you've got one. Two people on investigation, one person monitoring and taking notes. Never investigate alone - you'll just spook yourself.
If something interesting happens: investigate the mundane explanation first. Always. Did that door slam because of wind, or because a ghost? Wind is more likely. Did the EMF spike because of a spirit, or because someone's phone rang? Phone is more likely.
The sceptics aren't wrong about being skeptical. They're just sometimes wrong about dismissing everything outright. Proper investigation means proving to yourself what something isn't before deciding what it might be.
