How is Kimberly Clark a ghost in Janssen's “A Recurring Dream”?

Question

In the short story "A Recurring Dream" (from Unusual Stories from Many Lands by Arlo T. Janssen), a character called Kimberly Clark is accused of being a ghost by an old man.

The man opens the door a little and looks at her. "What do you want here?" he asks. "Why don't you go away?"
Kim doesn't know what to say. But she does want to talk to him.
"I—I see—I see that this house is for sale," she stammers.
"Yes it is. But I'm sure you don't want to buy it!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because—uh—because a ghost hunts this house."
"A ghost haunts this pretty little house?"
"Yes, it comes almost every night now."
Kim tries hard to think of something to say. "Do—uh—do you know who the ghost is?" she stammers.
"Yes, I do now."
"Who is it?"
In a loud whisper he exclaims, "It's you!" Then he closes the door.

I didn't understand why he calls her a ghost or why his house is on sale.

Answer 1

I haven't read this particular short story before, but I've certainly read a longer more developed version of it by an established author. (I've tried to find that story but can't quite pin it down, I'll amend the answer if I do). EDIT: Looking again at your link, I'm not at all sure if the story as presented there is supposed to be a whole story or a precis of a story. Could you clarify? It might be that it is a precis of the story I recall. I did think that the 'Kimberly Clark' name rang a bell until I realised it was the name of a personal care products brand...

Basically, the main character's dreams are haunted by her perfect house and she regularly visits it in her dreams. When she happens upon it in real life the owner is selling up because they have had enough of being haunted by a woman who appears ever night.

The seller recognises the main character as the ghost whose presence is driving him from the house.

The reader is left to assume that the main character has somehow not only been dreaming about this perfect house, but actually visiting it in some form.

The old man calls her a ghost because when she thinks she is dreaming about his house, he sees her as an apparition in the house. he is selling the house because he doesn't like to be haunted.