The childhood home of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is for sale in northern Ohio.

The three-bedroom, 661-square metre home on a private wooded lot in Bath, near Akron, was the site of Dahmer's first murder, in 1978.

He moved to Wisconsin in 1982 and went on to kill 16 more people before his crimes were discovered in 1991.

He was killed in prison in 1994 by a fellow inmate.

Dahmer's parents bought the house in 1968, when he was 8.

The current owner is musician Chris Butler, who was a founding member of the 1980s band The Waitresses.

He told The Akron Beacon Journal that he listed the house because he no longer has reason to spend much time in the area. The asking price is US$329,000 (NZ$402,814).

Butler said his real estate agent vets potential buyers to weed out curiosity seekers.

He believes the right buyer will be someone who appreciates the home's 1950's vintage style.

"You've gotta kind of get past the horror factor," he said.

Butler said he bought the house in 2005 when he was living in New York but spending a lot of time here as part of another band.

His mother was also living here at the time but has since died, he said.

The ranch-style house was built in 1952, and a year later it was featured in the Beacon Journal for its modern style, open layout and floor-to-ceiling windows that provided views of the wooded hillside.

Butler said he was drawn to the house by its '50s style and big, wooded lot.

He said it was perfect for his collections of midcentury modern furniture and British Invasion music equipment, and it was an ideal place for him and his band mates to make music without disturbing the neighbours.

Still, he couldn't understand at first why the house had been on the market for six months at a price that seemed low for the neighbourhood.

Then his agent called to disclose the home's infamous history.

"I didn't stop shaking for another 24 hours," he said.

He decided to buy it anyway and hasn't been sorry.

"I love, love, love the place, but I just don't get back there that often," he said.

- AP