Found: A Stash of Cash!

Maybe it’s the fact I have house buying (and selling) on the brain, but this story really caught my eye. A guy in Utah bought his family a new home, then found a wad of cash in the attic. Serious cash. Like, ‘buy a couple of new cars’ cash. But instead of booking a fun family vacation, he counted it all out, then called the sellers and returned it.

It made me stop to think about all the crazy things we’ve found in houses we’ve bought over the years. It made me wonder what I’d do, if I found that much cash. And where the line is between feeling ownership (it’s in MY house, for heaven’s sake!) and feeling a sense of obligation.

The most exciting thing we’ve ever found in a new house is a mini fridge. Oh, and a couple of beaded lamp shades that I never could match to any lamp. But who knows? We’re due to buy a house in Colorado this summer. Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot and get an attic full of cash. We could go on a video game/Lego/electronics buying spree!

Or we could track down the owners and return the dough. I have a feeling that’s what would really transpire.

But if you take the idea one step further, it makes you wonder what item you might find in a new home that  you’d immediately get rid of. Obviously dead bodies and stray animals would make the list. But when you take on someone else’s former home, you never know what you’ll find. Fingernail collections? Twenty years of Soap Opera Digest?

What’s the coolest, creepiest, or geekiest thing you’ve ever found when moving into a new place? Did you return it to the previous owners, or claim it as your own? I’m sure there are some unbelievable stories out there, just waiting to be told. What’s yours?