Would you give the money back?

[Imp]

So you'd dump the money but keep living in the house, so when the drug dealer has a knife at your crotch and says, "You had BEST give me my money," your response won't be, "Okay, it's under my bed," but "I threw it out, I swear, don't torture a different answer out of me!" :|

I added and deleted this in that post:

Give it to the cops, make it a public story, so whomever gets curious knows where to go looking for it.

That or burn the house down and collect insurance. Problem solved.

 

[KGB]

According to the law it is your money.

This is about right vs. wrong, NOT legal vs. illegal.

You didn't earn the money. It should go to the grieving family.

 

[spidey07]

This is about right vs. wrong, NOT legal vs. illegal.

You didn't earn the money. It should go to the grieving family.

I understand. If it was not inside my home, my property, then for sure I'd turn it in. But it's in my home and that legally and morally makes it mine.

 

[KGB]

Legally, yes.

Morally, no.

 

[SZLiao214]

I would keep it. I don't have enough money that i could choose the moral high grand for 40k.

 

[TheNinja]

The $40,000 was part of the house when you bought it. Therefore, imo, that $40,000 is yours, just like all the walls and flooring belong to you. I'm not a lawyer though.

 

[Kev]

I would give it to the family. Money isn't all that important, and I would feel like a scumbag for keeping it.

 

[Perknose]

My Dad, when he was already in this 80's, helped a woman he hardly knew, a friend of a friend, clean out her garage after her husband died.

He found over $30,000 in cash that the hubby had squirreled away, and turned it over to the old biddy, who promptly accused him of stealing more.

He was taken aback, finished the job hurriedly, and got the hell out of there.

Moral: No good deed goes unpunished.

Now, the above is a clearer case than the in the OP. For the OP, I'd like to think I'd do the right thing but I honestly don't know.

 

[Puppies04]

I have given back wallets, phones etc that i have seen people drop and have handed items into the police station aswell but in all seriousness i would keep it for 2 or 3 years and if nobody came and said "heh you didnt happen to find $40k in your house did you" then i wouldnt have any issue whatsoever spending every penny.

They might be twisted ethics but they are the only ones i have.

 

[Imp]

My Dad, when he was already in this 80's, helped a woman he hardly knew, a friend of a friend, clean out her garage after her husband died.

He found over $30,000 in cash that the hubby had squirreled away, and turned it over to the old biddy, who promptly accused him of stealing more.

He was taken aback, finished the job hurriedly, and got the hell out of there.

Moral: No good deed goes unpunished.

Now, the above is a clearer case than the in the OP. For the OP, I'd like to think I'd do the right thing but I honestly don't know.

The husband didn't trust the bank enough (with guberment insurance?) to hold onto it with interest. Some of that must have rubbed off on the wife, so the reaction seems natural for a friend of a friend.

 

[hanoverphist]

when i bought my house, the previous owners son in law left a few power tools in a cabinet that was broken. i kept those, so id consider the cash part of the house. its understood that they will get their crap out before you take ownership, or forfeit ownership of things they leave behind.

 

[SearchMaster]

LOL
That is always a possibility. He gets to be a hero. The heirs are happy. He gets to be happy as well. Win win.

Honestly that's probably what I'd do - split the find. If you offer to split it, they might raise a stink about it. Give them half, feel good about yourself, they feel good about it, I don't see a down side...

 

[dud]

The answer is quite simple, let your conscious be your guide.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Legally it seems to me the money belongs to the new owner, but if it were me I'd feel a lot better just turning it over. I would accept a reward in the form of a percentage of the money if the seller's family wanted to give it to me, however.

 

[Bill Brasky]

If the house was bought as part of an estate sale, then I would venture a guess the money legally belongs to the new owners if it was included with the house. I'd keep it.

Definitely this. I would keep it, and deny finding anything. How can they prove you found any money at all? Unless they had pictures and proof of the money being stored there, they can't just claim you owe them $40,000.

Morally, I would feel bad about keeping it, but I would still do it.

 

[Linflas]

Legally it seems to me the money belongs to the new owner, but if it were me I'd feel a lot better just turning it over. I would accept a reward in the form of a percentage of the money if the seller's family wanted to give it to me, however.

But doesn't a real estate sales contract have to specify what items convey with the sale of the house? I'm pretty sure I remember them actually using language in them that stated what seemed obvious to me things such as plumbing fixtures etc when purchasing a house.

 

[classy]

Based on my understanding of real esate law the previous owners could probably have made a case and won. When you buy a home you are only entitled to what is listed. This is why before closing a buyer should always do a walk through. Many times buyers have thought they were purchasing certain things that were coming with the house only to go there after closing and find those things gone. I would say in this case the previous owners could easily make the case the money was overlooked and never intended to be part of the sale of the house.

If it was me I would have given the money back as well.

 

[KGB]

Based on my understanding of real esate law the previous owners could probably have made a case and won. When you buy a home you are only entitled to what is listed. This is why before closing a buyer should always do a walk through. Many times buyers have thought they were purchasing certain things that were coming with the house only to go there after closing and find those things gone. I would say in this case the previous owners could easily make the case the money was overlooked and never intended to be part of the sale of the house.

If it was me I would have given the money back as well.

Very classy of you.

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcCXnXDiKoQ

 

[Zargon]

Based on my understanding of real esate law the previous owners could probably have made a case and won. When you buy a home you are only entitled to what is listed. This is why before closing a buyer should always do a walk through. Many times buyers have thought they were purchasing certain things that were coming with the house only to go there after closing and find those things gone. I would say in this case the previous owners could easily make the case the money was overlooked and never intended to be part of the sale of the house.

If it was me I would have given the money back as well.

yes things like window dressings, appliances, if you are keeping certain pieces of their furniture ETC.

but it also generally says whats in the house when you sign the dotted line is now the property of the new owners.

I got a bike, and a bunch of trash and random shit from the PO's of my house :\

I was kind enough to give the bike to their son when he asked about, but I almost didnt. since they stuck me with a garage full of empty cardboard boxes and about 10 bags of trash. and hadnt mowed the lawn in about a month.


atleast I got the trash guy to bill the PO's for the huge pickup.

 

[Onita]

yes things like window dressings ETC.

but it also generally says whats in the house when you sign the dotted line is now the property of the new owners.

I got a bike, and a bunch of trash and random shit from the PO's of my house :\

I was kind enough to give the bike to their son when he asked about, but I almost didnt. since they stuck me with a garage full of empty cardboard boxes and about 10 bags of trash. and hadnt mowed the lawn in about a month.

I could very well be wrong, but when I bought my house, I thought the contract specified things that MUST stay or MUST go, but IIRC everything that was left there was my problem. I think it was to be sure that the previous owner's didn't show you the house with a fridge, blinds, etc. but then take them when they left.

 

[mugs]

I understand. If it was not inside my home, my property, then for sure I'd turn it in. But it's in my home and that legally and morally makes it mine.

How can you make a moral case for the money being yours when the person who sold the house was unaware that it was there and did not intend to leave $40k case in the home when they sold it? Entitlement mentality FTL. :thumbsdown:

 

[Zargon]

my offer specifically stated the fridge, and oven, microwave, and dishwasher. and the blinds/curtain rods. I was advised its best to specifically state it. but was also told whatever they leave is mine and if they come back for it and try to take it its considered theft.

they left us their washer and dryer, and we found out why, they were total POS's and I had to Freecycle them to get rid of them so I didnt have to pay someone to take them.

they were told about the trash issues at close and we threatened to walk if they didnt say they would pick it up, but of course they never did

reminds me of my own moral issue, they moved out of state, and they left their registered address of the local community college as our house, and we get bills in the kids name. with all the trash they left us and the hassles we had closing(they tried to change the day of close on the morning of, after moving it from 9am to 4pm a week earlier) that I am tempted to call a friend at the college and let them know. out of district tuition is waaaaaaaaaay more expensive.

 

[GT1999]

Reminds me of the time I found two $100 bills on the floor at work. There was an ATM receipt, but it wasn't in the name of anybody who worked at my company. So I just kept it. It's not like I'm going to send out an email to everybody asking if they lost $200...

 

[artikk]

I'd keep it. I bought the house and since the money was in it, it's mine.