I have so many stories that involve adult men living in the basement of their mom's home. This time we were working with an elderly woman in the Seatac area of Seattle. She needed to move into assisted living and to fund that move she needed to sell her home. She was concerned about having enough money to fund her future living expenses. The problem she had was that her adult son and adult age grandson were both living in the basement. They had been living their for years, without paying rent, or assisting with the bills; even though they were both employed.
Mom was over it.
The son and grandson were angry because they felt that the home should be theirs. They felt that their current living situation should continue "as is" with Mom living upstairs and covering all of the bills. Mom had to foot the bill for the deposit for an apartment where the father and son would live together. We packed and moved their items. She covered that expense as well.
Next, we hosted a sale to help clean-out the home and to generate some revenue to cover mom's expenses to move her family, herself, and to get the home empty. We were able to off-set some of the costs but not all of them.
It was the final day of the clean-out and I was doing a last walk of the home to make sure the home was clear. There was the basement where the adult family members lived, a garage, a detached garage, main level livinging area and a walkable attic space. I worked my way from the basement up to the attic space. As I was walking the attic, I walked around the back of the brick chimney that was towards the back of the attic.
For whatever reason, I looked up and noticed that there was a stepped ledge as the chimney decreased in size before it reached the roof. I noticed a paper envelope covered with dust and cobwebs. It had been there for some time. It isn't uncommon for people to place manuals and such aside for work done on the home, appliances and such. I picked up the envelope and opened it to find $25,000....yep, $25,000.
Mom had no idea that there was $25,000 sitting around in her attic. It sounds like Dad may have set aside a "rainy day fund" and forgot to share that information with mom before he passed away years earlier. Our client was thrilled because this "last minute" find covered her costs to move everyone from the home, get the house cleaned out, and with a nice sum left for her to keep.
What we have learned over time is that you need to be curious and look at everything. Never assume that what you see is what it is. I cannot tell you how many times I have opened a box, or a book, or a drawer, or looked in a pocket, or a slipper and have found something of value tucked away. We consider it a "badge of honor" to find these treasures for clients and return them.
Often people ask "You could have kept the $25,000. Why did you give it back?" I am always surprised by that question. I simply say "It's not my money."