Finding a stash of money in your attic after closing - What would you do? (attorney, value)
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No way to know who it belongs to. You can't assume it belonged to the last owners either. It could be much older than that or just stashed there by someone else. The dates on the bills, particularly any 1$ bills, would let you estimate how long the money had been there because 1$ bills are used and replaced the most.
I would hold on to the money and tell the last owners they were welcome to come back if they found they had forgotten anything. And they would have to describe what they had left, where it was hidden, and the packaging, when and if they came to collect. If they did, I would hand it over.
If I didn't hear anything from them in a reasonable period of time, it's my money. If the money is their's you will hear from them.
My parents stashed money all over the place. After they died, I found money in every room of the house. In books, couch cushions, sugar jars, you name it. And I am sure I missed some too. Oh well, I did the best I could and the new owners will discover it eventually. And when they do, they are welcome to it. My sister was a criminal and she stole everything she could get her hands on. I told my parents and the sheriff's office what she was doing and they didn't believe me and wouldn't do anything. Then she started stashing money in my room in an attic vent. I figured she was planning on framing me for her crimes because she was angry I 'told' on her. I was only about 16 and still a kid myself. I then took the money and hid it. Over then next few months, I put it in my bank account a little at a time. Then the time came when she accused me of all the crimes she had committed and brought my parents to my room to 'find' the money and there was nothing there! Bummer! I doubt my sister was the first or the last to do something like this.
There are 6000 ways that $6000 could have wound up in the attic!
No way to know who it belongs to. You can't assume it belonged to the last owners either. It could be much older than that or just stashed there by someone else. The dates on the bills, particularly any 1$ bills, would let you estimate how long the money had been there because 1$ bills are used and replaced the most.
I would hold on to the money and tell the last owners they were welcome to come back if they found they had forgotten anything. And they would have to describe what they had left, where it was hidden, and the packaging, when and if they came to collect. If they did, I would hand it over.
If I didn't hear anything from them in a reasonable period of time, it's my money. If the money is their's you will hear from them.
My parents stashed money all over the place. After they died, I found money in every room of the house. In books, couch cushions, sugar jars, you name it. And I am sure I missed some too. Oh well, I did the best I could and the new owners will discover it eventually. And when they do, they are welcome to it. My sister was a criminal and she stole everything she could get her hands on. I told my parents and the sheriff's office what she was doing and they didn't believe me and wouldn't do anything. Then she started stashing money in my room in an attic vent. I figured she was planning on framing me for her crimes because she was angry I 'told' on her. I was only about 16 and still a kid myself. I then took the money and hid it. Over then next few months, I put it in my bank account a little at a time. Then the time came when she accused me of all the crimes she had committed and brought my parents to my room to 'find' the money and there was nothing there! Bummer! I doubt my sister was the first or the last to do something like this.
There are 6000 ways that $6000 could have wound up in the attic!
I agree with you here, but I just had to give you credit for inventing a new word.
I'd probably keep it. Now if it was some CRAZY amount (like $100,000) then I might question it. But $6000? Nah. Considering how much a house costs, $6000 is nothing.
I'd return it if was theirs but I'd also verify by asking if they may have left something of value in the attic and if so how much it was. If they are the original owners of course, non-issue. It has to be theirs.
My parents had something similar happen when they bought a home once. In the attic, stashed in a corner, half buried under some old carpet and pad, were three shotgun cases, each one full with a nice shotgun.
Now, this was back in the 80's, internet didn't exist, etc. They told their agent who contacted the seller's agent, and gave them their phone number.
The previous owners had moved to FL, about 1200 miles away. When they heard they'd left the guns (valued about $1000 back then) they asked my parents to box them up and ship them to FL. Now, since it was out of state, you can't just ship a gun across state lines. So my parents couldn't do that. They offered to let one of the seller's friends come pick them up, and they could figure something out with their friends, but the seller refused.
Sellers got really angry that my parents wouldn't jump through hoops to mail them their guns back and the whole thing turned into a huge mess. Police actually got involved because of threats the sellers were making. In the end, my Dad said they just should have kept their mouths shut and denied they were in the house and told them they must have been lost in the move.
If they seemed like nice people and returned asking, I'd give it up. If they seemed like jerks, I'd tell them I don't know what they're talking about and keep it.
If they never returned, it's mine.
I would like to say 'finders keepers' but I believe too strongly in karma so no matter what the amount, it wasn't mine and I didn't earn it so I'd give it back to the owners.
If they said it wasn't theirs and to keep it, I'd probably give it to charity.
Honestly I'd call my lawyer and find out if I could legally keep it. Came with the house and all that. But the only people who would have that much money around in the USA in the house are FOB immigrants or criminals. For the latter, I'd give it back whether or not I had to. No point in being killed.
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