Rental Property Investor · Gunnison, CO · Member since 2014 · 59 posts · 99 votes
I was cleaning out the basement of one of our rentals...
I saw something stuck in a corner behind a bolted on rack of shelves. I couldn't quite get to it and had to unbolt the whole unit from the wall. Worth it.
Unceremoniously wrapped in old newsprint was a custom rifle stock awarded to the first place winner of the 1996 Idtarod Dogsled Race in Alaska. It had never been installed and was custom engraved with the name Jeff King.
A quick wikipedia search revealed, yes indeed Jeff King was the 1996 winner. How it got from Alaska to Colorado is a mystery. I have reached out to Mike on Facebook to try and get some info and return it to him. Wild!
What is the coolest thing you have ever found in a rental or flip?
Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
My best find in a rental was a German K98 bayonet with sheath. It's in excellent condition but probably only worth $150 - $200. It was in a rental I just bought last month.
But my best find was in a home I sold. Bare with me while I reminisce...
Owner was a retired banker/investor that was also a competitive shooter. He got old, decided to move closer to family, but thought he may return to the area some day. He asked me to manage the property as a rental, which I did. He had one room in the basement that he called his "armory" but I had never been inside it. He kept it locked and never gave me a key.
After managing the home for five years, he called me and said, "I have some ammunition in that armory and I'm concerned someone could be injured if the home ever caught fire. Can you get rid of it for me?" He said I could keep it, sell it, or whatever. I hired a locksmith to get me in, expecting to find a few boxes of old shells.
PAY DAY!!!
What I found was enough ammo to fight off a small army. It took three people almost 20 trips each to load it into my car. We filled the trunk, the back seat, and the passenger seat. My shocks were literally bottomed out and I thought I would break an axle every time I hit a bump. I sold everything for 1/4 - 1/3 the original cost and still made over $5,000. I didn't feel right keeping it so I sent half the money to him.
But wait, I'm not finished.
Fast forward five years. He decides to sell the house. I remind him there's a large safe in the armory that can't be removed (the room was built around it). I ask him if it's empty. He says, "I think we emptied out but I can't remember. If there's anything in there, you can have it as a bonus for being so good to me all these years." Remembering my under-estimation of the ammunition, I start to salivate a little.
All he knew is that the code had never been changed from the factory settings. A little Google research and a quick battery change and I was able to open the safe with the default code.
BOO-YA!
YAHOOO!!!!
I kept the Kimber 1911, Springfield XD, Winchester 30/30, Marlin 1894 Cowboy Limited, Remington 870 Express, and the Ruger Mini-14. I also kept about 75% of the matching ammo and accessories. Sold the rest for almost $1,000.
If you're ever in the neighborhood, I'll be happy to take you out for target practice.
Financial Advisor · Blaine, MN · Member since 2014 · 477 posts · 387 votes
6y
@Shaun M. Coolest thing I've found was a large section of the foundation wall was completely gone in a house I bought. Previous owner didn't have a good grasp on how gravity works and removed it so he could throw wood down to the basement where he had a wood burning stove.
Investor · Anchorage, AK · Member since 2013 · 229 posts · 133 votes
6y
@Shaun M. I can see why it was never installed... It appears the artist forgot to check which direction is up. Great find! Please consider donating it to Iditarod headquarters. There is a lot of history that goes missing over the years or never returns home... in particular Balto himself.
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
6y
I'm still waiting to buy a house with money and gold bullion hidden in the walls by someone who didn't trust banks.
But, in the meantime. I bought a house that had a full-size Pac-Man arcade game. Just to add another oddity to that, it was in the kitchen! Unfortunately not a valuable find. But certainly a weird one.
Not so much in the "cool" category, but certainly in the "useful" one. A tenant flamed out and slunk back to the state they originally came from, when they couldn't pay the rent anymore. Abandoned and left everything they owned in the house. We upgraded our 27" bedroom tv with their 50" one. Coincidentally, our toaster had just died. Glad they had one, lol. We'd also been debating about buying a Keurig. Debate no more! They had one of those also. We didn't try that hard, but were able to sell some of the things that already had a ready market for a total of a few hundred dollars. Of course, we still came out the losers, but at least it was something.
Investor · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 861 posts · 1k+ votes
6y
I consider it good luck if I find porn. No project feels complete until I finally find that one silverfish-eaten 80's british porn mag stuffed in the back of the crawlspace.
Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2016 · 44 posts · 46 votes
6y
We have rehabbed a couple of cottages in the old mining town of Butte, MT. Lots of fun finds of early 1900's coins and newspapers. Found some fascinating construction behind layers of fiberboard and beadboard. Those folks were resourceful! Our first rehab uncovered plank walls (no studs) built from wood planks taken off rail cars or concrete forms from large buildings. Found carvings of past tenants and even signatures of the men that built one of the homes. Made us decide to leave behind a sort of time capsule in some of our rehabs for future rehabbers to find. One thing we did not find, which I am thankful for, is dynamite. We found lots of detonation cord and a couple miner's picks, though.
Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
One of my clients had a garage rented to same guy for 10+ years. He passed away. Wife took what she wanted. When I got in there were two 70’s Kiss pinball machines and a 1967 4 door huge Chrysler Newport. That took a very skilled tow truck guy to get it out!
Rental Property Investor · Gunnison, CO · Member since 2014 · 59 posts · 99 votes
6y
@Jennifer T. I bet those leftovers helped ease the pain of a resident dashing out in the night! Crazy how they couldn't pay rent but could have (and abandon) a 50" TV. Some peoples priorities....
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
6y
Tough one.
I bought a house on a steep hill. I use a string trimmer to mow the lawn.
One day I went down to the basement and looked up in the joists. I found a disassembled scythe up there with a 30-inch blade. It's gonna make a hell of a Halloween party prop someday. If I get good and drunk enough at said party, I might not even remember how I end up in the slam.
Rental Property Investor · Gunnison, CO · Member since 2014 · 59 posts · 99 votes
6y
@Susan Grinde. Thanks for sharing- some amazing history you uncovered. I've never seen that plank style production before. Looks tenant proof! Super cool you left some easter eggs for future rehabers.
@Matt M. You're talking my language. Love me some pinball. Have three machines currently and always looking to add to the collection. A couple of dusty old pins is an amazing leave behind!
@Jim K. Your posts man, they're always cracking me up. Never change!
@Amanda Sokol So cool! Wonder what the story with that is?!? A buried gun....?!
Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
My best find in a rental was a German K98 bayonet with sheath. It's in excellent condition but probably only worth $150 - $200. It was in a rental I just bought last month.
But my best find was in a home I sold. Bare with me while I reminisce...
Owner was a retired banker/investor that was also a competitive shooter. He got old, decided to move closer to family, but thought he may return to the area some day. He asked me to manage the property as a rental, which I did. He had one room in the basement that he called his "armory" but I had never been inside it. He kept it locked and never gave me a key.
After managing the home for five years, he called me and said, "I have some ammunition in that armory and I'm concerned someone could be injured if the home ever caught fire. Can you get rid of it for me?" He said I could keep it, sell it, or whatever. I hired a locksmith to get me in, expecting to find a few boxes of old shells.
PAY DAY!!!
What I found was enough ammo to fight off a small army. It took three people almost 20 trips each to load it into my car. We filled the trunk, the back seat, and the passenger seat. My shocks were literally bottomed out and I thought I would break an axle every time I hit a bump. I sold everything for 1/4 - 1/3 the original cost and still made over $5,000. I didn't feel right keeping it so I sent half the money to him.
But wait, I'm not finished.
Fast forward five years. He decides to sell the house. I remind him there's a large safe in the armory that can't be removed (the room was built around it). I ask him if it's empty. He says, "I think we emptied out but I can't remember. If there's anything in there, you can have it as a bonus for being so good to me all these years." Remembering my under-estimation of the ammunition, I start to salivate a little.
All he knew is that the code had never been changed from the factory settings. A little Google research and a quick battery change and I was able to open the safe with the default code.
BOO-YA!
YAHOOO!!!!
I kept the Kimber 1911, Springfield XD, Winchester 30/30, Marlin 1894 Cowboy Limited, Remington 870 Express, and the Ruger Mini-14. I also kept about 75% of the matching ammo and accessories. Sold the rest for almost $1,000.
If you're ever in the neighborhood, I'll be happy to take you out for target practice.
Rental Property Investor · Gunnison, CO · Member since 2014 · 59 posts · 99 votes
6y
@Nathan Gesner I was hoping you'd chime in. WY is one of the wildest, weirdest and most wonderful states in the country, hands down. With all your properties, I figured you'd have some greats tails. But... I never, ever expected anything like this!
Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2016 · 44 posts · 46 votes
6y
@Sylvia B. I will need to go take a second look at the dime. Won't be able to get to it until Jan as I don't live in Butte and that is where the dime and other goodies are. Will let you know if I find a "D" on it!
@Shaun M. My Grandfather was a carpenter/farmer all his life and often took my older brother to work with him during the summers during the early 70's. In the late 90's I bought my second flip project. The basement had paneling throughout and had years of water damage from a fallen patio. After the demo there was a sizable pile of paneling and trim work. I reached down and picked up a small piece of baseboard because it had some writing on the back of it. It said "Tim Myers The Great was here) My brother had written it years earlier as a kid while tagging along to work with my Grandfather. What are the odds that I would buy that particular house and pick up that needle in a haystack.
Rental Property Investor · Gunnison, CO · Member since 2014 · 59 posts · 99 votes
6y
@Chris Myers, that is incredible! I'm trying to imagine how it felt picking it up and realizing what it meant. Must have been a moment of awe for sure.
@Sylvia B. What happens if there is a "D"? Super curious about this. Did @Susan Grinde potential find some real hidden treasure?
