Whats the strangest thing you found when....

Discussion in 'The Buying & Selling Process' started by Sackie, 4th Aug, 2015.

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  1. Sackie

    Sackie Well-Known Member

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    So you bought an IP and finally its settled and you take possession, doing a clean up etc.

    What's the strangest thing the previous owners left behind?

    For me, it was one of those old, massive safes that weighs a ton. Found it on the floor in the kitchen cupboard. Took about 30 mins to drag it out to the garden, went to Bunnings to buy a sledge hammer and cracked it open. Found some birth certs, passports, keys and $20 is 50c pieces as well as about $150 of the old Australian notes. I think they forgot the password years back and just couldn't be bothered with it!
     
  2. Big Will

    Big Will Well-Known Member

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    a matchbox car or roof racks has been the only thing left behind for me.

    Parents had an outdoor furniture set for two people, nothing wrong with it along with a really large painting.
     
  3. Depreciator

    Depreciator Well-Known Member

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    Half a dozen very healthy head high dope plants. They were in the back room of the first house I bought in Erskineville. The vendor would not have wanted to move them in daylight and must have been pressed for time.
     
  4. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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    Nothing exciting
    - the top shell of luxury car
    - Xray results

    What did you do to get rid of it? Is there a legal process for that?
     
  5. Depreciator

    Depreciator Well-Known Member

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    I was young. My method of disposal was slow and definitely not legal. I had plenty of assistance in the task.
     
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  6. Perthguy

    Perthguy Well-Known Member

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    Besides miscellaneous junk left laying around the yard, including a dead washing machine, a dead trailer and a home made garden shed packed full of stuff, one owner left behind a full lock up garage/workshop packed to the roof with all sorts of things. The strangest by far was three boxes of brand new, unused, motor oil containers. There were about 12 to a box I think. I have no idea what they would be useful for. Think this, but clean, empty, no labels.
    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Propagate

    Propagate Well-Known Member

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    Not me, and not an IP, but when we first moved to Aus from the UK I used to go on an expat forum a lot. A guy on there bought a PPOR from a deceased estate if I recall rightly. Needed a full renno, been owned by an old lady for donkeys before she passed if I remember correctly. The house was full of shabby old furniture that was left as part of the sale. Anyway, he opens a draw of some old thing and there's wads of cash in there!

    Few days later, more wads of cash stashed in the back of a cupboard...

    ...and so it goes.

    Can't remember what the final tally was at the end, but it seemed every few days/weeks he was posting up on the forum how much the next wad was he's pulled out of a wall cavity of from behind a skirting board. The old dear must have been scared of the banks and kept all her cash stashed around the house.
     
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  8. Ace in the Hole

    Ace in the Hole Well-Known Member

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    A dead cat under the house, quite long dead as only bones left.
     
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  9. Azazel

    Azazel Well-Known Member

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    In between tenants we found miscellaneous dead small animals, tooth brush, underwear, olives, sailing mast... nothing strange though.
     
  10. Sackie

    Sackie Well-Known Member

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    That's not weird. ..??:eek:
     
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  11. Azazel

    Azazel Well-Known Member

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    Oh no, this was only outside, nothing weird at all.
     
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  12. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    We had to give tenants a form once, and I decided I'd slip it under the front door to ensure they saw it as soon as they got home.

    I peered underneath because it seemed not to slide easily and saw lots of "stuff" on the verandah floor. Then I noticed the ducks wandering around, little webbed feet wandering about.

    I called them and asked why the ducks were upstairs. They apparently had caught cold and they brought them upstairs to keep them warm. They were restricted to the front verandah.

    We suggested they should maybe look for a more rural rental. They did move soon after. They were lovely people and good tenants and didn't think it odd at all to have ducks living upstairs.

    They left the place clean, and no ill-will, but I thought it was a little strange.
     
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  13. datto

    datto Well-Known Member

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    Half a dozen vibrators:) in the garage of all places

    Not what you think. Prior owner was a concretor and used them on the job lol.
     
  14. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    "On the job"... ;)
     
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  15. datto

    datto Well-Known Member

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    Well you know lol they put the vibrators in the slab to compact the concrete. Not to be overdone nor touch the reo.
     
  16. Hodge

    Hodge Well-Known Member

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    For me, the most exciting find was a turd in the bathtub. Probably a way to tell me what they really thought of me! :D
     
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  17. skater

    skater Well-Known Member

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    When we checked under the house of our first IP, we found a couple of truckloads of car parts that we needed to clear......then, right at the back in a little kind of sheltered grotto, we found an old stained mattress, some magazines & a very nasty smell.:eek:
     
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  18. Phantom

    Phantom Well-Known Member

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    Not me but a friend bought his PPOR with a detached garage at the back of the property. Inside the garage in the ceiling space there was a brand new set of Mizuno Golf Clubs (Apparently quite expensive)
     
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  19. Dan Donoghue

    Dan Donoghue Well-Known Member

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    My mum used to stash cash, she would save every week and when it hit 5 grand she would stash it "in case they were broken into"

    Out of the 10 or so stashes she accumulated by the time they sold and moved up north, she found only 2. Whoever bought the house would have been in for a few nice surprises :).
     
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  20. Sashatheman

    Sashatheman Well-Known Member

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    The PPoR we bought, had hundreds of dollars worth of tools & equipment left in in the shed. The previous owner lived in the property, but then rented it out, to the time that we bought it. He was a builder, so he must have had other tools and not cared enough to go get the ones in the house. A win for me.