Chicago Home Buyer Finds, Returns $10K To Previous Owner

The buyer had purchased the home with the idea of "flipping it" as an investment, but quickly figured out that he was getting a lot more than he paid for. About $10,000 more.

I think most people have thought about how cool it would be if something like this happened to them. You've probably read about some dude buying an old painting at a garage sale because he liked the frame, only to discover that it was a rare and famous work of art. Or, the woman who purchased some old book then found out that it had a copy of the Declaration of Independence tucked between the pages. These things do happen, but it's a rare.

It's also pretty rare to hear about someone doing what Jim Dow, a HomeVestors franchisee, did after his find in an about-to-be renovated home in the Calumet Heights neighborhood.

Let's start with what Jim found. Scattered about the living room of the home he'd purchased, Jim found 5 envelopes containing a total of nearly $10,000. The envelopes weren't really lying about in plain sight, as two envelopes were hidden behind the couch, and another was tucked behind a old picture hanging up on the wall. Two more were quickly discovered.

Human nature being what it is, I think it's safe to assume that many people would have just grabbed up that money and whistled a happy tune all the way to the bank (or bar, or betting parlor, etc.)

However, that's not what Jim did. He returned the money. All of it.

He went to the home's former owner, a woman named Gloria Carter, and handed over the envelopes to her. When she offered him a reward, he refused to accept it, asking that she "pay it forward." In other words, someday when she had the opportunity, do something good for someone else.

In a time when bad behavior makes the news constantly, it's nice to know that there are guys like Jim Dow out there doing the right thing for the right reasons.