Home inspector finds $26,000 hidden inside Sun City home, returns it to rightful owner
SUN CITY, Ariz. - Real estate can be cut throat, with buyers, sellers and realtors all trying to get the best bargain for themselves.
However, not everyone is in the business to make a quick buck. There are sometimes stories of kindness that come out of the woodwork.
This includes Don Porter's story.
An inspector is normally hired before a person buys a home, and these inspectors sometimes come across some crazy things. For Porter, he uncovered a hidden treasure while working a few months back at a home in Sun City.
"There was a funny bump in the insulation, so I peeled it back. There was a bag. I stabbed with my screwdriver and it didn't move, so I knew it wasn’t alive," said Porter.
It was actually bundles of cash totaling $26,000. It was wrapped in a grocery sack and tucked away in an air duct.
"Immediately think it's tempting. It's a lot of money and nobody knows about it," said Porter.
Porter, however, didn't pocket the money. Instead, he called real estate agents Linda Pitzer and Patty Rosebery.
"The inspector called and said, 'I found some money at the house,' and we said 'just put it in the drawer and we'll pick it up later,' thinking it was 20 bucks," said Pitzer.
When the ladies realized how much money as there, they reached out to the homeowner, who figured out that it belonged to a renter who had recently died.
Then, Pitzer and Rosebery transferred the funds - all of it - to the renter's son who was living in another state.
"We would hope that everyone would be honest and trustworthy. That's how we built our business," said Rosebery.
Porter, meanwhile, went back to his business of inspecting homes, and basically forgot about his find. However, he is happy to hear that the money went to where it belonged, and feels richer for the experience.
"It wasn’t my money," said Porter. "They belong to somebody else, and it was just the right thing to do."
Pitzer and Rosebery almost forgot about it as well until they came across Porter's business card and decided he needed some credit for his good deed.
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