Storage facility owners often let people bid on the containers. If they have the highest dollar amount, they’ll win what’s inside. It’s a gamble because the contents could be trash or broken things, but some do hit the jackpot, and that’s what one man wanted.
Dream Come True
The man in question won that storage container, but he worried that the contents may only be trash or junk. However, as he cleaned, he found a locked safe and saw dollar signs. This brought the police to his door a little bit later, though!
Dream Come True
Thrilling Bids
One man was bidding on the storage containers at auction and getting into the zone. He worried about spending money because of the gamble; what if it was all junk inside? Still, others regaled him with stories of riches and cars, so he hoped!
Thrilling Bids
Lucky Is the Game
The man had been lucky so far and often sold the contents of the storage containers for more than he’d paid. However, it was a lot of work to sift through the junk of other people. He had to do everything, including finding the buyers.
Lucky Is the Game
Might Be Done
The thrill of the unknown kept him going, though he was tired. He decided this would be the last container he’d bid on that day. If there were nothing exciting, he’d go home empty-handed. What would happen!?
Might Be Done
Peek Inside
Joe was outside of the container, but so were 15 to 20 other people. Everyone craned their necks to see into the 5×15-foot unit. However, it was large enough to hold everything in a one-bedroom apartment, so it wasn’t easy to get an idea of what there was.
Peek Inside
Lose or Bid
The bids didn’t happen as they did on television; there was no shouting, screaming, and drama. Still, it was fun when Joe got into a bidding war with another interested buyer. He wanted to win, but he had to think about his budget and be careful!
Lose or Bid
Wrapped Up
Joe just couldn’t stop himself because he saw the inside of the container, and it held tons of furniture. This was generally a good sign because he could put high price tags on those things if they were old. Plus, he wanted to see the other stuff, but one woman out-bid him!
Wrapped Up
Hefty Bids
Things began at $100, which was high enough. However, this container was almost full. He matched that bet, but then the woman raised it more. It continued until he wondered how much he could safely spend here.
Hefty Bids
Reality Hits
At $350, he realized he wanted to win more than anything, so he and the woman kept upping the bids. She finally bowed out, but he ended up spending $500 on this storage container. Now, he shook with the realization that he may have spent too much!
Reality Hits
Hidden By Stuff
The other people started leaving because they hadn’t won, but a few held back to see him open the container and peek inside again. Now, the work began, but he saw something that made him wish he had let the woman have this unit!
Hidden By Stuff
Going Through It
Joe slowly walked into the unit and was afraid and thrilled about what he may find. It was full of antique furniture, which made him feel slightly better. Still, he wanted to get an idea of what exactly there was before he started moving things out.
Going Through It
Breaking Even
Joe was sweating, and a trickle went down his neck because he knew that furniture wouldn’t be enough to cover how much he spent. They were nice, for sure, but he wanted to at least break even, so he desperately searched for better things.
Breaking Even
The Chance Find
Finally, Joe stopped and let his eyes move around the space. They stopped on a dull gray container beside an old chest of drawers. It was sitting on the floor, and he rushed to open it. However, the lock was engaged, so he had to call a friend to bring a drill.
The Chance Find
Break the Lock
When his friend arrived, Joe all but grabbed the drill from him and forced open the lock, removing the lid. He saw some VHS tapes, but he wanted to dive in deeper. Under those, there was a note that chilled him to the core. What did it say?
Break the Lock
Mysterious
The note had a single word written on it: “don’t.” The handwriting itself was pretty rough, and now Joe was a little worried. He went through each videotape to get clues. Though some had dates written on them, there wasn’t much information on the labels.
Mysterious
Feeling Watched
Most people have felt that they were being watched. It slowly creeps in, and that’s exactly how Joe felt at that moment. He thought someone was watching him, but when he glanced behind him, he was alone.
Feeling Watched
Investigation
Things were not easy for Joe, even with his amazing find. Roughly two hours after he had found the safe and looked inside, the police had swarmed the container. What had he gotten involved in, and would he get in trouble?
Investigation
A Windfall
Inside the safe, he saw waxy paper wrapped around bundles of $50 bills. He kept going and found even more money. Now, Joe wondered how it all got there and who the rightful owner was. Plus, he needed to know why the authorities cared.
A Windfall
Evidence
Joe now realized why the cops were involved. He’d been excited to find the safe and sent photos to his girlfriend. Likewise, he’d posted about it to his social media pages. The police saw those things and felt that something was off about it.
Evidence
Other Interested Parties
Though he was up to $1 million, that wasn’t all the money. He knew it was plenty to roll around in, but he had to talk to the cops now. He learned that they weren’t the only ones who were interested in the contents of his newfound safe.
Other Interested Parties
Dirty Money
When everything was counted, there was roughly $7.5 million in the safes within the storage container. However, the owner of the unit had heard about this, so he was trying to get his money back through lawyers. Joe was in trouble!
Dirty Money
Questions
Once Joe discovered the money, he got threats that frightened him. This was a living nightmare, but he had a ton of questions. Who had put the money there, and why had they never come back to collect it? Plus, he worried about those VHS tapes.
Questions
Finder’s Fee
When the cops showed up, things happened quickly. Soon after it was settled, Joe got a call from the owner’s lawyer. They said he had to return the money, but they’d give him $600,000 as a finder’s fee for his trouble.
Finder’s Fee
Threats
Joe did feel slightly better about getting some money for all the issues he faced. However, the lawyers were only threatening him. He must think about his next move and was not liking the idea of dealing with the original owner of the safe!
Threats
The Tapes
The police had told Joe not to touch anything in the storage unit until they had finished the case. However, he wanted to know what was on those VHS tapes. Therefore, he grabbed one from a plastic bag, inserted it into his VCR, and pushed play.
The Tapes
Horrible Scenes
He claimed that he saw something horrible that he couldn’t unsee. In fact, those VHS tapes gave him nightmares. He wished that they were fake and tried to convince himself they were, but he just wasn’t sure.
Horrible Scenes
The Dilemma
Joe had a huge dilemma on his hands now. The owner of the safe might learn that he saw what was on the tapes and try to hurt him. It was definitely a possibility, even though it might not happen. He wondered if he should stay silent about that.
The Dilemma
Concerns
Could the original owner of the VHS tapes and safe know that he’d already watched them? He had actually felt that someone was peeking in at him a few times. Since he couldn’t sleep at night, the images he’d seen replayed in his mind, but what was on the tapes?!
Concerns
His Discovery
Joe’s curiosity got the best of him, but he wouldn’t say what was on the tapes. All we know is that it frightened him severely. Was all that money worth the hassle of dealing with those people? Did they even know about the VHS tapes?!
His Discovery
The Law’s on His Side
Once he talked to friends, he learned that the storage unit’s contents were now his. The tenant forfeited his right to them once it was sold. Therefore, he had bought it legally and could keep whatever was in there. Still, those lawyers wouldn’t back down.
The Law’s on His Side
Higher Finder’s Fee
The lawyers for the storage unit’s owner really thought they had helped Joe out with the first offer, but he didn’t take it. Therefore, they raised it to a bit over $1 million. They played hardball like pros and were capable of anything. What would Joe decide to do?
Higher Finder’s Fee
Considerations
Joe pondered how someone might forget about $7.5 million in safes held in storage units and couldn’t. You wouldn’t go delinquent on that much cash. Clearly, this owner wasn’t very decent, but that could mean trouble for Joe.
Considerations
Returning the Fortune
Would Joe get the $1.2 million promised? That’s a good deal of cash, but it’s not the sum he held in his hands while unpacking the safes. Plus, he knew the lawyers were strong-arming him, and that didn’t sit well. He didn’t know what to do about all this!
Returning the Fortune
A Fair Deal
Joe thought long and hard and received even more threats while he waited. Finally, he decided to split up the money evenly. That previous owner hadn’t been to the storage shed in over a year, which is why there was an auction. It was rightfully Joe’s!
A Fair Deal
Self-Storage
Self-storage is where you pay a person or company to store items until you need them or find room for them. You can generally visit when you want to add or remove things, but you pay a yearly, weekly, or monthly fee to do so.
Self-Storage
How It Works
Think of it like the real estate industry. You’d pay a landlord to live in an apartment unit every month, and you do the same for storage facilities. When you don’t pay, the owner can throw everything away or try to auction it off to recoup some lost money.
How It Works
Options
When the tenant of the storage unit doesn’t pay, the storage facility owner (landlord) can evict them. They usually do this by auctioning off what’s inside to recover some of their losses. This seems a bit unfair, but storage facilities don’t have large margins.
Options
Cover the Loss
If you ask a storage facility owner, they will likely tell you they make little money from those auctions; it’s about enough to cover their expenses and is often a loss. Unpaid units don’t make any money, but they must remove that tenant so that a new one can come in.
Cover the Loss
Lucky Finds
It’s generally risky to buy storage units without knowing what’s inside. You wish to get lucky and find money, cars, or other treasures. However, it rarely turns out that way, so you’re stuck with things you don’t need or want.
Lucky Finds
Joe’s Situation
Joe ended up finding a huge sum of money in the storage unit he bought, but it terrified him and gave him nightmares. He will continue going to auctions because of the thrill, but he might be wary of overspending in the future.
Joe’s Situation