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Homeowners share the surprise 'hidden gems' they discovered after they bought their house

From the beautiful to the bizarre, people were not expecting these when they moved in.

Even when you check every nook and cranny, there tends to be something that goes unnoticed.

Buying a home is a milestone that often comes with many surprise discoveries that happen long after you sign on the dotted line. And while that sometimes includes unpleasant discoveries (like pests, foundational damage, or even unsettling left behind items), there are just as many stories about people being completely delighted by treasures they had no idea their home tucked away.

One Redditor asked people to share the hidden gems they discovered after moving into their homes, and the responses turned into a really fun and fascinating read.

Whether you’re a chronic renter looking to live vicariously or a fellow homeowner, this thread is sure to have something for everyone. Keep scrolling.

Old-timey relics

“I found the original owner's wedding rings... the mother died in childbirth in 1928. The dad died in an accident in 1932. We bought the house from the daughter, who was in a nursing home, in 2001. She had been raised by an aunt and had never been back to the house. I sent her the rings and a bunch of photos. She was ecstatic to receive them. She died and left me as her sole heir... it was only like 10k, but super nice. Plus, I got the rings back…”

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit two vintage rings Photo credit: Canva

“A large mason jar filled with a bunch of old silver coins…Ended up contacting the selling realtor and shipping it to him. Months later I got a check for the shipping price and a 1940 mercury dime that I’ve been using as a golf ball marker ever since.”

“Newspapers from 1928 underneath the tile/vinyl/rubber floors. They have advertisements for coal and ice and Vaudeville shows with blackface characters, Calvin Coolidge shooting a shotgun on the front page, and the big sports story was 2 completed forward passes in a football game.”

“I was taking apart one of the old out buildings to turn it into a little studio. On the back side of the wall panel there was a huge hand painted sign for some old timey snake oil cure all remedy. I’m going to see if I can get it restored and put it in the studio as art.”

“A 200 year old wheelchair, a Victorian ladies side saddle and complete bridal set, a hand sewn straw stuffed teddy bear from the Roosevelt era, a regulation sized carom table from 1850 and an organ built by a famous Detroit music instrument manufacturer from the 19'aughts.”

Unexpected upgrades

“In-floor heating. The previous owner didn't know it existed. Worked great.”

“A laundry chute. A door in the bathroom and another in the kitchen, it ends up next to the washing machine in the basement.”

“A working sauna-- like a walk-in two bench dry sauna with a spray-rock setup. Somehow during the three walk-throughs, we assumed it was a linen closet.”

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit A welcoming outdoor saunaPhoto credit: Canva

“A cupboard that wasn’t packed. Had a fry daddy, various teas, a French press and $50 in an envelope.”

“The whole house is made of concrete. From the foundation, to the reinforced concrete walls up to the ceiling. Then if that wasn’t enough, there’s massive concrete pillars and railways metal beams reinforcing everything. This is for a bungalow home that is ~1400sq ft. Inspector said we could take the roof off and add a whole level without requiring additional support.”

“All the doors in my condo were white flat/slab doors…They ended up being solid wood doors…with a mahogany veneer and a beautiful inlay…They are gorgeous [and] are definitely original to the 1922 building!”

“I had to do some work on the upstairs plumbing that required cutting into my ceiling downstairs. I was shocked to find that the ceilings had been dropped by almost 2.5’. I have 12’ ceilings!”

“Upstairs laundry room (and it has a window and storage closet!), right next to all of the bedrooms. It wasn’t mentioned or pictured in the listing, but it was a huge selling point for me. I used to have to go down two flights of stairs carrying a heavy hamper in order to do laundry in the dark garage next to spiders and stuff 😬 our movers weren’t happy that they had to bring our washer and dryer upstairs, but I’m thrilled 😅😆”

“Our toilet leaked so we repaired it and ripped out the living room carpet it had leaked to. Found beautiful red oak floor that we had sanded and stained, looks great. Found the same in the bedroom too covered up with boring carpet.”

Cold Hard Cash

“My brother found a few $50s in a light fixture shortly after he moved in after the bulb blew. He decided to look at the other fixtures… found $750 or so hidden around.”

“Just found $2500 in a bag underneath my bathtub when I removed it! Elderly ex-owners are great.”

“ $200 hidden in the freezer door.”

“Bought a nice sized piece of property with a rickety cabin on it…Inside an open safe welded to a steel plate bolted to the floor and framed with cement was about 50 ounces of gold and approximately $30,000 in cash. Each gold bar and round had a 💛 stamped in it.”

Gorgeous nature views that somehow went unlisted

“The area behind our house was just brush and not very impressive. But the city ended up buying it and re-wilding it. For the first five years, they just let it grow and then they did a controlled burn and now we have a forest with walking path behind our house 10 years later. And every June for the whole month, it’s full of fresh wild raspberries. We have a herd of deer, a fox, ground squirrels, squirrels, hawks, eagles, wild pheasants, and hundreds of rabbits. It was like winning the lottery.”

“A strawberry patch in the back yard. We bought the house in the winter so we didn’t discover it until the spring. We have enjoyed it ever since.”

“A biiiiiiiiiiiig wild rose bush growing at the far end of the property. It's so beautiful and fragrant in the spring.”

“We purchased a house that had fabulous views of the Chesapeake Bay...water view wasn't mentioned in the listing. “

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit A window overlooking a beautiful viewPhoto credit: Canva

“The home was a gorgeous mid-century perched high on a hill. We walked inside and thick heavy curtains blocked a wall of windows that lined the rear of the home. We opened the curtains and realized the home had panoramic views from the mountains to the ocean. Absolutely ZERO mention of the views at all (I even saved the listing because we were so shocked). We made an offer immediately. “

“An incredible mountain view- we toured and purchased our home in the winter in Oregon, so primarily overcast/grey weather that time of year. The first sunny, clear day, we look out our back window and BAM, clear shot of Mt. Saint Helens. Was an incredibly pleasant surprise considering there was no mention of the view in the listing.”

“A giant apple tree in the back yard. We knew about it when we bought the house, but we had no idea how productive it would be. I bought a fruit press, and I put away up to 10 gallons of cider every summer.”

Hidden Art

“Two huge aboriginal art paintings in the roof were discovered when having solar panels installed. We had to smash the garage ceiling to get them out but it was worth it.”

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit Aboriginal art i.imgur.com

“When we first toured the house, the walls were full of paintings - the seller's late husband was a prolific amateur artist. A few months after we moved in, we discovered a rolled-up canvas in our bedroom closet, which, upon unrolling we also discovered ... a topless portrait of the seller.”

Surprise Pets

“The former owners were moving across the country. They wound up leaving me most of their furniture and their [10 year old] cat (with my consent, of course) Nice furniture and the best cat ever!”

“When I was a kid we moved into a house (rental) that came with TWO amazing cats!!! They had been straight abandoned by the previous tenants, and were pretty thin and bedraggled when we moved in. When we had to move out of that house, the boy would wander around howling in anguish and pawing at the boxes. We realized he remembered his previous owners packing their stuff in boxes before abandoning him. When we packed him in the car and took him to the new place he purred the whole time. We let him down in the new house, and he pranced around for days, flopping over at every possible moment, and rubbing himself on all the walls. So happy.”

“Our house, unknowingly, came with a turkey. . . who showed up the day after we moved in and would randomly poop on our deck. We named him Levi, after our realtor who helped us buy the house.”

Secret rooms…just like in the movies!

“Found a secret room behind a bookshelf, like something outta a spy movie. Turns out, it's a perfect hideaway for all my junk.”

“This happened to my cousin! A bookshelf in their 1920s home swung out to reveal storage under the stairs. They found a cheap sci-fi book from the 80s, a flashlight, and a snack wrapper in there.“

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit A bookcase door leading to a secret roomPhoto credit: Canva

Heartwarming sings from the universe

“When my wife and I bought our forever home, I kept finding railway spikes every time I would drag the gravel driveway. My great-grandfather on my dad's side used to own a logging business just a few miles from here. Did some digging into it and found that all of the logs in my log home came from his business in the 60's. It's kind of nice to think that this home was meant to be mine.”

“In college, I rented an off-campus house. On move-in day I was walking around with my landlord when we opened a closet door to see a bunch of my dad’s friends' names scratched into the wall - It had been their house about 30 years prior! Was awesome having them come visit and tell us all their old college stories, more of a fun coincidence than a gem, but it was so crazy to find.””

…and just some really weird stuff…

“Basement wall folded down into a tabletop train setup.”

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit A Murphy bed that hid a model train setup i.imgur.com

home buying, first time homebuyer, homebuying tips, buying a home, realtor, real estate, ask reddit A Murphy bed that hid a model train setup i.imgur.com

“Not necessarily a gem....but we've found close to about 50 pairs of scissors randomly in our backyard. All different types and sizes. Very odd.”

“A creepy mural painted on a front room wall that was invisible at first glance because it was painted in that UV fluorescent paint…It was a bunch of eyes, snakes, and triangles… The eyes were the creepiest part.”

Treasures that brought smiles

“A Walmart employee of the month award. Go Janice!”

“The previous owner of our house was the daughter of a super high profile attorney, she was a high level exec of a bank, so they had eff you money. She left behind a mini fridge completely stuffed with brand new, unopened, high end cosmetics—serums, lotions, makeup, hair products, supplements, the works. That felt like a major score.”

“Literally found a gem: a diamond stud earring that I heard clinking around inside our vacuum cleaner while I was cleaning our basement a few weeks after we moved in. It was bigger than the diamond engagement ring I originally gave my wife 2 years earlier. She added the new diamond to her existing ring.”

And for some, the gems came in the form of people…

“The hidden gem was our neighbors. 2 other young families bought just after us and we are all great friends. Our other neighbour is an elderly lady. It makes such a difference having nice neighbors.”

Michelle Obama, Stephen Colbert and Michelle Yeoh are all Gen Jonesers.

The Silent Generation. Baby boomers. Gen X. Millennials. Gen Z. Gen Alpha. Social science and pop culture commentators have spent decades grouping and analyzing the different generations, assigning various qualities, habits and tendencies to each age group. But some people don’t identify with their generation, or at least these particular categories of them. Those on the cusp between two generations often feel like neither aligns with who they are..

That’s where Generation Jones comes in.

Like the Xennials that straddle Gen X and millennials, Generation Jones are not quite boomers but not quite Gen X. For most of their lives, those born between 1954 and 1965 have been lumped in with the baby boomers, but culturally they’ve never quite fit.

generation jones, boomers, gen x, generational humor, best generation Keanu Reeves is a Gen Joneser. That's how you know it's the best generation. media4.giphy.com

They were too young to be involved in the major civil rights, women’s liberation and Vietnam war movements of the 60s, instead witnessing those social upheavals through children’s eyes. But they were also too old to identify with the Gen X latchkey kid angst.

Jonathan Pontell is the television producer, director, and writer who named Generation Jones and explained what made them unique. “We fill the space between Woodstock and Lollapalooza, between the Paris student riots and the anti-globalisation protests, and between Dylan going electric and Nirvana going unplugged,” he wrote in Politico in 2009.

He also explained why Gen Jonesers make good leaders:

generation jones, boomers, gen x, generational humor, best generation, generational differences, history “What makes us Jonesers also makes us uniquely positioned to bring about a new era in international affairs."

“What makes us Jonesers also makes us uniquely positioned to bring about a new era in international affairs. Our practical idealism was created by witnessing the often unrealistic idealism of the 1960s. And we weren’t engaged in that era’s ideological battles; we were children playing with toys while Boomers argued over issues. Our non-ideological pragmatism allows us to resolve intra-Boomer skirmishes and to bridge that volatile Boomer-GenXer divide. We can lead.”

Many Generation Jonesers have never felt like they had a generational home and are thrilled to learn they actually do have one. Check out how Upworthy readers responded with glee upon discovering they were a part of Gen Jones:

"Thank you! As a definite Gen Jones, I completely relate to this. Too young to be a hippy, therefore was never a yuppy, but too old to be Gen X. Gen Jones works just fine."

generation jones, boomers, gen x, generational humor, best generation, generational differences, history It's nice to finally belong. Upworthy Facebook

"I have said for decades that I must be a transitional person into Gen X, because I don’t relate to boomers! I appreciate them, but I am not one of them. I am glad someone finally named my generation!"

"There are definite differences between people born in the 1940s/1950s and those of us born in the early 1960s. Most of us born in the early 1960s do not remember the JFK assassination and we were much too young to participate in Woodstock. The older Boomers were already established in their careers and as homeowners with families in the 1980s when we were in our 20s just starting out and ready to buy our first home. While the older Boomers experienced reasonable mortgage interest rates, the early 1960s Boomers faced mortgage interest rates averaging 14 percent in the 1980s which made it more difficult for us to buy our first home. We definitely need an additional group between Boomers and Gen X, and Generation Jones fits the bill."

"I was born 6 days before 1960…. I’ve felt out of touch with a lot of the boomer life descriptions, and not Gen X enough to fit in there. I’ll take Generation Jones."

generation jones, boomers, gen x, generational humor, best generation, generational differences, history Ten points to Gen Jones.Upworthy Facebook

"1957 here, with older siblings born before 1950. I definitely did not have the same experience growing up that they had. I feel I can identify a little with Boomers and a little with the Gen X experience, so there’s some overlap. (BTW, Gen X needs to stop claiming that they’re the first to have experienced all the things we grew up with. Kids, you didn’t invent drinking out of the garden hose or playing outside until the streetlights came on. Sheesh!) Glad to be a Joneser."

"Of course there is a difference between people raised in the 1950’s and people raised and coming of age in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Society changed a lot in those three decades."

"This is my generation but I never knew we had a name! The description fits perfectly."

Congrats on finding your people, Gen Jones. It's your time to shine.

This article originally appeared last year.

Internet

Europeans who came to America were gobsmacked by these 15 'luxuries' we take for granted

Free refills and air conditioning are conveniences for us, luxuries for them.

Free soda refills, our National Parks system, and many more things Americans may not think of as luxuries.

Life in the USA has its drawbacks, but overall, it's pretty great. Even though European countries and the Unites States are roughly on the same level development-wise, there are still some stark differences in their ways of life. Americans may look to Europe and feel a bit jealous over their free healthcare systems and more laid-back approach to their professional lives.

But Europeans who visit America are also in awe of some of the everyday things that Americans take for granted, which seem to be luxuries. A Reddit user asked Europeans to share the everyday American things that they believe are luxuries, and the question received nearly 13,000 responses.

sacha baron cohen america GIF by 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentGiphy

Even if there are things we may envy about Europe, Europeans clearly admire many things about the American way of life.

Here are 15 of the best responses to the question: “Europeans of Reddit, what do Americans have every day that you see as a luxury?”

1. Disability access

"Disability access everywhere. I can go to any place -- theater, store, office, school, whatever -- with confidence that I'll be able to navigate fine in my wheelchair. They'll have ramps and/or elevators." — 5AgainstRhoneIsland

"Of all the things in this thread, the disability access is it IMO. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was an absolute game changer, and European countries and the EU as a whole should be embarrassed for not having something like it." — Jedrekk

wheelchair accessible, ada, americans with disabilities act, The U.S. is more wheelchair-friendly than many European nations that have older infrastructure.Photo credit: Canva

2. Climate changes

"You can pretty much choose to live in any climate you like when you live in the USA and still be in the same country. You like 4 seasons: Move to the Northeast. You like the humid ocean climate - move to Seattle. You like dry warm weather - move to Los Angeles. You like deserts, move to Arizona. You like warm and humid weather - move to the Southeast." — DachauPrince

"I work as an ecologist and the amount of biodiversity in California is insane. I'll do biological surveys a few hundred miles apart and see so many different plants and animals at each site. I've even done work at sites fairly close to each other (sub 50 miles apart) and will still find stark differences between sites. It's a magic state for wildlife biologists." — Skinsnax

3. Big kitchens

"Big kitchens and big refrigerators/ freezers. Even in my student apartment, we had a pretty good-sized kitchen. I was dating a Czech girl and her parents came to visit. When they went to my apartment for dinner, the mom was just amazed at the size of my fridge. They were amused when I dumped the scraps in the sink and turned on the garbage disposal. They’d heard about it but had never seen one." — Granadafan

kitchen, large kitchen, american kitchen, european kitchen American kitchens tend to be much larger than European kitchens.Photo credit: Canva

4. Square footage

"The massive houses, a special room just for your massive washer and dryer units, 2 car garage, basically you have tons of space." — Howiebledsoe

"The size of your homes in places like Utah and Texas. There's a dedicated room for everything. Kids playroom that isn't the living room or the kid's bedroom, walk-in pantry room, a laundry room." — mcnunu

5. Free refills

"As an American, it's so easy to take this for granted. Similarly, getting free ice water in the US as well is something I often forget isn't exactly a thing in many other parts of the world." — Gaveuptheghost

Refill, anyone?Giphy

6. National Parks

"There’s just human development on virtually every inch of large parts of Europe. So even when there are parks, they’re not always as untouched as American parks. And the population density in large parts of Europe means you see a lot more people in the parks. America has national parks that are so untouched and massive that you can really be alone if you want to be." — CactusBoyScout

7. A/C

"Americans pump it all summer long." — Websurfer49

air conditioning We do love our A/C.Giphy

8. Two peaceful neighbors (Mexico and Canada)

"Remember, the world's longest undefended border is between Canada and the United States. That says something about our relationship." — Dervishler

"We Europeans both love and hate each other in ways that Americans will never understand. But basically, not being French should be enough." — TitanFox98

10. Big schools

"My high school just had a pool, 3 gyms, an agricultural barn with stalls for students to keep the animals they were raising to show at the rodeo, a few labs, a theater, a full-size kitchen that was used for the culinary classes to share (not the cafeteria), 3 tennis courts, 2 soccer fields that were also used for football practice, and a football stadium with a Jumbotron. At the end of the year, the culinary classes would cook breakfast for the graduating class." — Elephantepiphany

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

11. Free public bathrooms

"As an American who lived in Europe with little kids, this was frustrating. My wife found an app of free public restrooms in Europe." — QuotidianPain

12. Mexican food

"Real Mexican food. We have Mexican restaurants in my home country, but the owners are usually not Mexican and it’s just not the same. Now, I’m living in Japan and it’s the same problem… Mexican food is so delicious." — punpun_Osa

tacos, mexican food, taco tuesday Taco Tuesday!Giphy

13. Supermarkets

"Enormous supermarkets with abundant choice. I always feel like I'm in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory when I enter one. There's so much stuff!" — Better protection

14. Big showers

"This stands out - I have two really great friends (an expat woman and her husband) that live in the UK, and when I went to stay at their first place together, their shower was like a 2-foot-wide plastic shield outside of the bathtub. I had to stay so close to the wall, so I didn't spray water all over the bathroom." — IGNSolar7

15. Money

"There’s a huge gap between the volume of physical/material stuff Americans count as normal and what Europeans consider normal. An American home might have three TVs versus one, six or seven rooms full of furniture instead of two or three, extra small appliances added all the time like air fryers and espresso machines, new PCs and phones every couple of years because of constant upgrade marketing … the American perception that there’s not enough money is partly down to the giant volume of things Americans regard as minimum equipment." — AnotherPint

money, bugs bunny Many Americans don't realize how comparably well-off they are.Giphy

"In effect, when you account for wages and cost of living, luxuries (which usually have similar prices around the world) are proportionally cheaper for Americans. They make up less of their wage and, therefore, make less of a difference. Standard of living is completely different for a working-class American because they can afford luxuries people from working class in other countries can't." — ltlyellowcould

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

Gen Z couple learns what they need to make to have Boomer buying power

Buying a home is a big financial commitment. The cost of housing has increased to astronomical levels, so much so that years of saving, planning, and settling for less than you'd like are the only ways to achieve the dream of owning a home. Maybe. But this wasn't always the case. Boomers were once able to afford buying a home on much less income. Maybe not minimum wage, but even minimum wage earners had significantly more buying power then than they do now.

One Gen Z couple did the math on how much minimum wage would need to be in 2025 to have the same buying power, and the figure is staggering. In the late '60s through mid-70s, when many Boomers were purchasing their own homes, minimum wage was just $1.60, before it was raised to $2.10 in 1975.

Gen Z; Boomers; Millennials; housing prices; housing markets; boomers buying power; Gen Z home buying "Celebrating their new home with joy and a smile!"Photo credit: Canva

Nikki and her partner Derek reveal that in order to equal the purchasing power of Boomers, the minimum wage would need to be $66 per hour. The couple is hoping to buy a home in the future, which got their wheels turning on how the current wages compare to the wages Boomers were making. But with a number like that, the only logical thing to do was laugh. It's almost hard to believe that if wages kept up with inflation, minimum wage would be over $50/hour for reasonable—not even fancy—accommodations.

A lot of people joined in on their nervous laughter and shock, with one person saying, "I don’t even make $66 an hour with a master's degree in a healthcare field."

@iarbosss MIND YOU the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hour. #boomers #genz #minimumwage #economy ♬ original sound - Nikki

Another writes, "That minimum wage converted to an annual salary is $137k btw lmao. Boomers had it so easy."

"My Boomer father said to me (a millennial) the other day 'did you know your son's generation will be the first that will be worse off than their parents?' I said 'no, Dad. That's me. That's MY generation' He was SO close...." someone else shares.

"My grandpa worked 60 hour weeks for ONE SUMMER and bought a whole house with it," another person exclaims.

Gen Z; Boomers; Millennials; housing prices; housing markets; boomers buying power; Gen Z home buying Family moving day: New beginnings and smiles.Photo credit: Canva

This financial discrepancy is something Boomers struggle to admit. According to Detroit Legal News, "The majority of baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—believe younger generations simply aren’t doing everything they can to afford a home." They added, "In the Clever study, baby boomers cited several reasons they believe younger generations can’t afford homes, but most blame irresponsible spending. About 71% said young adults spend more on frivolous things like travel and luxury items rather than saving for a down payment."

Boomers seem to have a skewed view of what's happening with younger generations and their spending. A 2023 Bank of America report shows that while Boomers increased their spending on vacations and other luxuries, younger generations pulled back due to student loans and housing prices.

Gen Z; Boomers; Millennials; housing prices; housing markets; boomers buying power; Gen Z home buying Couple smiles in front of their new home.Photo credit: Canva

"Millennials and Gen X hold about 87% of the country’s student loan debt, which tops $1.63 trillion. In addition, 72% of those aged 44 and younger live in rental properties and saw their rent increase for the fifth straight month in August," Detroit Legal News reveals.

Actor Chris Marrone shares his own video on Instagram, reaching the same conclusion as Nikki and Derek. He explains to BuzzFeed that the purpose wasn't to suggest Boomers could buy a home on minimum wage, but to show the stagnant wages.

"Wages have decoupled from cost of living, housing prices, and broader economic growth over the last few decades. The original purpose of the minimum wage was to ensure that even low-wage workers could participate meaningfully in the economy. Not just survive, but live with dignity," Marrone tells the outlet.