A Norwegian real estate agent has been praised after he found cash totalling almost $40,000 hidden underneath the fireplace of his new apartment and donated all of it to charity.

Vemund Thorkildsen said he made the discovery as he showed his newly purchased Oslo home to a friend two weeks ago.

After the story was first reported by Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, he has been flooded with phone calls, text messages and comments on social media from friends and strangers praising him for his honesty.

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