How To Be Self-Employed:
Start a Business Cleaning Foreclosures
If you’re looking for a business you can start without a big investment and you’re willing to work really hard, you can make really great money cleaning foreclosures (or REOs – a property owned by a lender after an unsuccessful sale at a foreclosure auction.)
It’s so sad that so many people continue to lose their homes in our country due to foreclosure. While it makes us all very sad, what our country needs more than our tears is for each of us to do our best to make money to bolster our economy.
I’ve known two people personally who had a foreclosure cleaning business, and they did very well.
A cleaning foreclosure business may also be referred to as a property preservation company, depending upon the services offered.
Property Preservation services include: securing a property (changing locks, boarding up), debris removal, and may also include property maintenance (winterizing, cutting grass, repairing or tarping roof leaks).
What a Foreclosure Cleaning Business Does
When a homeowner has left their foreclosed home, Lenders need to get the property on the market as quickly as possible. One of the first things they have to do is hire someone to clean the property.
This is often called a “trashout.”
[one_half]When homeowners leave these properties, they often leave behind a lot.
They may be in a hurry to get out, they may not have the money to move everything, or they may be angry at losing their home.
As a result, foreclosed properties need to be cleaned out and cleaned up before they can be listed for sale.[/one_half][one_half_last]
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- You’ll empty the house, out-buildings and property of trash and debris left behind.
- You may mow the grass, depending upon your contract.
- You’ll make sure the house is presentable for showing by the Realtor.
What It’s Like to Clean Foreclosures
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This is hard work. Don’t go into the foreclosure cleaning business thinking you’re just going to toss out some trash bags and wipe down the counters with Lysol. While you may get some jobs that aren’t too bad to do, the sad truth is you may be faced with some pretty horrific sites and smells inside a foreclosed home.
I’ve heard of dead animals left inside, non-working toilets that were filled, roaches, rotting food, dirty syringes – I could go on, but you get the picture.
You do not have to quit your current job to start this business. You could work week nights and weekends, or you could hire someone to help do the work while you’re at your day job.
Read Part Two to find out how much you can earn in a foreclosure cleaning business.
