Foreclosures, the result of the
crumbling housing market, offer business
opportunities to the creative and imaginative
businessmen. Foreclosures had given rise to a
suddenly booming foreclosure cleaning business.
Foreclosure cleaning has something to do with
restoring the old set up of foreclosed properties
that had been abandoned, sometimes trashed.
The following are the frequently asked questions
about how to start and operate a foreclosure
cleaning business:
1. How can I get started in the foreclosure cleaning
business? First thing to consider is your
willingness and availability to do the foreclosure
cleaning which is much more complicated that
ordinary house cleaning. House cleaning involves
getting rid of the dirt that accumulates in the
normal activities in the house and sometimes it will
include also simple housekeeping chores. Foreclosure
cleaning involves getting rid of all the junk
materials that the former owner of the house left
behind after they were evicted by the new owner,
usually a bank. Foreclosure cleaning in a way aims
to restore the house to its former condition before
the eviction. Since the owner of the foreclosure
cleaning business will be dealing with realtors,
mortgage companies, and banks, he will be required
to show a license to operate a foreclosure cleaning
business. These clients will not entrust the
property to unlicensed operators as they could
inflict more damage to the property instead of
restoring it. When you get your license to operate a
foreclosure cleaning business, it will be necessary
to obtain the necessary insurance coverage also as
the government will not issue a license if you are
not insured.
2. How much will I charge to clean foreclosed
properties? Each foreclosure clean up is different
from the other so the amount you will be charging
will not be the same. The charge for each clean up
job will depend on how long the property has been
vacated, the square footage of the property, the
kinds of repairs that will be needed and whether you
have to avail of the services of subcontractors, the
cost of materials needed, and the length of time the
clean up can be completed. You may have to consider
also the geographic location of the property to be
cleaned as you may have to travel a considerable
distance to get there.
When realtors or property owners ask you over the
phone to make a quote for a clean-up of a property
without first seeing the same, you are headed for
some serious troubles. You have to remember that you
must first assess the extent of damage to the
property before you can make a fair estimate of the
cost otherwise a simple guess could result to either
an under assessment or an over assessment. Under
assessment of the cost of the job will make your
client happy, but not you. On the other hand, an
over assessment will make you happy for the time
being because you get more money but not in the end
because you blew your chance to have a repeat
customer.
