Foreclosure Homes
There are plenty of foreclosure homes on the market right now, which makes it a burgeoning opportunity for foreclosure clean up companies. Many new business owners in this sector don't know what to expect though when doing jobs.
They have questions like, "What types of cleanup do foreclosure homes require?" For example, is it mostly trash removal, cleaning, repairs, etc. Every foreclosure job is different. Following is why.
Age of House: Older homes, in general, require more cleaning and repairs than newer homes. The reason we say general is because of previous occupants, which brings us to the next point.
Occupants: Many foreclosure homes are purposely vandalized by previous occupants. Losing one's home is an emotional time. It pushes many over the edge and they take that anger out on the house. Their intent is to harm the lender in many cases, not the house.
So when a foreclosure cleaning crew enters, they may find holes punched in sheetrock, doors torn off hinges, feces spread throughout (more common than many think), water purposely left running, fixtures torn out and a host of other damage.
Of course, this requires much more work for the foreclosure cleaning crew than a home where the occupants left peacefully.
How Long Vacant: Homes that are left vacant for a long period of time tend to require more work for foreclosure clean up companies. This is because, the longer a home sits vacant, the more likely it is to be vandalized.
Thieves: Thieves come in to rip copper out of the walls to sell. This means destroying sheetrock to get to the copper; and breaking doors and windows to enter the property initially.
Vagrants: Or, you may have vagrants who take up residence. Usually, there's no running water when a home is vacant. So the foreclosure cleaning crew will likely find filth, waste and garbage throughout the property.
Vandals: Everything from neighborhood kids throwing rocks and knocking out windows, to graffiti, to people dumping garbage - homes that sit empty for long periods of time invite all of this.
One foreclosure cleaning business owner said that garbage dumping is common when homes are left vacant. And, if the home is empty for a long period of time, it can take several dumpster loads to remove all the waste - from the inside and outside of a foreclosure home.
Most foreclosure cleaning jobs are simple trashouts, eg, hauling out what previous owners have left behind. But as you can see, a lot of what foreclosure homes require from the cleanup crew depends on several factors.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
