Cleaning Foreclosures the #1 Recession-Proof Small Business to Start

Feb. 12, 2009 - PRLog -- The recent MSN real estate article, "What crisis? Some businesses are booming," lists 9 businesses that are booming in this economy. And you know what, of the nine businesses listed, 6 fall under the foreclosure cleanup umbrella. Hence, one could make the argument that cleaning foreclosures is perhaps the number one recession-proof small business to start.

So just what are these businesses?

6 Booming Businesses That Can All Be Handled by a Full-Service Foreclosure Cleaning Company

1. Grass Painter: Ever watch an episode of Flip This House on HGTV and see grass painters turning brown, ugly lawns into beautiful, lush-looking landscaping within minutes? This is what a grass painter does. Just like spray painting a wall in your house, a grass painter paints the grass.

Many foreclosure properties need this service to make the home attractive for resale and/or to prevent it looking like an abandoned property. And, at $100-$1,000/pop, the proprietor featured in the article says he’s not only busier than ever, but has people flying in from all over the country  to consult with him on how to start a company doing the same thing in their hometowns (he charges a consultation fee).

This is a service every cleaning foreclosures business can offer.

2. Pool Servicers: Pools have to be drained, refinished and/or covered when a house is foreclosed on. Otherwise, they are a magnet for mosquitoes (because of standing water), and a danger to neighborhood kids and pets.

So banks, realtors and investors hire pool cleaners to handle the work that needs to be done. The average cost is around $400 according to the pool cleaner featured in the piece.

3. Trash Outs: Otherwise known as hauling away the junk and debris from a foreclosed property. Many times, these are handled by junk haulers. But, it is a foundational service any foreclosure cleaning business has to offer. This is mostly the kind of work banks will expect foreclosure cleaning companies to handle.

The company featured in the article doing this reports being booked through 2009 already.

4. Property Preservation: Property preservation companies may be the closest things to a full-service foreclosure cleaning business in that they do any and everything necessary to protect the lender’s asset (the house) until it is resold. So they may maintain the lawn, remove debris, fix broken windows, etc.  

5. Board Up Professionals: Board up professionals literally board of the access points of foreclosed homes, where necessary. This means windows and doors. Banks and realtors use these professionals to prevent vandals and vagrants from damaging and/or occupying a foreclosed property.

This is an easy add-on service for businesses that handle cleaning foreclosures.

6. Locksmiths: While a basic service, it is a necessary one in the foreclosure process. Locks have to be changed once previous owners vacate a property. And with mounting foreclosures, the business owner featured in the article mentioned above said that for the first time in his company’s 97-year history, he was working weekends.

Cleaning Foreclosures: A One-Stop Shop Garners More Business

All of the above services can be offered pretty seamlessly by full-service foreclosure cleaning businesses. And, it can even garner you more jobs. How/why? Because realtors and bankers like a one-stop shop so to speak. If they can call one business to handle six different services, it makes it that much easier for them to use you.

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Cleaning foreclosures is lucrative business opportunity where excellent money can be made -- in any economy. Visit Start-a-Foreclosure-Cleanup-Business.com for 200 pages of info that tells you everything you need to know to start a business cleaning foreclosures. View the news video featuring the owner of a leading foreclosure company in Atlanta, GA on the site as well.