When you see a foreclosure write the contact information down and contact the person asking for information as to how to gain their business. Please check with your local authorities and make sure you have all proper licenses required to do business in your City and State.

Actually, here is a service that is offered by the same company that may be more simiar to what you are wanting to start.

I hope this helps...

You will certainly need to be licensed, insured, and bonded to get started in the industry. However, there is certainly a great need for this type of service, especially in Sacramento.

Here is a link to a similar service...

You will need liability insurance, a business license from your state for starters. Ideally you work with a company that will refer their distressed properties to you that need to be cleaned and maintained.

I don't know about California but here in Hawai'i you would contact the agents who have the listings. Register with the state, have a business name, have a one page resume with references. And discuss payment schedules with the agents.

It is going be real hard!!! You need to build relationships with brokers and banks. There are a lot of companies out there. Good luck!!

You sound like a savvy business person, and have chosen a business that should be lucative in this economy for you. I would suggest that you search out Agents who specialize in Foreclosures. You can go to Realtor.com and look for real estate listings in your town that specify REO/Bank Owned as well as go to Realtor Websites. You should be able to get a nice list. Produce a nice flyer and send out a mailing to them. Hopefully your phone will be ringing with additional business for you! Good luck.

Phyllis Crosby, Realtor/GRI
ReMax Top Notch Associates
Tampa, Florida

Claude

Go to my blog its free and should have most of the answers your looking for. I just ask that you let me know what you think in a comment.

foreclosurecleanupcompany.blogspot.com

Thanks
Doug

You can get a list of asset management companies at http://www.foreclosuresdirect.blogspot.com

A lot of good advice below.

As one of the comments notes, a lot of the companies do far more than foreclosure cleanouts. They may have come from a construction background, so they have those skills, too. Or they may have come from a general cleaning background, and have expanded into the trashout niche (just as one might expand into the assisted living niche, or the arena/stadium niche). Or they may have come from the landscaping/snowplow area. (Notice that each of those only does business for 4-6 months a year? You'll often find the same company staying busy year-round by doing snow removal in the winter and landscaping in the spring and summer.)

If you don't have any experience in any of those areas, then find a job with a trashout company, or at least a cleaning company. Work there for awhile to pick up needed skills and to determine whether you really want to do it.

Also, contact Building Service Contractors Association International http://www.bscai.org. That organization represents janitorial and custodial services--mostly commercial, but some residential, too.

And here are a couple of other possible resources:

http://bit.ly/Cleanout2
http://bit.ly/Cleanout1

Hope that helps.

Contracts for haul outs come from asset managers. Lenders who foreclose and own properties hire asset management companies to manage the various vendors needed to clean and upkeep the properties they own.

Contact the acquiring institutions of failed banks. Go to the FDIC's website for the list of failed banks in your area and get the contact info for the acquiring banks and seek contracts directly that way. You need to be properly licensed and insured.

Good luck!

Cassandra

I would go to a real estate property search site and note which companies are representing most of the foreclosures in the area that you want to do business in. Then I would contact the decision maker at that company and market my service to him. Make up a flyer and ask for a trial. The same service is generally needed for probate sales as well.

Go to this blog its free and tells you exactly what you want to know. Glad I found it. great help and if you have questions the guy answers the phone and gives you one. Could not believe it.

I recommend that you contact a young man in our community who did just that and more. His company is 123Junk...and they haul anything a seller wants taken away, and sorts through the trash and valuable items.; then they give the items of value to local charities. He has a wonderful business model and I'm sure he'd be willing to share with you how he got started. Great guy -- Collin Wheeler, President 123Junk.com
703.440.7654 or collin@123junk.com. I hope this is helpful to you and good luck!

If you want to start a business cleaning and hauling trash from foreclosure/ REO properties, try contacting the Acquiring Financial Institutions of failed banks... go to the FDIC's website to find preliminary contact info for the Acquiring Financial Institutions. Remember, you DON'T want the failed banks' info, but rather you want those organizations that are now handling their real estate assets... Lot of the big property preservation companies that handle the big contracts for these financial institutions are swamped ... they need the smaller foreclosure cleanup companies to help out. But make sure you have your ducks in a row to get these contracts and subcontracts (proper license, registration, insurance). Good luck! Cassandra, Foreclosure Cleanup, Atlanta, GA

Depending on how big of a foreclosure area you live in try the Freddie Mac website - Homesteps.com. On this site there is a place to register as a vendor and get approved for services that Freddie Mac authorizes.

Contact REO realtors in your area and tell them that you would be willing to clean a home for 50% off of your normal rate. Do a good job and you are in with them.

It really depends on how large you see your small business growing. If you'd like to stay small, contact a few local realtors, and find out who's who in the REO/Foreclosure market in your neighborhood.
Bigger plans on your small business horizon? Why not.
Contact local realtors in the areas you have interest in, and repeat the above process. This guarentees you getting in touch with the movers and shakers in the specific areas you've targeted, and will help prevent you being taken advantage of by online scams.

Yes, I am sure you have a number of friends in the real estate business that can access the local MLS or contact your local Realtor Association Board. Ask to search for bank owned properties (usually if added to the Sellers name easy way to search.) You will find a few agents that consistently handle bank owned listing transactions. Call them personnally and ask if you can meet them at their next listing and offer to do the service for a huge discount with the caviot that if they like your work they will put you on their first call list when a new REO property is about to hit the market.
A reputable Realtor wont take advantage of your offer but they are busy and you will need to follow up and be proactive. Also be sure to ask what the expectation is and maybe visit other listings of theirs in the same condition and offer better service than the last cleaner. Good luck with your venture!

This is what I would do.

1) Attend small property business association meetings.
2) Visit local real estate companys with flyer and busniess cards.
3) Avertise in local papers.
4) Call companies like Safeguard asset mangerment compaines.
5) Get a bigger truch you will need one.

Greg Heineman
Trend 2000 REal Estate
Broker/Owner

http://www.cashforcleanouts.com

Whatever you do....STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAM ARTISTS!!!

They are HORRIBLE. They are rude, have absolutely NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS whatsoever and don't give a darn who they steal money from.

I ordered my cash for cleanouts kit on May 6th. On June 2nd I still had not recieved anything and get a phone call from their merchant services asking me if I knew who the person that charged $186.95 on my credit card was. I told them it was supposed to be for a foreclosure cleanout kit and they said "That's funny, it says here you ordered a DJ kit"...I said "A DJ kit?? As in Disc Jockey???" the person on the other end said yes and suggested I call the merchant who I ordered the foreclosure cleanout kit from.

I called and left a message and got no call back so I decided to try the "online chat" to see if I could get any answers. The person chatting on the other end was the rudest person ever. When I told them what happened the response was we sell both (DJ kits and foreclosure cleanout kits!) and "you'll get what you ordered". When I asked when, they tell me to allow 7-10 days for delivery. My response was that it had been over three weeks and they barked "no it hasn't" without even verifying when the order was placed! Then he/she types "someone will contact you about this, have a nice day" and disconnected me from the chat! I was FLOORED. I couldn't believe these people did business like this.

I re-connected to the chat and the same id replied. When I gave them the date of their confirmation email (on May 6th) and told them I didn't appreciate being disconnected without even being allowed to finish they cut me off again and said "anything else?". I said if this is how they did business I just wanted a refund and they replied "I will give you your refund right now. Have a nice day" click (again!)

A few days later I still had no refund and I wanted the $186.95 back on my card, being that after a month I had no product and got nothing but complete rudeness and unprofessional behavior. I decided to call the # on thier site and the person that answered was just as bad (maybe it was the same person). Extremely short, rude and did not let me finish a sentence! I tried explaining that I ordered on 5/6 and hadn't recieved my order. Before I could tell them I was promised a refund I was cut off and asked for my name and immediately placed on hold. The woman gets back on the phone and says "did you already cancel this order?!" I replied "yes" and (once again) before I could tell her that I was calling to inquire about my refund she cuts me off and says "if you cancelled your order than why are you asking about a shipment!?" "You'll get your refund!" - click (again!)

Can you believe these people??!!! I still have no refund and am now going to have to dispute the charge with my credit card company! What a bunch of jerks. I could just imagine what GARBAGE I would have gotten in thier so-called "system"!

STAY AWAY from cashforcleanouts.com. They are a complete scam!! You will be charged almost $200 bucks and get nothing and to add insult to injury you'll get treated like crap if you dare inquire about your order after a month goes by and you get nothing. Worst "company" (if you could call them that) I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with!!

Almost 800,000 homes had gotten a minimum of one foreclosure-type notice during the period from July through September of 2008. That’s up 71% from 2007. As you can see, this is the perfect time to get into the foreclosure cleanup business − with little money and with little time. If you position your company strategically, from the very beginning, plan, and carefully niche market, you can build this business on the weekends and in the evenings until you are ready to make a go of it full-time.

The startup capital required is low, low, low. You simply have to be motivated in getting and keeping your business in front of the right people at the right time.

Killing the Illusions

Make no mistake; this business is hard, hard work. Anybody who tells you anything differently is not being completely honest. Or, they have not done the work themselves.

The foreclosure cleanup business is faaaaar from a quick buck with little effort. Real estate in any capacity (and I’ve been involved on several levels) is competitive, and, as my mother used to say, “You will always have somebody who can do something better, faster, and cheaper than you can. The key is to keep doing it.” If you want to start, get the necessary tools, educate yourself, read, research, and start your business. Good luck.

Consistent marketing to realtors who specialize in foreclosures. Start out contacting HUD realtors at sites like NewBidSelect. Price appropriately and be consistent with your marketing and advertising efforts so you win mind share. You can't just send them a postcard and wait, or make a phone call and wait... you have to be like a boomerang... keep coming back to them so you win that mind share and you're first on their mind when they need services like yours. I'm a realtor, invesor and I own a foreclosure cleanup company. See all sides. Go for it, good money, hard, hard, HARD work. (Anybody who's telling you it's a fast buck is not being honest. Good money, but you work your butt off for it.) Gonna be evergreen for a while, so it's worth it. Go for it, and good luck!

Cassandra
Foreclosure Cleanup, LLC
Foreclosure Cleaning Business
Atlanta, GA

Good Afternoon Claude,

There are two ways to get into this business, first yo have to know that most banks allow the real estate brokers to manage the properties, get bids and oversee the work while the others hire national companies who then sub it out to local companies. There is no doubt in my mind that a local broker can do a better job than a company 1200 miles away. You can then go and see the local brokers who handle the bank owened properties, ask to be able to bid on the jobs. Or you can apply with the national companies to go that route. I feel going to the brokers will get you a quicker answer and more jobs. Do a good job, do it quickly and at a good price. If you do that you will do well.

contact the real estate firms who have foreclosures listings. Good luck

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME YOU NEED TO BE A CONTRACTOR & 1000000 GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
ALONE IS $38000 THE ONLY WAY TO QUALIFY TO BE IN THE BANK LIST BROKER HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, THEY JUST CALL FROM THE QUALIFYING LIST

http://www.cslb.ca.gov/

The people that provide this service normally provides other pieces to the puzzle. Specifically, a listing agent of REO properties has someone who changes the locks, works to determine occupancy of a home and work on the transition, as well as the clean out. As the others mentioned, I would directly contact the listing agents that you see on the signs of bank owned properties, or maybe some of their 'team' and ask who they normally work with and if there's any way you can supplement the people that are already doing this service for them, as well as their current satisfaction in how it's being done now.

Many have a 'system' already in place. The key is to doing it better somehow.

I'd suggest hooking up with a real estate agent who can pull the stats in MLS for you to get agent production. Then you would know who the top REO agents are in Sacramento. You can also Google REO Sacramento Real Estate Agents to find a few of them. Or, perhaps you could drive through neighborhoods where there are a lot of REOs and put fliers on the steps (not in the mail box, that's a federal offense). Another option is to visit local real estate offices in areas near you and hand out your business card or flier to agents who work with buyers of REOs.

It's rare that the bank will pay to fix up homes, but more banks are beginning to understand that a clean home has a better chance of selling. Buyers of REOs can also use your services, though. Often there is trash and rubbish in the back yard or garage that needs hauling. Good luck to you in your new venture.