I buy houses for below retail value... you know those houses that have been abused and neglected. You have one in your neighborhood right now, if you were to walk into the house the aroma of cat urine would overwhelm your sense. If you could take one more step in to the home you would see trash covering every surface and rotting food. At this point you have to dive out the door you just came in to breathe fresh air again.
This just an example of the type of house I purchase, they are real junkers and I get these houses ready to sell for less than $500.
Here's the some the things I do:
The first thing I do is hire a cleaning service and/or contractor to clean up the place.
1. I have them remove all the junk from the property. I rent one of those bulk waste containers from the city. In most cases one will do. But sometimes I had to have the city dump it and come back with another one. It amazes me how gross people live.
2. Once all the trash is removed from the inside and outside, I have the crew remove all the carpeting from the property.
3.I have the crew clean up the yard, and trim trees and shrubs. I have them also remove any boards from the windows and remove any privacy fencing in the front yard.
4. I always have the locks changed on all the doors.
5. Then it's time to get rid of all the smells. My secret weapon is bleach and pine sol. I have the crew use liberal amounts of both. I am talking about gallons of the stuff. When you walk in to the home the bleach should make your eye tear up. Note: Do not use bleach on hardwood floors, use pine sol.
6. I do a couple of more steps to make sure the house remains clean smelling. I leave an open container of bleach near the kitchen. I also dip the light bulbs in vanilla extract, when the power is on. The light will heat the dried vanilla extract and it creates a good smell every time someone walks through the house.
There you go, the house is ready for sale. Most of the time the house still needs rehab and paint but I have the new owners do that through a special program called "Work For Equity". Oh, yah I also make up to forty thousand dollars every time I do this clean up procedure.
