The Pile Up of Foreclosure Trash Spells Earnings for Some

March 27th, 2009 | Tags: Foreclosed Houses

The pile up of foreclosure trash is not all negative – it spells earnings for some. Families evicted by foreclosures leave behind unwanted trash. Sometimes it is not always rubbish – it is just that they have nowhere to go loaded with this stuff.

James Brewer came with his truck early in the morning to the one storey house in a new sub-division named Murrieta Oaks and surveyed his first port of call for that day. He gave instructions to his three teammates as they all pulled on their gloves and fanned out across the estate. Most of the rooms were empty but there were new appliances in the kitchen. There was an operating fireplace in the living room and a walk-in closet in the largest bedroom. The men swept into their plastic bags telephone books, paper pieces and other junky items.

Brewer paused before a wooden desk and asked his mates to wait while he contacted his wife asking her if she would like it. Another member of the crew cleared the backyard making his way behind a Christmas tree lying on its side. It was a reminder to how recently there had been celebrations in this house.

Within an hour their work was done – both the house and the yard combed through. The men were happy with the payment they got to remove the last signs of life in foreclosed houses that were once homes. Brewer and his associates worked for WSR Sales and Management based in Riverside. The firm has been operating for the last 27 years but has of late specialized in cleaning, securing and seeing to the maintenance of foreclosed houses on behalf of the banks. The first step is the handling of the trash.

Since the last one-year similar companies have been retooling themselves to address the new type of work that has arisen from foreclosures. They are busy mostly in Southwest and Florida where the foreclosure crisis has been the most intense. These companies are suddenly very busy without a moment to spare.

WSR Sales and Management has increased one category of its staff from 2 to 60 personnel. 5 trash out teams are working for 10 hours per day in 6 days week. There is another team of 23 members continue with its regular task of landscaping and providing sundry services for about a thousand homes that have already been cleaned and put on the shop shelves.