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How to Cut Grass for Foreclosed Properties
Tip
Be sure you have included in your quote any miscellaneous expenses, such as disposing of debris at municipal landfills.
Warning
Do not take breaks, leave equipment for any period of time or discuss the property with strangers. You are doing lawn care for the property owner, not acting as a sales agent.
Providing lawn care to foreclosed property owners is part detective work and part sales work. Foreclosed properties rarely have signs or other identifying information about who took the legal action necessary to foreclose and evict the previous owner. Finding the owners of foreclosed property means doing the investigative work to get the contact information needed to get the work. After finding out who owns the property, it takes professional sales efforts to get the job and, more importantly, keep the job during the period the property is vacant, renovated if necessary and marketed for a new owner.
Find the Foreclosed Property's Owner
Start by asking the neighbors near the foreclosed property if they know who took possession of the property. If they know move, to Section 2. If they do not know, go to step 2.
Contact the local government office that records property deeds and liens.
Ask for information about the property's address. Be prepared to pay a fee for information provided.
Use the telephone to contact the owner and make an appointment to discuss your services.
Sell Your Lawn Care Services
Arrive for your appointment dressed professionally.
Offer your business card and brochure detailing your services, your costs and your scheduled availability to keep and care for the foreclosed property lawn.
Be prepared to answer any questions, especially about billing and purchase orders.
Present a contract for services when details of services are satisfactorily determined by both parties. Sign the contract and have the foreclosed property owner or assigned sign as well. Give a copy of the contract to your new customer.
Perform Lawn Care Work on Foreclosed Property
Arrive on schedule and do necessary work quickly and professionally.
Bring only gas-powered lawn care equipment. There is no guarantee the property has electricity or any access to a power supply.
Rake and remove all lawn debris with the utility trailer to the municipal landfill.
References
Writer
Wesley Tucker is a lifelong southerner whose politics are objective, whose sports are many and whose avocations range from aviation to anthropology to history and all forms of media. With a master's degree in mass communications from the University of South Carolina College of Journalism, Tucker has been a writer for more than 30 years, with work ranging from news reports to feature stories.
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