Cleaning Up Foreclosed Homes After the Mortgage Crisis

Once, Correa had a job to clean a property near Tidwell Road and Interstate 45. The house was unlocked and seemed fairly clean. He walked into the master bedroom and found a homeless man sleeping on a mattress.

In recent months, Correa says his business has been booming, and he's started advertising as a specialist in foreclosure cleaning. Correa was offered a piece of a contract to clean 200 homes in March. He declined, unable to commit to the large amount of work.

"I've been so busy doing foreclosures, I've felt like quitting [the clinic], and doing it full time," Correa says. "Somebody's got to do it."

In the last year and a half, Correa says he's learned a lot about the foreclosure market. He has even thought about getting his real estate license and selling the foreclosed homes after he clears them out.

But for now, Correa says, he'll stick with his moneymaker — cleaning out a foreclosed home and leaving it behind, quick to move on to the next.

"Foreclosures have been around forever, but it's such a big business now," Correa says. "This is the time."

paul.knight@houstonpress.com