Property recovery starts with cleanup

Every crisis breeds opportunity, and Florida’s real estate collapse is no exception. At a high level, so-called vulture investors are buying up foreclosed properties, but on the ground, property preservationists — cleaners and maintenance workers who specialize in the upkeep of foreclosed houses and condos — are finding they are busy all the time. Nick Hazel, 40, said his work is like a dentist’s — stopping the decay of neglected property. He inspects about 90 structures a week, secures 20 and removes trash from 10 to 20 foreclosed properties.

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