I am now estimating 4 to 6 month timeframes.?ÿ This is like never before in my life (50 years!), or at least my 38 year career (since 12 yo).?ÿ I am pretty sure most or all of the local competition is in roughly the same boat.?ÿ The length of this backlog has been steadily increasing these past two years.
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Bubble?
All I know if it's a bubble, sell all your stock.
Just means the probability of some major equipment loss/ failure is fixing to occur.?ÿ Murphy is still alive and well.?ÿ 😉
Seriously, glad you're staying busy.?ÿ I was just looking over my stuff for tax purposes and discovered 2020 was a lot better than 2019.?ÿ And my stack of "need-to-get-to" work is getting pretty tall also.
Maybe we'll all have a bang-up year and make some good money.
I'm about a month behind and have been at least that far out for a long time.?ÿ I tend to refer certain callers to other local surveyors who might have a window of opportunity come up.?ÿ For the most part I think we are all a month or two behind.?ÿ
Just this morning I encouraged a friend to find another way to do what he needed to do.?ÿ He has been buying his mother's house and a few acres from her on contract for several years.?ÿ At least one sibling has brought up the point that my friend may stop making payments if Mom passes away.?ÿ To eliminate any concern, he had approached a local bank about loaning him enough to pay Mom off with a single lump sum payment by using that tract as collateral.?ÿ The problem is that the FEMA map incorrectly shows the house as being in the floodplain.?ÿ After discussing the standard process for preparing an elevation certificate and probable LOMA filing I suggested he use a different parcel he owns as collateral to obtain the needed money.?ÿ He had never thought of that approach.?ÿ The bank wants good collateral and he wants a simple loan process.?ÿ He has a tract of farm land worth considerably more than the amount needed to pay off Mom.?ÿ The farm land loan can greatly simplify the process.?ÿ His lender makes such loans quite frequently.?ÿ I have used this method numerous times quite efficiently.
The surveying business is very good right now.?ÿ If you can't make a living surveying right now, you need to find something else to do for a living.
I started a Survey department for a small Engineering firm 5 years ago.?ÿ When I joined the firm I was the 12th employee.?ÿ In the first year I added two crews, as work grew, a third and 4th were added.?ÿ We are now at the point that I need at least one more crew to handle the work load but can't find anybody, even at entry level.?ÿ Allot of the people I have spoken to with no experience want $25/hour.?ÿ The last time I checked we had 80 jobs of varying size and scope in the crew.?ÿ It's been overwhelmingly busy, gets crazy at times, but, overall these are good problems to have.?ÿ I have a feeling that with the new Presidential policies, things are going to start slowing down.?ÿ Hopefully not to the 2008 levels though.
Grab it while you can with both hands and sock it away; when, not if, the bubble explodes you can ride it through with less worries. Plus, as an added incentive to strive for financial independence, you get to pay Uncle Sam 37 cents on every dollar that comes in the door. And I suspect you know all about the 37% deal with our good friends at the IRS.
Businesses/investments go through cycles. And always will.?ÿ
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Allot of the people I have spoken to with no experience want $25/hour.?ÿ
That is one of the main reasons I am so happy to be retired and rid of all those friggen personnel issues associated with a small business.?ÿ
Nope.?ÿ No bubble.
No surveyors. I was looking at this in 2007 when. I enrolled the first time.?ÿ
Its only going to get busier unless they start cranking out more competent and work ready surveyors.
Or teach lawyers how to dip manholes and set grid rebar and dig up section corners.
This?ÿ is great for new young surveyor students.
I'd take 25/HR now and I'm a CST2 O/F and have a GIS Cert and will sit for the FS/LSIT IN the next few months. Maybe I'll ask for more..... ???? ???? ???? ???? ????.
Add gravity and geophysics and I'm shooting for 50.
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This?ÿ is great for new young surveyor students.
I've worked with?ÿ a dozen or so Fresno State grads over the years and they were all top notch.?ÿ As we became friends I asked them why they joined our firm and they said every grad had a job lined up before graduation after hitting a few job fairs and getting lots of inquiries, but picked us because word of mouth that we were a good outfit to work for.?ÿ One of them moved on and after 30 years owns a multi-million dollar gross survey only outfit;?ÿ others are bigwigs in Government.
I think any grad from a quality 4-year program has never had trouble finding work.
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I retired three years ago. After two years I decided that retirement wasn??t for me and went into business as a ??sole practitioner?, thinking it would be part-time. I was instantly swamped with work. I could work 70 hours a week if I wanted to. Instead I tell folks that if they are in a hurry they should look elsewhere that I??m about 6 week behind. They typical response i get is ??that??s ok, put me on your list?. The other surveyors in the area are just as busy. ?ÿ
@mike-shepp yes
it's nuts.?ÿ i've been saying it for so long now i sound nuts.?ÿ been waiting for the trap door to open since about '15, but just keep getting busier and busier.?ÿ haven't had a proper day without thinking about work in 3 years now (that includes a week in oaxaca where i spent most of my time behind a laptop...).
need to expand, don't want to expand, don't have the time to think about it, don't have time to find what i really need- a #2 to handle all the cad/office stuff...
so, if it ain't nuts it'll do until the nuts gets here.
@tommy-young?ÿ ?ÿ Yes, but efficiency has suffered. I drive by the job I have to do tomorrow on the way to the job I have to do this morning, then drive cross county to do the job I have to do this afternoon. Every job is a fire to be put out a day before the deadline. Not fun, but I am not complaining.?ÿ But wait, yes I am complaining.?ÿ Hmmpphh.
@flyin-solo?ÿ ?ÿRight, You get it. There ARE things I could do, but I DON'T want to.
@mike-shepp?ÿ That's what's so crazy. I give new clients a crazy price and time frame. They say 'ooh, sorry', then call back in two days and say 'go ahead'.
??that??s OK, put me on your list?
I can do that; I will need a signed contract and a 50% deposit to put you on my schedule.
Just getting started on my own. It has not been difficult to find work.?ÿ