Had a guy last week contact me about survey and stake all lines on 95 acres.?ÿ Property is fully wooded, SE GA.?ÿ Supposedly the low price was 1/3 of my price.?ÿ What would you price such??ÿ ?ÿJust trying to get a reality check.?ÿ I cannot see break even at what he claims someone will do the work for....
$20,000
For such a job here in Oregon/Washington, what with the Record of Survey requirement and all, I'd say Dave's price might be on the light side.?ÿ
If this was Oklahoma, you would be looking at about a mile of traversing, plus some sectional breakdown. Say a control station every 500 feet of your traverse making 10-12 stations in all.?ÿ Maybe 2 hours per?ÿ station for the line cutting and control/boundary ties, then another 2 hours per to mark out the boundaries and set missing corners. So you are looking at 40 hours of work in the field. Lets say maybe 20 office hrs to go with that. So I'm thinking of something between a third and a half of Dave's number.?ÿ ?ÿ
When you say "fully wooded" are you speaking of pines or what? In North Fl. it's easy to traverse through a pine forest.?ÿ ??ÿ
Buyers are liars, but that said, you'll never compete with someone looking to just clear enough to keep the lights on. Cost of living in that part of the country is pretty low compared to here.?ÿ
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
That other guy probably has a good handheld gps thingy.
What does "on the light side" mean. I was even more at a loss when you said "a third or a half of Dave's number". It is serious difficult to understand vernacular, unless you are just making a weird joke. Wouldn't half of what he said be even lighter?
Historic boundaries and conservation efforts.
What does "on the light side" mean. I was even more at a loss when you said "a third or a half of Dave's number". It is serious difficult to understand vernacular, unless you are just making a weird joke. Wouldn't half of what he said be even lighter?
He was giving you two different answers.?ÿ He was saying that in the Pacific Northwest a similar project would potentially cost more than Dave's number.?ÿ In OK it would be 1/2 to 1/3 Dave's number for the same project.?ÿ
Thank you.
Historic boundaries and conservation efforts.
Thank you.
now you know why the average guy isn't allowed to pump his own gas in Oregon....../snarky off?ÿ?ÿ ?ÿ ??ÿ
Not really. I had to Google that. So sorry for the people in Oregon.
Historic boundaries and conservation efforts.
When you say "fully wooded" are you speaking of pines or what? In North Fl. it's easy to traverse through a pine forest.?ÿ ??ÿ
?ÿ I'm think 10-15 year old re growth after being clear cut.
For something like that I would charge in the nature of $2.oo an linear foot for the boundary and that is if it is fairly open and easy to get through. If i have to cut every foot of the way and work through areas that were pulped 10 to 15 years ago I would probably charge $3.00 a foot.
Maybe the client doesn't appreciate the actual value of having to clear line. It might be a good sales point, or maybe open a second line of work?ÿ ??ÿ
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Prices start at 1,100 per acer
https://houston.craigslist.org/sks/d/prices-start-at-1100-per-acer/6451161242.html
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Maybe outsource it to a 1099 pocket the difference and take the day off?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ ??ÿ
https://houston.craigslist.org/sks/d/contract-surveyor/6452775642.html
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The other folks on this board fail to appreciate how little the general public in Georgia values what we as surveyors do. They also fail to comprehend that a great many of our fellow surveyors will work cheaper than a street walking whore. The whore places a much higher value on the service she provides whereas a great many of the surveyors will feel such profit guilt and shame at charging what they do that if they could do it for free they would. It is the most maddening thing I have ever witnessed and I want to scream at times.
Assuming it is a perfect square you would lucky to get 8k for a boundary and line stake. Someone probably did it for less than 5k. ?ÿ
Now my price would be considerably higher but I am just offering up what I know to be the way other surveyors price them. And as stated previously it is damned maddening to witness and live through this crap day in and day out.?ÿ
I'd give a range of $2,850-4,000 and WOULD NOT get the job.?ÿ For sure one of my "colleagues" would do it for $2,500 - or less.
In a different decade, prior to my land surveying career, I worked as a Tin basher. During the slow season, the boss would often bid jobs at a 0% profit.?ÿ
I questioned him about this, as they were often horrible jobs, and he responded with he had spent many years developing a good crew of people, that worked well together and had a good team dynamic. He was concerned if there was a period without work, staff would leave and the whole dynamic could change.?ÿ
The moral of this is: don't compare yourself to your competitors job by job. There are those that are going to be cheaper than you on one aspect, and very likely, you will be cheaper than others on other aspects. It could be the awarded surveyor has perormed a survey on an adjacent parcel and already has control established.
Build your business and establish a name for yourself. Being the cheapest guy in town is NOT what you want to pursue.
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Build your business and establish a name for yourself. Being the cheapest guy in town is NOT what you want to pursue.
No shi*, but, occasionally, like every month, the bank wants their mortgage payment, and I have to throw out my high-minded ideals and work for peanuts to keep our home.
Move? ALL of our family and friends are an hour, at most, away.?ÿ I could probably do better elsewhere, but we love our kids and grandkids and our friends, so moving's out of the question.
My post wasn't intended as a whine, more to point out that y'all who can get 7K for a 95 Ac boundary are in a WAY better place than others of us.?ÿ Especially when there's a foot or two or three of snow in the woods....
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Build your business and establish a name for yourself. Being the cheapest guy in town is NOT what you want to pursue.
No shi*, but, occasionally, like every month, the bank wants their mortgage payment, and I have to throw out my high-minded ideals and work for peanuts to keep our home.
Move? ALL of our family and friends are an hour, at most, away.?ÿ I could probably do better elsewhere, but we love our kids and grandkids and our friends, so moving's out of the question.
My post wasn't intended as a whine, more to point out that y'all who can get 7K for a 95 Ac boundary are in a WAY better place than others of us.?ÿ Especially when there's a foot or two or three of snow in the woods....
Yeah Sgt Schultz,?ÿ I'm living that nightmare as well. And you know what is even worse. There is a certain state board member in Georgia who wants to lower the standards for licensing becausehe thinks there is a shortage of candidates taking and passing the tests.
It doesn't take much for my primitive brain to figure that if prices are already in the gutter then how much damned lower would they be if they increase the numbers of Surveyors.
We darned sure need a shortage to bring up the prices but we absolutely do not have a shortage of surveyors. I hope to see the day I can charge a fair price without getting turned down immediately.?ÿ
Edit: I should say that I read some of these posts from other parts of the country in amazement when they discuss some of the fees they are able to get. I am torn between laughing and crying.
A 95 acre boundary and complete line stake in S.E. Georgia would be a damned chore. If it is 10-15 year old cut over you can bet it is so darned thick you can't walk. If it is planted pines and they have come in and done some selective thinning it might not be so bad. But again assuming it is a perfect square, which is unlikely, but for discussion sake let's say the local price would be $0.50 a foot. That's roughly $4k for a boundary and then line stake at half that maybe $2k. $6k total would probably be high for area.
Someone did it for less than half that.
My high minded ideals would not let me do it for that cheap but if I get any hungrier who knows??ÿ?ÿ
No disrespect intended but I don't know how some of you guys survive at those rates. I can't imagine even breaking even at the numbers I'm seeing. Granted the economy is great right now but I would be north of 20K and even if it was in a slowdown still 15K or so.