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.
Don't worry about disrespect. The numbers some of you folks speak of are simply not possible in Georgia, anywhere in Georgia. I don't want to paint with a broad brush but I cannot ever imagine getting $20k for a 95 acre rural land survey plus line stake. Nope, never gonna happen, not even if you have compromising photos of the owner or client.
Take the county immediately west of me, it is Polk County and there is one surveyor in Polk County. He has been there a long time and is in his 70's, but that is not the problem, there are lots of folks in their 70's who survey. The problem is he has zero competition and when I spoke with him 2 weeks ago he admitted to charging no more than $0.50 a lineal foot for boundary surveys. I wanted to scream and begged him to raise his prices but a good many surveyors throughout the state have no damned clue how much damage they are doing to this so called profession with their miserably low fee structure.
There are 3 other surveyors in Bartow County, where I live, who have the same type of fee structure. It is like a limbo contest and how low can you go and when others try to hang out their shingle and make a go of it they soon learn that they better just dismiss with the idea of making any money around here.
When some of the folks out west speak and offer advice it is spoken in the bubble in which they live and work where there are higher requirements for surveys than here. What with mandatory recording, records of surveys, corner records reports, monument records, etc.. People value the service that surveyors provide, not so around here. Hell we are lucky to get a god damned tie to a non existent Land Lot Corner.?ÿ
I have said for a long time that we don't have a shortage but we need one badly to reset the deck but I doubt we get one because there are some people working to loosen the rules for being able to pass the test and that will put even more surveyors out here competing for the same pool of money.
Edit: Of the 4 dominant surveyors in just the two counties mentioned, all of them are months behind, their words not mine. All four of them are the 4 cheapest surveyors around only because 3 others have died or retired, otherwise there would be 7 low price leaders. You would think that they would have an epiphany and maybe, just maybe raise their fee's just a little........Nope that is not gonna happen, there is not a chance in hell that will happen.
Yeah, you are spot on what he ended up paying.?ÿ They priced him $4k.?ÿ When I pointed out to him that $0.25 a linear foot was a steal and I would take it also, he called them back and that was just the boundary.?ÿ They charged it again for line state.?ÿ I was still high of that, I priced at $12K.
Dang, JAS!!!!?ÿ ?ÿI always thought Hotlanta and surrounding counties payed better than that.
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As for the Board Member, he is correct that 100 licenses retiring a year and only 10 new licenses will eventually cause a problem.?ÿ Just how long will it take.?ÿ You did hear that board is looking at removing Hydro Test, didn't you?
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.
Don't worry about disrespect. The numbers some of you folks speak of are simply not possible in Georgia, anywhere in Georgia. I don't want to paint with a broad brush but I cannot ever imagine getting $20k for a 95 acre rural land survey plus line stake. Nope, never gonna happen, not even if you have compromising photos of the owner or client.
Take the county immediately west of me, it is Polk County and there is one surveyor in Polk County. He has been there a long time and is in his 70's, but that is not the problem, there are lots of folks in their 70's who survey. The problem is he has zero competition and when I spoke with him 2 weeks ago he admitted to charging no more than $0.50 a lineal foot for boundary surveys. I wanted to scream and begged him to raise his prices but a good many surveyors throughout the state have no damned clue how much damage they are doing to this so called profession with their miserably low fee structure.
There are 3 other surveyors in Bartow County, where I live, who have the same type of fee structure. It is like a limbo contest and how low can you go and when others try to hang out their shingle and make a go of it they soon learn that they better just dismiss with the idea of making any money around here.
When some of the folks out west speak and offer advice it is spoken in the bubble in which they live and work where there are higher requirements for surveys than here. What with mandatory recording, records of surveys, corner records reports, monument records, etc.. People value the service that surveyors provide, not so around here. Hell we are lucky to get a god damned tie to a non existent Land Lot Corner
I have said for a long time that we don't have a shortage but we need one badly to reset the deck but I doubt we get one because there are some people working to loosen the rules for being able to pass the test and that will put even more surveyors out here competing for the same pool of money.
Edit: Of the 4 dominant surveyors in just the two counties mentioned, all of them are months behind, their words not mine. All four of them are the 4 cheapest surveyors around only because 3 others have died or retired, otherwise there would be 7 low price leaders. You would think that they would have an epiphany and maybe, just maybe raise their fee's just a little........Nope that is not gonna happen, there is not a chance in hell that will happen.
JAS, you are right on about the land lot corner.?ÿ And the old heads here are months behind.?ÿ But I am not willing to lower my prices for tract work that low.
JAS, you are right on about the land lot corner.?ÿ And the old heads here are months behind.?ÿ But I am not willing to lower my prices for tract work that low.
I sent you a message.
Edit: Of the 4 dominant surveyors in just the two counties mentioned, all of them are months behind, their words not mine.
I don't understand surveyors that have clients willing to wait months for surveys.?ÿ There's one in the neighboring county that always tells me he's three or 4 months behind.?ÿ We've never had a backlog anywhere close to that, but then again, we charge more than he does.
Plenty of clients are doing something they have already ignored for ages because they really don't want to do it in the first place. ?ÿSomeone else is forcing the issue.
Here's the thing, if you think that where you are prices are too low , then fall on your knees and thank the Good Lord that you are not in Mississippi. We face the same fees you speak of, but the figures you throw out as too low I would LOVE to see on a contract!! Ok, I live in the poorest state in the Union, but oddly enough that is NOT the insurmountable problem. It's the FACT that EVERYONE down here had a Daddy or Granddaddy that was a Shade Tree Surveyor back in the day so they know that anyone that wants to charge over a dollar an acre for a survey is a rip-off artist. I suppose we have done that to ourselves by not keeping the public updated. With GPS, it should be cheaper. All you have to do is read what the satellite tells you? Never mind the fact that all that hear gear?ÿin the truck costs twice what their house did.
And then there is the dilemma of what your service is worth to others in the field. Carlson went a bit nuts and made me a Carlson Certified Training partner, so, until they come to their senses. I plan to try software training. NO SALES. I do not want to sell the software. That lets me be a bit more honest about its capabilities. I have gone as far as to get the blessing of the State Board to give one PDH for each class hour. I deal strictly with the office end. I deal only with Carlson Survey. I can teach the system or I can do a turn key set-up of configuration, customization and a full blown field to finish system. I prefer The OEM version of Carlson and I can restore all of your quick keys, etc. I do this on weekends so as not to interrupt your field work. I will come to your site or you can bring your computer to my office.
So, say you want the turn key system ( I have well over $5,000 invested in setting this up and it has been field proven and in use for over 10 years), I bring in the product, load it, set it up and test it, provide a 100 page training manual and laminated cards with the custom field codes and instructions for their use in the field(it has a belt clip on it so you shouldn't lose it) , ands 8 hours of instructions on how to use the system just delivered and offer discounted 2 and 3 courses to answer any questions you are sure to have (telephone inquiries are free, so additional classes may not be necessary.) AND then leave you with a certificate of Completion to satisfy your board?ÿ continuing educational requirements.
What would you say would be a reasonable fee for such a service? How about an 8 hour course with the training manual and certificate of completion for $250? The turn key system for $500? But then remember my location. That's a couple of weeks work for some of the new guys.?ÿ Last year I had 3 calls. One for the turn key system. Maybe Carlson really is so easy that they don't need help.
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