It just pi$%es me off

I cannot answer that one. I struggled with that one for years when I was solo. I deal with a totally different type of client base now that I am with my current firm, and it is much easier.

In a rural setting, the land values are such that sometimes the survey costs more than the land is worth, at least in their eyes.

I cannot answer that one. I struggled with that one for years when I was solo. I deal with a totally different type of client base now that I am with my current firm, and it is much easier.

In a rural setting, the land values are such that sometimes the survey costs more than the land is worth, at least in their eyes.

I wonder if that ties in with the people who believe with every fiber of their being they need to do "what they love" whether it covers the survival basics of life or not.

I have heard of and met folks who work for whatever their cause is (farming, improving the world to their vision, whatever) and literally are unable to make rent or buy enough food. And they don't care.

Speaking strictly for myself, I need enough money to support myself without living in a small house with 25 other people just to make ends meet. I am not aiming to be rich, I just want to be comfortable. If I could charge more for my services, I would in a heartbeat.

An old person bitching about how much things nowadays costs? I've never heard of such a thing.

"Why do surveyors suffer profit guilt?"

Not me, I'm in this game to make money. ?

Had an 80 year-old potential client snort and carry on a bit ago because he is giving away his land, in two pieces, to his two children so doesn't think my estimate is reasonable. I offered to share some of the horror stories accumulated over the decades by stupid parents trying to be cheap when trying to do what he is doing. He wasn't interested. If he can find some fool willing to do it for $299 he will still feel that he is being gouged.

Not me, I'm in this game to make money. ?

That's the way I feel. I am beyond sick of people in this so called profession giving their work away for less per hour than a street walkng whore. Yeah its not PC but by golly a prostitute makes more per hour than surveyors.

I want to be like Tony Montana taking duffle bags of money to a bank and I wont feel one bit of guilt doing so. It is worth what the client is willing to pay but so long as the surveyors treat the pricing structure like a blasted limbo contest "how low can we go" we will be forever working for wages.

Yeah, Im talking about a lot of you Northwest Georgia surveyors.

don't go picking on the younger generation! He just doesn't have your experience to rely on! 🙂

Hey Cow! My previous message was meant for you 🙂

Posted by: Holy Cow

Had an 80 year-old potential client snort and carry on a bit ago because he is giving away his land, in two pieces, to his two children so doesn't think my estimate is reasonable. I offered to share some of the horror stories accumulated over the decades by stupid parents trying to be cheap when trying to do what he is doing. He wasn't interested. If he can find some fool willing to do it for $299 he will still feel that he is being gouged.

He doesn't care, won't be around when the mess hits the fan.

"Yeah its not PC but by golly a prostitute makes more per hour than surveyors."

Seriously honey, that credit card charge at "Cherry Blossom Massage Parlor" was just market research.

Hey foggyiedea, I think HC gets de-wormed on Wednesdays. ?

It's hard to put a price on something that is usually so much damned fun.?ÿ But I can't think of anything else I could be doing at my age where I can make this much money and actually do so little.?ÿ?ÿ In that respect I might understand where someone came up with the term "profit guilt".?ÿ

But as an attitude-driven adult that grew from a rowdy child I find little guilt in my actions.?ÿ Guilt is something you might need to take up with your preacher and is best left out of business settings.?ÿ I'm interested in giving my clients the best of my abilities and experience.?ÿ If you can't charge for the quality of your work you might need to step it up a little to where you feel worthy of your fees.

Maybe some surveyors just want to avoid justifying their fees to their clients.?ÿ Although it can be unpleasant at times, I feel as though I owe it to my clients to explain to them whatever-the-hell-it-is for which I'm charging them $125 an hour.?ÿ And I don't blink...even if I've tacked on a good chunk because either the job or the client was difficult.

Ruffling the feathers of a client because of the final amount of an invoice can usually be avoided or de-fused by good communication, both initially and during the progression of work.

Never deny a man for what he charges for his services; he is the only one who knows what they are worth.

If you're worried about losing clients that are searching for the lowest price; you don't want them anyway. They will be the ones that complain the most.

I try to explain, to potential clients, the value of my survey and the pit falls resulting from fast and cheep. The ones that are willing to listen are the ones you want giving you money.

Dougie

"Never deny a man for what he charges for his services; he is the only one who knows what they are worth.
If you're worried about losing clients that are searching for the lowest price; you don't want them anyway. They will be the ones that complain the most.
I try to explain, to potential clients, the value of my survey and the pit falls resulting from fast and cheep. The ones that are willing to listen are the ones you want giving you money."
Dougie
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Oh yes I will! How about I come to your neck of the words and knowingly and willfully begin charging 13 to 14 of market rate for the same services and do that simply because that is what I have always charged? That's what I'm referring to. Surveyors around here still undervalue their service and have been doing so for decades. Their pricing structure today is what they began surveying with 30 or 40 years ago. They where brought up in surveying & grew comfortable being able to tell someone it is gonna cost $xxx.xx and they have never adjusted for todays dollars.

For instance a 3 acre cut-out from a 65 acre parent tract for $1300. Now I can understand if it was the original surveyor who did the original survey as if that were the case it would be a simple drafting exercise and hammer home a couple of corner monuments but by golly to price out a job for that when you're not the original surveyor.

Now in fairness the entire 65 would not have to be surveyed but a huge portion would so this is a typical situation with about 6 surveyors in the area routinely driving down prices and keeping them depressed. I could give you dozens of examples of situations where you can't perform the research and drafting for the price they are doing the entire job. Yeah I wont hold my breath on those corner pins getting set, I guess those goats ate them.

I can guarantee you if I were to come into your area and begin offering up services for 14 to 13 of what your established market rates are that you would shank me in a liquor store parking lot.

Their pricing structure today is what they began surveying with 30 or 40 years ago. They where brought up in surveying & grew comfortable being able to tell someone it is gonna cost $xxx.xx and they have never adjusted for today's dollars.

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I'm surprised that they are still in business; are they making it up in volume?

We had a few surveyors around here, that charged far less than most. A couple closed their doors after the down turn in 2008 and the others retired shortly thereafter.

Around here, surveyors are a dying breed and there's not many coming down the Pike. I envy a young surveyor coming into the market today. The near future will have ample opportunity and they will be able to write their own ticket.

You are more than welcome to move to the South Puget Sound, people are more worried about when you can get to it, than how much it costs and I'm booked solid well into the next year.

Dougie

There are surveyors everywhere that bill out jobs that distract and go against the normal.

I did a job for my cousin a few years ago. Drove 70mi to do a 4hr job to create an easement across a neighbor's land to get to a portion of his land that was across an impassable bog. Charged him for a whole day as normal and he still has not talked to me since. He also never paid me, which he understood I was going to refund to him mostly anyway, less my fuel and meal expenses. That is the results of helping someone and not being that worried about what you charge.

A few years ago, me and another surveyor got hired for the same job. I got hired thru the Mortgage company that has been a client for many years and the other surveyor got hired by his buddies Realtor. He charged half of what I was going to charge to give his buddy a break. That caused ripples in the system because from that point on, the local Realtor and associated Mortgage companies based his price on what it cost to get a survey.

There is always going to be someone around the corner that will do the job for less just to be able to have a job that day. I can remember when well established companies were willing to break even for many days of the year just to be able to keep their workers busy. It is a bad business model, still it happens to break the competition's model into failure.

30yrs ago there was practically a surveyor's war a few hours distance from here. They were cutting each other prices and calling the board complaining against each other. In the end, they all failed and not one was in business soon afterwards. They broke themselves.

0.02

I'm surprised that they are still in business; are they making it up in volume?
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No....but they have been in business for 40 years or more and are in their mid 70s. So they have a lot of previous surveys that they have done where the bulk of the job is effectively done (assuming nothings changed) just basically do an update but they discount price it so much that it is almost enough to make you scream. I can see, if you are the original surveyor and have previously surveyed a piece of property and being able to do the job for less but doggone it don't do it for wages.
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Time is on my side and I can guarantee I am not afraid to charge for my services. It just makes me madder than a wet hen that my much older peers give it away so much.
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I'm not the cheapest guy on the block and I don't want to be and I'm not the most expensive guy on the block but I want to be.

I can guarantee you if I were to come into your area and begin offering up services for 14 to 13 of what your established market rates are that you would shank me in a liquor store parking lot.
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Nope.

I'd start subbing work out to you.