Rich folks won't pay our prices, and the poor cannot afford our services

be thankful you do not get jobs at a fee you cannot afford

Find better clients ?????ÿ

Fundamentally, I cannot work for all clients. All clients CANNOT afford my services. Only some can. And, of those who can, Only some WILL pay. In order to have a HEALTHY survey business, you must have a turn away rate, on a regular basis. I don't but 80k trucks. I cannot afford it. And, some clients cannot afford me. That's healthy.

N

If a client intends to pay you, they won't have a problem giving you a 50% deposit.?ÿ

Remember , youƒ??re running a business and not a charity. Charity is good, but doesnƒ??t pay the bills.

So true. Just recently had to explain the breakdown of my guesstimate to a woman with a $300k home.?ÿ The field time, office time, etc.?ÿ And that's if there were no surprises.?ÿ?ÿ

She said she'd just moved from NC and surveys were so much cheaper.?ÿ Said every sale had to have one. Don't know if they have mortgage surveys in NC, but regardless, I don't think we were talking apples to apples here.?ÿ?ÿ

Even after my explanation, she said she still couldn't understand why it's so expensive.?ÿ By the way, her deed was an abutting description, with names probably dating back to 1900 or so.?ÿ?ÿ

I obviously didn't get the job

?ÿ

@jph?ÿ

It's amazing ain't it. People don't bat an eye paying a Realtor $60k commission on a $1m house but go wacko when you tell them it is $1k for a survey. That and electricity are two things I will never understand and I'm too damn old to try.?ÿ ?????ÿ

People who live in 300k houses, drive 50k cars, cannot afford a 3k survey, that should be a 5k survey.

If we don't have a "turn away" rate, our business model is not healthy.

N

I don't have time to explain why professional services are expensive. Don't fall into a trap where you are constantly working or trying to work for bad clients, and in that way, don't have time when the good client comes along. Don't let desperation be your guide. Most people are just shopping around and think that "smart" shoppers get a lower price.?ÿ

@nate-the-surveyor?ÿ

Where I just came from 300k houses are rental hovels, and investment tax shelters.?ÿ?ÿ

More about the disparity between what realtors take and the legal requirements based upon and realized upon for a survey needs to be what these lobbying people that claim to assisting and promoting Surveying in the national legislative arena in DC. Unfortunately I think that they've been colluding with the realty attorneys to keep their interests at hand and not ours.

Just a whimsy theory of course because I'm just a biologist.

?ÿ

Posted by: @not-my-real-name

Don't let desperation be your guide.

If that is a surveyors business MO they have already failed miserably and are worthless in the profession.?ÿ?ÿ

There's rich and there's?ÿRICH. 86 the rich ones and find the?ÿRICH?ÿones. They may complain, but my experience will show they pay.?ÿ

Also, I think I make more not taking some clients on than taking the work. This week I turned down three offers to bid, I haven't bid on anything now for a few years, with the exception of the one I sent in a bid for $45k and two firms bid under $11k.

Little lot surveys for fill in, you have to take them for peanuts. Utility companies, large acreages, boundary work for DOT. I will never do another construction job, no money in them anymore. Permitting, and some of the kinda work I do that probably isn't available in your neck.?ÿ

Like Payden says, why work the jobs that aren't profitable.?ÿ

@flga-2-2 Not sure what a $1k survey looks like, but it sounds painful for everyone involved...

@jitterboogie Regulation of professions happens at the State level.

@thebionicman?ÿ

Understood, I was only poking the bear in the Lobbyist pool because we need help nationwide to regain some sort of real appreciation for the profession, that's all.

@not-my-real-name?ÿ

No one tried to negotiate the hourly rate from an attorney, nor the electrician, nor the plumber,?ÿ nor the billable rate from the auto dealer for their repair work. Why is surveying even open to anything other than the fees advertised?

@jitterboogie?ÿ

Because of the bottom feeding low ballers in our profession.?ÿ That and bad marketing on our part.

There is no reason I should have five years of college education plus countless hour of continuing educations, sit through 20 hours of exam for my first license and have upwards of $500k in field and office equipment and yet the public thinks I should charge them less than a plumber, roofer or mechanic.

It is our fault.

Posted by: @mightymoe

They may complain, but my experience will show they pay.?ÿ

If your clients aren't complaining; you're not charging enough.

~Dan Beardslee

Posted by: @thebionicman

Not sure what a $1k survey looks like, but it sounds painful for everyone involved...

I was trying to convey the unfair dollar discrepancies between two professions, but have performed thousands of surveys under $1k during my tenure in business, I don't understand the "painful" part. ?????ÿ