Is there any GOOD way to answer this question?
This happens more often than I would like:
Caller: How much does a survey cost?
Me: Give me the address. I'll do some research, visit the site, and send you a proposal.
Caller: OK, but can you give me a ballpark number? I won't hold you to it.
Oh yes they will! It's either "You charge too much!" or later "Why is my proposal $3000 when you quoted me $2000?".
Giving them a range is just as bad. They will either hold you to the low number, or reject you because of the high number.
So I just explain that I need to do my research before I can give them a a price.
But some will continue with "Well, how much does it usually cost?"
I try to answer, because I feel stupid if I try to say I don't know how much it "usually" costs. But if I do answer, the same thing happens as above.
Is there any trick to this? I've already explained that I need information to quote a price, but they just keep asking. Eventually, I break down and give them one.
There must be a better way to answer...
There is no STANDARD fee for a survey. I tell callers daily that each survey is different and based upon:
- potential problems identified from research and/or field observations
- time expended for research, field collections, office work (drafting and data reduction)
- drive time to/from the job site
If they still want a number, I tell them I have a minimum fee of $1500, but each job will be billed according to time expended, difficulty, and liability assumed.
My $0.02
just explain that there is no "USUAL" cost because each survey is different depending on several variables such as terrain, vegetation along the boundaries and at the corners, if the corners are on the ground or not, topography of the site, ambiguities of the deed, etc., etc.
or you can compare it to having a car worked on, or a visit to the doctor in which there is often more than one thing to consider in the treatment of the situation. often there is not just one "problem" involved and the other "problems" are not likely to be apparent w/out a study of the deeds and a visit to the site.
it's not difficult if you can progress from the "defending myself" mode to the education mode. i assume that you have several years of crazy experiences that you can draw upon to make an explanation, and never ever feel guilty about giving an honest price that you can make a profit on w/out gouging the prospective client.
If it's a boundary survey & lot inside one of those symmetrically designed urban subdivisions then you know that it will be an easy one with data for adjoining lots readily available from your local deeds register. For these types of work, then you can easily give an estimate.
The works that are difficult to estimate are the topography survey of large areas with patches of water, forest, thick brushes & irregular terrain.
But to be honest, with google earth you can take a look at the property & estimate how long it would take to do the work. From there just multiply your daily costs & you have your estimate for the client.
Most of these callers will never call back anyway but if you get 1 out of 100 such callers then that's money in the bank.:-/
> Is there any GOOD way to answer this question?
>
> This happens more often than I would like:
>
> Caller: How much does a survey cost?
> Me: Give me the address. I'll do some research, visit the site, and send you a proposal.
> Caller: OK, but can you give me a ballpark number? I won't hold you to it.
>
First, yes, they will hold you to that number. That is one of the reasons why you should never quote a number during the first call about a new project. Even if you know the cost, don't do it. When people would try to press my brother for a "ballpark number" he would tell them $7.
The response was always the same. "Seven dollars?!?" Well you said you weren't going to hold me to that number. If you want a real idea of the cost, let us do our work so we can talk real numbers and not fake numbers.
Second, I have found the car analogy to be a good one.
Q: "What does it cost to fix a car?"
A: "That depends on what kind of car it is and what's wrong with it. Same thing with a survey. Must answer many questions before we can begin to develop a professional proposal that will come with a prescribed course of action and an associated price for those actions."
Hope that helps.
Larry P
> Is there any GOOD way to answer this question?
Similar to what Larry said, I usually respond with, "That's like asking a surgeon 'How much for an operation?'"
Occasionally we get a question from a co-worker. It usually ends up going around in circles when we try to explain surveying. Most people think it's like calling the washing machine repairman. How much for a service call?
One day Dan and I had gone round and round with this lady, she's a nice person but kind of ditzy :-).
Dan finally just said, "I don't know what to tell you, Surveys have a lot of moving parts."
I've learned the hard way, don't do work for co-workers.
One technique I use is to laugh a bit before saying anything. Then, while chuckling, I point out that their question can't be answered so simply. A comparison I use is calling an auto dealership and asking how much a car costs. Two-door, four-door, old, new, fancy, plain, SUV, four wheel drive, etc.? That answer might vary from $80,000 down to "come drag it away, please".
Had a call a couple of days ago just like that. Simple rectangular tract at a section corner where I know the corner monuments exist. I thought I had asked all the standard questions before tossing out a ball park number. I know the fellow who owns the quarter section and recognized he was simply making some money by selling this land for far more than it would ever return agriculturally. But, I did say, as always, that I would do some research and get back to him with a better estimate before doing any field work.
Was at that courthouse yesterday on a different matter so grabbed the deed index book and opened to that section. BAMMMMMM! The client had already been deeded his tract. He didn't tell me that. He just said a five-acre rectangle in the corner. There's a tad bit of difference between doing that and doing "the west half of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of said section". First of all, I recently did a job in the north half of that section and already know there are no monuments at the center corner and north quarter corner. Plus, this is an exceptionally short east-west section 30. For non-PLSS surveyors, what that means is that when the original surveyors created the section it was approached first at the southeast corner. They went west until they hit an existing north-south range line. Any error from a standard one mile was placed in the west half of the southwest quarter. Then they returned to the southeast corner and went north one mile to the northeast corner. Then they went west again to the existing range line and again placed the error in the west half of the northwest quarter. Therefore, the center of section can be far from what would normally be thought of as the center of section. Also, what some might call the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter was labeled Lot 4 instead because it was not truly proportional. Sometimes people interchange the term Lot 4 with the term southwest quarter of the southwest quarter. I already know Lot 4 is about 300 feet short of being 1320 feet. So if I split Lot 4 into quarters and then calculate the west half of the southwest quarter of that I will get a distance of roughly 230 feet east-west. If I take the entire quarter section and follow the verbiage as deeded, ignoring the technical existence of Lot 4, I would get an east-west distance of about 280 feet. As the buyer and seller both intend for the tract to be very close to five acres, the east-west dimension will need to be close to 330 feet. At 230 feet, assuming a perfect north-south dimension of 660 feet, there would only be 3.48 acres instead of five.
If I had blindly agreed in writing to do it for $xxx I would lose my shirt on this one.
I have resolved many times not to give any prices or ranges over the phone, but they always keep pressing and break me down. They are very persistent.
>Must answer many questions before we can begin to develop a professional proposal that will come with a prescribed course of action and an associated price for those actions.
I'll have to rehearse this.
> When people would try to press my brother for a "ballpark number" he would tell them $7.
There are people who would hold me to the $7. Maybe I'll tell them $6 to get more work! Less profit, but I'll make it up on volume. 😉
On second thought, they would probably complain about the $6...
Yeah, when they won't listen and keep demanding a "rough cost" I simply say that my projects this year have ranged from $540 to $25,000 and theirs will probably fall in that range.
That usually shuts them up.
Just got off the phone with a client who wants to put a fence up on line. After taking a bit I said it could just be a matter of uncovering the existing monuments or a full blown Recorded survey. Range hundreds$ to thousands$. He is an electrician, so he understands not giving quotes site unseen. My standard comment is; it's like asking how deep is my well going to be?
Answer haven't drilled it yet so I don't know. I love to tell them to watch "MR. Blandings Builds His Dream House" Starring Carey Grant:-P
How much will it cost to fix my red car? It won't start.