$698 for ALTA with Topo

Just makes you sick doesn't it? :-@

I'm generally a big proponent of what anyone else charges is solely their business as long as they meet the standards of practice.

However, that is a dismally small number even for covering any one small portion of the job.

Since you know the numbers, do you know who "won"? Not that I want a name, I'm just wondering if it was a mulch-discipline company that expects to make it up by engineer, design and architect fees. So they threw the surveyors under the bus.

The firm's website claims to be a surveying and engineering firm. From the looks of it, the surveyor and engineer are equals.

The redneck is me is tempted to post the company's name in order to subject them to public ridicule.

In addition to the Table A requirements, the state requires three mylars and the survey has to be on State Plane Coordinates.

It makes me sick for sure.

The hungry, starving, cheap guys have seemed to have vanished from my little ol corner of Texas.

Maybe they are busy in the shale oil fields or maybe they starved out, don't know, don't care.

Good riddance and never come back here with your 2 for 1 surveys, your $250 dollar land title surveys, your sales pitches that only a desperate rookie real estate agent would fall for.

I almost want to expose the names and publish the flyers that have come across the wire here in the last few years that have whored themselves. Believe me I have a rather large file of this crap.

Randy

> It makes me sick for sure.
>
> The hungry, starving, cheap guys have seemed to have vanished from my little ol corner of Texas.
>
> Maybe they are busy in the shale oil fields or maybe they starved out, don't know, don't care.
>
> Good riddance and never come back here with your 2 for 1 surveys, your $250 dollar land title surveys, your sales pitches that only a desperate rookie real estate agent would fall for.
>
> I almost want to expose the names and publish the flyers that have come across the wire here in the last few years that have whored themselves. Believe me I have a rather large file of this crap.
>
>
>
> Randy

I think they all moved to Florida.

I just cannot believe that anyone can make a dime on that.

> In addition to the Table A requirements, the state requires three mylars and the survey has to be on State Plane Coordinates.

Why does the state require this? Are there recording requirements for all surveys?
By the way, I visited Knoxville Saturday and enjoyed my time there very much!;-)

> It makes me sick for sure.
>
> The hungry, starving, cheap guys have seemed to have vanished from my little ol corner of Texas.
>
> Maybe they are busy in the shale oil fields or maybe they starved out, don't know, don't care.
>
> Good riddance and never come back here with your 2 for 1 surveys, your $250 dollar land title surveys, your sales pitches that only a desperate rookie real estate agent would fall for.
>
> I almost want to expose the names and publish the flyers that have come across the wire here in the last few years that have whored themselves. Believe me I have a rather large file of this crap.
>
>
>
> Randy

Randy,

The published and handed out the flyers for public consumption, right? I don't see how that could be a problem if you wanted to post a few.

You made a key point; engineering and surveying. I've worked for more than 1 company where surveying was the loss leader. It's hard to compete with people that give away work in order to keep crews busy with the mindset that they'll make it up on an engineering job. I wonder how they would feel if SURVEYING and engineering firms gave away $200 grading plans with the standard houseline surveys (topo/grading plan/building stake/final survey). I recently raised my prices, and I have heard of firms lowering their's to get more work. It's not an easy thing to provide a service that nobody wants, few people understand, and the value of the service doesn't become apparent unless there is a msjor issue with the results.

I might do the drafting for $698! Ridiculous!

so this is what the race to the bottom looks like

These people do not know what they are doing and if they do they cannot possible deliver on any level of professional duty they have as licensee's of the state where they practice. It amounts to fraud for them to represent that the product they will deliver will be fit for it's intended purpose.

I can't even read throught a title and plot the easements onsite for that price, let alone show improvements in offsite easements that affect the property! Is it a national firm? Something like Bock & Clark or US Surveyor?

I don't see a problem with it.

[sarcasm]I'm sure that the score of the ballgame had nothing to do with your enjoyment of our fine town.[/sarcasm];-)

It astounds me that so many can complain about the price, yet so few realize that the price is NOT THE ISSUE! I could care less what another surveyor wishes to charge for their service. What I do care about is the quality of the product they provide.

It makes no difference whether a crappy survey is provided to the client for $698 or $6980. We are the profession who are affected by the crappy survey. We are the profession which is licensed to protect the public. We are the only ones who can recognize it and we are the only ones who can do something about it. Tar and feathers used to work well.

There are ways to humiliate those among the ranks who fail to perform to the ordinary and prudent standards. Or, are we too afraid to properly police our own profession? Or, are we too afraid that our own product will fail the inquisition?

JBS

while it is not my business what others charge for their services, I do believe they know their true worth.

Wonder why they didn't bid $699.00.

> Wonder why they didn't bid $699.00.

+$0.99
Using the ole' six-ninety-nine-ninety-nine, is the only way to really attract customers.

On the other hand, price could be the only issue. How could you get quality, educated, experienced people in an endeavor that does not pay well?

If an ALTA survey as described will sell for that price; given the hours involved; how can you sell that as an occupation worth pursuing?

It's a vicious circle.