Lee D, post: 404172, member: 7971 wrote: Yeah, when people are affected by natural disasters we tend to help each other out... that's how we roll down here:cool:
Okay - if we're talking about charitable donations my comments are all moot... I thought we were talking about business and the good of the profession. Hope you're all taking the tax breaks for it.
We do about 3-4 a year and have never done one for less than $2,000, some have been double that. Do not sell yourself short on the fee. I used to get very upset at others that undercut and undermine the profession but there is nothing i can do about that. What I can control is my price, my fee and my level of comfort with the end product and I concentrate on that.
Jim in AZ, post: 404195, member: 249 wrote: Hope you're all taking the tax breaks for it.
I would assume that the firm I spoke of in a previous post is taking whatever tax breaks they can, they've literally done hundreds of them at $200 below their normal rate. I spoke with them on Monday, they're still swamped.
I realize that it's impossible for anyone who hasn't been to a disaster area to understand the magnitude of it, but tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed by the flooding in South Louisiana earlier this year, and many of the affected areas were not in flood zones and had never flooded to anyone's knowledge. One of the things that came out of that is that now FEMA requires you to have an elevation certificate in order to qualify for assistance, let alone get flood insurance, so right now there's a huge demand for them. I would imagine that will continue to be the case well into next year.
I'm assuming that the guys who are doing them cheap are knocking out ten per day with either a one man crew using network RTK and a laser level or a two man crew. I would also imagine that they're scheduling them so that those ten are all within a couple mile radius of one another.
I'm in Houma; we weren't flooded on this side of the river and the firm I work for doesn't do ECs. But I have friends and acquaintances who work in the greater Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas and obviously we've discussed all of this.
WA-ID Surveyor, post: 404199, member: 6294 wrote: We do about 3-4 a year and have never done one for less than $2,000,
Lee D, post: 404212, member: 7971 wrote: I'm assuming that the guys who are doing them cheap are knocking out ten per day
Like WA-ID I do these things only occasionally. But I can see doing 5 a day if I was doing them everyday and there wasn't a lot of drive time between them. At that rate money could be made at $250, more or less, per.
Lee D, post: 404212, member: 7971 wrote: I'm assuming that the guys who are doing them cheap are knocking out ten per day with either a one man crew using network RTK and a laser level or a two man crew. I would also imagine that they're scheduling them so that those ten are all within a couple mile radius of one another.
We use a 1-hr static session with VRS shots taken at the beginning and end as checks. One-man crew with a laser level.
Back in 93 I stood on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River. 17 miles east I could barely make out the far bank. We did tons of e-certs that year, sometimes 5 or 6 in one short level run. We made reasonable profit and learned a lot about flood plain regulation...
I understand the special circumstances here, and might do the same thing in a similar situation. Unfortunately though, all those hundreds or thousands of clients statewide have now been trained that a survey is a commodity that can be bought for $250, like any hammer at the sporting goods store. Good luck going higher when things change. We all know that clients will be pissed at that point and think all surveyors are crooks. Many probably are already, because someone's $250 cert is higher than what the guy down the street paid at $215 or $225. Also, when things slow down from this crisis, it is likely that some poor sap(s) is going to charge even less (say $175 or $200) in order to "keep food on the table", instead of changing their niche. How sick I am of hearing that old chestnut.
If nothing else, surveyors should put the real price on their invoices, show an %80 discount (or whatever) for "Volume Pricing Due to Flooding", "Helping out a Fellow Human", etc. Whatever the motivation for going so low. If only we know that our clients are getting a deal, they will think we are screwing them the next time they need one at full price.
Surveyors (as a group) are terrible at explaining what we do and the cost of what we do. If no one knows why their survey was so cheap, then it wasn't cheap, it was full price.
Paul, post: 404242, member: 624 wrote: I understand the special circumstances here, and might do the same thing in a similar situation. Unfortunately though, all those hundreds or thousands of clients statewide have now been trained that a survey is a commodity that can be bought for $250, like any hammer at the sporting goods store. Good luck going higher when things change. We all know that clients will be pissed at that point and think all surveyors are crooks. Many probably are already, because someone's $250 cert is higher than what the guy down the street paid at $215 or $225. Also, when things slow down from this crisis, it is likely that some poor sap(s) is going to charge even less (say $175 or $200) in order to "keep food on the table", instead of changing their niche. How sick I am of hearing that old chestnut.
If nothing else, surveyors should put the real price on their invoices, show an %80 discount (or whatever) for "Volume Pricing Due to Flooding", "Helping out a Fellow Human", etc. Whatever the motivation for going so low. If only we know that our clients are getting a deal, they will think we are screwing them the next time they need one at full price.
Surveyors (as a group) are terrible at explaining what we do and the cost of what we do. If no one knows why their survey was so cheap, then it wasn't cheap, it was full price.
You bring up a great point - the survey should be invoiced with a line at $550 (or whatever) for the survey and a second line saying "2016 Flooding Event Discount" (or whatever) -$200 and a total at the bottom of $350. People should definitely understand that they're receiving a discount due to the circumstances but that discount does not reflect the actual price of the work.
I also agree that some of the folks who got an EC for $250 are going to have sticker shock if and when they need boundary work done.
To be honest though, these were the prices for several firms prior to the flood. The small, hungry firms apparently cut their prices to the bone to keep a steady flow of ECs coming in the door. Larger firms, or firms that don't do a lot of these, keep their prices higher. It's certainly an odd market for sure.
Lee D, post: 404258, member: 7971 wrote: I also agree that some of the folks who got an EC for $250 are going to have sticker shock if and when they need boundary work done.
I've received many calls for boundary work after doing an EC. I have to refer those calls to licensed surveyors and I have no clue what they charge for those.
andrewm, post: 404260, member: 10888 wrote: I've received many calls for boundary work after doing an EC. I have to refer those calls to licensed surveyors and I have no clue what they charge for those.
You are preparing elevation certificates but you aren't licensed?
Jim in AZ, post: 404278, member: 249 wrote: You are preparing elevation certificates but you aren't licensed?
Some states allow engineers to perform elevation work.
I believe Andrewm is a P.E. This thread reminds me of Title Surveying 15 years ago in my area. $250 each, 6 a day. At least we have advanced some, it's now $300 for a Title Survey in the city. Real Estate agents and title companies think I'm a crook when I tell them anything more.
Licensed civil engineer. Legal for engineers in Louisiana to perform all aspects of surveying and mapping except for boundary surveying.
Surveyors, engineers and architects may do them.
Holy Cow, post: 404287, member: 50 wrote: Surveyors, engineers and architects may do them.
If authorized to do so by each state.
$200 for any field + office service. Wow. Sad.
In my opinion the elevation certificate may be the highest liability job a surveyor can do. A little fee for a whole lot of liability. So why not charge an appropriate fee for the service? I charge a whole lot more than what I'm seeing stated here. If I can't absolutely accurately determine a good elevation and BFE, I do not want any part of it.
