I get this call from a woman who wants to cut out ten acres out of 83 acres for her son. I am talking to her trying to get some info, but someone is talking in the background. Turns out it is the son, and he takes the phone. They want an estimate for work, and I try to ask questions, but the son just keeps telling me I only need to survey the two new lines and not to worry about the existing boundary. I don't have anything in front of me to show me what shape the land is, so I tell them I will call them back in a few minutes.
I kinda got the feeling I didn't want this job due to the know-it-all attitude of the son. Plus, the mother told me she was just diagnosed with cancer, and here he is yelling at her telling her she was confusing me. Ticked me off from the start.
So I pull up the county gis and see that the shape of the parent parcel is kind of in the shape of a sideways "H". I think the lot needs to be cut out of one of the corners, and there is a strip included that is about 200' wide and 900' long. I figure if the ten acres comes out of that area, I will have to survey at least 6000' feet of existing boundary in order to cut out the 10 acres.
I called the son back today to better determine where the 10 acres will sit in order to give him the price. He lets me talk for awhile and then interrupts and said someone else gave him a price of $475.
I don't know who gave him that price. This is down in Dave Ingram land, and I know Dave wouldn't do it for that. How can I compete against that? Glad I didn't give the guy my price, he would have told everyone in the county that I was a crook.
If he wanted to cut off 10 acres on one of the legs of the "H" wouldn't he just need one line surveyed?
Around here that job would run $20K+, and we would have to show the whole of the property. I'm not sure I would touch it for less than $25K... But of course land is in the $200k/acre range.
you dodged a bullet
it would have been a bear of a survey and then mr smarty pants wouldn't have paid you until momma died
I doubt that anyone actually would have quoted that price to cut out 10 acres. Consider yourself lucky that you don't have him as a client.
> you dodged a bullet
>
> it would have been a bear of a survey and then mr smarty pants wouldn't have paid you until momma died
I think I did dodge a bullet as far as dealing with the son. I would have been paid up front, for sure. This was farmland, open except for the fencelines,so I could have set up in the open for the most part. Looked like a good survey, except for the son. I am kinda glad to not be doing it, but the fact that someone else will do it for $475 is just depressing. I hope they lose their butt on the job.
> I doubt that anyone actually would have quoted that price to cut out 10 acres. Consider yourself lucky that you don't have him as a client.
I don't doubt what he said was true. I never gave my price, and the son never asked, just said they had that quote and would not be using my services. He wasn't trying to talk me down.
> If he wanted to cut off 10 acres on one of the legs of the "H" wouldn't he just need one line surveyed?
He told me he had two new lines in mind. The leg of the "H" would only have been part of it. The rest of the land would come out of the main part of the land. To establish a new corner on an existing line I would have to survey the entire line, of course, and the two existing lines in question are a couple of thousand feet long themselves.
>
> Around here that job would run $20K+, and we would have to show the whole of the property. I'm not sure I would touch it for less than $25K... But of course land is in the $200k/acre range.
We would never see that around here, even in the good times. The big problem right now is that there are just too many surveyors and not enough clients. Still, I don't see how $475 would cover it if the job was done correctly.
The review and recordation fees would be more than $475 down here. I'm sure the attorney who draws up the deed is charging more than that as well. "Move along folks, nothing to see here."
just to be a nice guy you should go find all the pins for the lowballer, then pull them up and deliver them to his office so he can find them easy.
I have found you need hear no more than a minute from a price shopping prospect to know that in their mind, price is God.
First chance I can get a word in edgewise I politely let them know I am nothing like the cheapest, so seek on as you will.
Can't know how many hours of time I have saved over the years by learning this early on.
T.P., I got the bad vibe early on, but I thought I would at least come up with a price.
I would guess the "someone" is either unlicensed, baiting him with a low price only to add extra charges or to put it kindly "not very smart". There is no way you can survey 10 Acres that is in compliance with State Code for field work and proper research for $475 unless you like giving your services away. Even if the land was wide open and you could do the research, field work and draw the plat in 12 hours as a solo operator that would be less than $40.00/Hr. Seriously? Will the low-ballers ever learn?
Phil
No way you get $20,000 to survey 10 acres; or even the 80 acres.
> No way you get $20,000 to survey 10 acres; or even the 80 acres.
I am pretty sure, if we can get close to that around here where the land prices aren't near that high, they can.
Lots of surveyors out there that don't realize how much money they leave on the table.
I'd love to get $20,000 to survey 10 acres. Problem is that the land wouldn't sell for that much to start with.
we get that all the time. depends on where you are I suppose...
Ring, ring>holycow
83 acres, not 10...
> we get that all the time. depends on where you are I suppose...
Very much depends on where you are...that is true across this state, as well as across the country.
Ring, ring>holycow
Why sell the 10 acres if the survey is going to cost more than what you receive from the sale of those 10 acres?
Ring, ring> A joke son
That was a joke son, a joke I'm saying!
If he wanted to cut off 10 acres on one of the legs of the "H" wouldn't he just need one line surveyed?
Last 100 acre boundary I worked on totaled out at $35K (boundary only), and after court about $65K. my client had to file suit to prevent a land grab.
