Background: I received a call from a man who's elderly mother owned 2 lots in a 140 year old subdivision. The lady next door is apparently a jerk. Lady next door had her lot surveyed 10 years ago. His mother wants to sell the 2 lots....
Caller: I don't trust the surveyor who did the survey next door, I think he's wrong. Why: My mother's house is only 8 inches off the lot line and who would build a house that close, the power poles are a couple of feet off his surveyed lines and the city told my they place the power poles exactly on the line, I rented a transit and measured differently, and the city told me they look wrong. He's wrong, I tell you, and I want someone who is reputable and honest to resurvey our lines and get it right!!!!!
Me: Well, let me look up the survey and get back to you...
This morning...
Me: I found the survey. To do your survey, I need measure the entire block and see if there is a problem. Also, I would stake and map both of your mother's lots. I estimate the cost to be $XXXX.
Caller: (pause) That much? I talked to the surveyor who did the survey next door last night, and he said my mother's survey would be $(half of my estimate). I'll have to think about that and get back to you....
So the guy ranted and raved about the survey next door being wrong, but yet may get that surveyor because his estimate is half mine.
Ya just can't win sometime.
What does he think they guy is going to do? Come out and prove himself wrong?
I always tell people in a similar situation that it is highly unlikely that I don't match the previous survey.
I hate that moment of silence before they say, "That much?"
"I gotta get a surveyor out here like RIGHT NOW. This BS is gonna stop."
me: "Let me give you the cost here before I come out. Also, I'm not sure I can make it out today. For that job, you're looking at $600."
caller: "WHAT? Oh, man. That much? How much just to mark that one line?"
me: "I survey your ground and I survey it all."
caller: "Well, I can't see paying that much for you to come out here and show me where my line is. You're crazy."
I guess it wasn't urgent or serious enough for me to stop what I'm doing and shut that neighbor or his up.
A guy called me from about an hour away and said, "I need someone from out of town for this one. I don't trust the guy surveying out here now."
I looked it up and figured out why he called me. The locals don't even want to go up on Dunnings mountain. I'm not either.
I love reading the ring ring posts.
"Kiss My #*$ You F N DEUTCHE BAG Go *#@& Yourself,You over priced piece of #$@*,Trust Me I will SPREAD the word about Your OVER PRICED service provided By D.P.T. AKA DUMB PIECE OF TRASH"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is the email I received once, for a lot staking about an hour away. I believe I proposed $900. Oh yeah, the real email had the real words in place...
This was yesterday but here goes
Caller: I need a survey in XXX addition in (an adjoining town)
Me: We have a note in the file to never work there again
Caller: Why
Me: People don't want to pay the price to figure out where all the lines are. We have tried a few times and it's gonna be tough.
Caller: I know where my lines are
Me: Then why do you need a surveyor
Caller: The lady next door is stealing land
Me: Tell her to stop that you know where your lines are
Caller: I just need a surveyor to tell her
Me: Okay, but I'll need $XXXX up front
Caller: I need help! I'm not paying that! Why don't you help people?!?
Me: I don't like to pay to work. If I do it very long, I won't be able to keep the doors open.
Caller: I need help!
Me: Call so and so. He's worked up there.
Caller: I did and he gave me your number. I need help!
Me: Call someone else (who I referred).
Then I called the other surveyor and jokingly asked him why he was mad at me and what I had done to draw such a crappy referral. We both laughed. I'm not working up there again. It's in a part of town that you really need security with you and a helluva lot of money up front.
[sarcasm]Well, since you feel so strongly about it, I can cut the price.
What do you feel about $899.50?[/sarcasm]
I had a similar call. A few months back I received a call from a lady who said that the neighbor was stealing her land. I gave the lady a fairly low price to survey the parcel as I work near there often. The survey was fairly straight forward and I see no major issues with no one stealing any land. I walk the land with the owners explain what I found and tell them there is no evidence of any land being stolen. I set my pins and they pay my fee. All is good in the world. Fast forward 2 months and I receive a call from this lady who tells me she is not happy, she thinks I had a meeting with the neighbors and I am in cahoots with the whole lot. Why wasnt she included in this meeting, she wants to know. I explain to her that I only spoke to the neighbors on the phone (and she gave me the phone number) to inquire about who did their survey and to see if I could get a copy. She insists they have built a house on her land and she is going to find a way to prove it. She now knows that I am just as bad as the rest of them,and she is sorry she ever called me. On that point, we agree. I am pretty much done surveying for anyone where they have "a problem". Usually, they are their own problem.
SWMBO had a call from a person who wanted to put up a fence in a small town about an hour away.
"Will it be more than $50 ?" was the question.
When told I could not drive there for that $50, she ably displayed her knowledge level of finance and I didn't bother calling back as it was long distance.
So it's not just in the sublatitudes.
Cheers,
Derek
Kinda the same thing here.
Caller says she had her property surveyed by so and so 5 years ago and she is refinancing and her lender is requiring a new survey.
I give her a cost estimate and she begins to choke and cough on the phone.
I tell her to get in touch with the previous surveyor and just maybe he can do some sort of updated survey on his prior work, but I would have to start from scratch.
3 days later, she calls and tells me to proceed and where can she met me with payment.
The other surveyor is nobody I ever heard of, so he must have been one of those low-balling sob's that came thru here at that time.
I saw his plat today and he held record on the entire property. I mean exactly to the 0.01 and to the second of record. We all know what that means.
Randy
> I saw his plat today and he held record on the entire property. I mean exactly to the 0.01 and to the second of record. We all know what that means.
Kent was the surveyor who set the original corners 😀
My ring-ring started with an email request. Out of state lawyer representing a client wanting to purchase a fast food restaurant. They need an ALTA and time frame. I respond with a request for Table A. The response I get, "just a minimum ALTA."
I call the guys and inquire further. He has no clue. "Title company just said to get a minimum ALTA."
I tell him I'll prepare an estimate based upon what we normally include in our minimum Table A items. While preparing the estimate, I get another email...."can we get it by next Friday? and if so factor in an extra fee for rush service if you have to."
Great, I just got permission to add $500 to my estimate:-D
Phone just rang. frantically "We need to get an estimate for an ALTA done ASAP. We already got one number for over $XXXX. Did we call you yet?"
"Yes, we gave you the number you just quoted"
"OH, is it because this is a rush job"
"Yes"
"What if we gave you 2 weeks?"
"We can have the job done for $(xxxx-500ish) AFTER we recieve the Title Commitment and Schedule B documents. Do you have a Title Commitment?"
"No"
"We need a Title Commitment to do the job"
"OK, I'll call you back"
They just emailed again asking if it would be cheaper if they gave us two weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with two buffoons in the same office. I wonder if they know my rates go up next week..B-)
No, Kent was not the prior surveyor.
Believe me, I would love to show this Surveyor's name and his plat, but I will not.
I have never followed one of Kent's survey's that I am aware of and I do not know if he has followed one of mine, but I am sure it would be at the very least, be a real on the ground survey with meaningful info that our rule and regulations demand.
I know you have read about how big Texas is, but believe me its a big son of a gun and most who post here have never met each other or have worked anywhere near each other.
Randy
lol....er....you did get the joke, right?
Sorry, not in a joking mood with crap like this.
Have a great weekend everybody
Randy
It's been known to happen
> You F N DEUTCHE BAG
I'd never realized that you were German, Don. Was the original spelling Puhl and it just just got anglicized? Understandable that one of the Cape Cod residents would misspell "DEUTSCHE".
I hate when people balk at my prices. Occasionally I will get a call to survey someone's lot. I think the going rate starts around $400 around here, but I usually ask for $600-$700+ (mainly because I dont like doing them). So I usually get asked if I am willing to "come off" my price. I say, "Sorry dude/mam but I don't negotiate my rates... would you ask a doctor to "come off" his price to cure your cancer? What about a tutor to help fix your son's speech delay? I know we aren't dealing with life and death, but I refuse to negotiate my rates.
Kent, I Think He Misspelled Douche
Paul in PA
The other statement he made was "I want you to start your survey from such and such point". I stopped him immediately and said "Sorry, but you're not going to tell me how to complete my survey or even suggest how I complete it".
The other problem with surveys like this is that he has a preconceived idea of where the line should be (power poles, etc), and a contrary solution is wrong. Then it's a battle getting paid.
No thanks.