Having work booked 5 to 6 weeks out is fantastic. Especially with the economic situation of the economy. Are you a licensed general contractor or do you operate under a GC's license?
I'm with you 100% when it comes to low ballers. Roof and exterior cleaning is only one peice of the puzzle that puts food on my table so I refuse to lower my estimates and leave money on the table. I posted a few Craigslist adds, where guys are advertising to clean houses that are 2,000 sf and under, pressure wash the drivaway and decks for $200. Unlike these guys, I pay taxes, carry insurance and other miscellaneous costs that are involved when running a legitimate business. I'm not willing to give my services away for a case of beer .
Like you, I price my jobs accordingly and actually beat out low ballers because most homeowners know when a deal is to good to be true. I also recommend to the homeowner that they request a certificate of insurance with estimates and that really sifts out the "will work for beer" type of guys.
I would run as fast as I could from adds like this:
Well 5 to 6 weeks is ok , in the hay day we were booked 6 to 7 months and turning work down . I hold a MHIC licence (md home improvement ) , journeyman plumbers license , and a maryland home builders license, and shortly a md home inspector license. I dont see that we are in as a downturn in the economy , I see it as a slight dip prior to things returning to normal . Things between 1999 and 2006 were way to the right of normal. Now we are a bit below "normal" but I realy see where we are as an opportunity , and a big one at that . Both in business and investment . Too many guys got too big too quick , never saw the light at the end of the tunnel . They were over extended , cocky , and unprepared for the bump in the road . All my subs are small quality contractors , 3 to 4 employees , able to weather the storm . We are all busy , if someone is slow , and has extra guys they send out a mass text message , someone else usually puts the extra guys to work . This business climate is almost exactly the same as the early 80's , its tough , but in the 80's there wasnt the internet , the consumer has way too much information available to them , they are much more educated , their questions are much more specific .In the 80's intrest rates were 11 to 13 per cent , people spent wisely , now that intrest rates are 4% people cant get loans , so they are spending wisely ...............again.
Israel is expected to start bombing Iran very shortly, but they won't be able to handle it, so we will have to jump in and finish the Job, We have to help Israel, Israel is Gods chosen country. The end of time are near.
Iran is months away from having a nuke, and Israel is within striking distance of Iran. Israel is not going to allow that to happen, so they are going to go bomb Iran any day. Iran don't have the bombs to penetrate 200 feet below the surface, but we got the God oh might bunker busters, and if they don't work we will nuke em. the end of time is near.
Israel is expected to start bombing Iran very shortly, but they won't be able to handle it, so we will have to jump in and finish the Job, We have to help Israel, Israel is Gods chosen country. The end of time are near.
you do understand that israel's PM has actually told america they do not want our help..
they also have over 300 nukes in their arsenal. have never signed the geneva conventions, and can easily take care of themselves..
they didnt WIN it the 6 day war for nothing...
I think MLK said it best... “Don’t let anybody make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justicejudgment and it seems that I can hear God saying to America “you are too arrogant, and if you don’t change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn’t even know my name. Be still and know that I’m God.”
-- Edited by jcstomper on Saturday 4th of February 2012 05:51:58 PM
-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Lanoka Harbor NJ 609-971-6553 on Sunday 5th of February 2012 11:50:52 PM
maybe you should check your facts too... see below in BOLD.
about Debka:
Wired.com's Noah Shachtman wrote in 2001 that the site "clearly reports with a point of view; the site is unabashedly in the hawkish camp of Israeli politics," adding that Debka had partnered with the right-wing news site WorldNetDaily for a weekly subscription product.[3]Yediot Achronotinvestigative reporter Ronen Bergman states that the site relies on information from sources with an agenda, such as neo-conservative elements of the US Republican Party, "whose worldview is that the situation is bad and is only going to get worse," and that Israeli intelligence officials do not consider even 10 percent of the site's content to be reliable.[1]Cornell Law professor Michael C. Dorf calls Debka his "favorite alarmist Israeli website trading in rumors."[4]
Israel is expected to start bombing Iran very shortly, but they won't be able to handle it, so we will have to jump in and finish the Job, We have to help Israel, Israel is Gods chosen country. The end of time are near.
you do understand that israel's PM has actually told america they do not want our help..
they also have over 300 nukes in their arsenal. have never signed the geneva conventions, and can easily take care of themselves..
they didnt WIN it the 6 day war for nothing...
I think MLK said it best... “Don’t let anybody make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justicejudgment and it seems that I can hear God saying to America “you are too arrogant, and if you don’t change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn’t even know my name. Be still and know that I’m God.”
-- Edited by jcstomper on Saturday 4th of February 2012 05:51:58 PM
Just keep in mind that I knew before hand that the Patriots were going to lose too! notice I posted that topic before the game started.