real estate companys

[jacob land and]

last season i called a few local real estate companys to see if they were happy with their lawn service companys and i got kind of a cold shoulder, i know it was late but still? are real estate companys worth pursuing this season or are they not interested in lawn companys? i thought that they had to have a company mowing their propertys where no one lived at, am i wrong or what?

[1MajorTom]

We have in the past worked for a few real estate companies. I have read where some have said it's hard to get payment from them, but with our experience, we never had a problem.
I sent a letter to a couple realtors in the spring one year and enclosed some business cards.
A lot of times these realtors aren't looking for top notch service, they are just looking to keep the property maintained so it can sell. Do not price by the cut, you may get burned because more then likely they won't want weekly service. We charged a flat monthly fee to maintain the property. Real estate properties are ok i guess to use as fill in work, but it's been our experience they aren't the best accounts to have. If you need extra fill in work, send out a professional looking letter. I think I started the letter out something like this:

Dear (insert realtor's name)
Your clients are in a hurry to sell their home. Why not let the lawn be the welcome mat that catches the eye of the prospective buyer. (Insert your business name) can help you get your houses noticed and sold .. blah, blah, blah, and so on. Corny I know, but it caught the eyes of both realtors we sent it to.

[NickN]

I'm going to a meeting with about 150 local realtors in a month,mainly to give a seminar about landscaping and how it increases curb appeal,show them before and after pics,explain which colors stand out best,etc.,,I'll ask them what they think is the best way for a lawn care company to approach them and I'll let ya know what I find out.

[qualitylawnmanagement]

Realtor are a good way to make money and land commercial jobs. Say a big company buys some land builds a building, So he asks the Realtor who is a good company to do my maintenance, She refers your company to the person. I've got a bunch of jobs from my mom who's a Realtor. I would also go talk to the banks, I do alot of jobs for the banks just mow down the grass and go. If you get the connections with these two place you can be making easy money.

[kbacon3231]

Last year a realtor called out of the blue with a few of homes they need taken care of. I tell you what they are the easiest people to work with. They called told me what properties they needed maintained and didnt even want an estimate. So i mow, bill them once a month and get paid. No questions asked. By the end of the year i was doing 7 properties for them. But there is a down side. Not all of their properties are in the area i like to stay in. So i just charge a little more for the ones out of the way. My partner called them last week to touch base with them and they will be using us for sure. So with my experience with them they are good to get in with. I wonder who really pays for the lawn maintenance the realtor or do they pass on the costs to the future homeowner?

[1MajorTom]

. I wonder who really pays for the lawn maintenance the realtor or do they pass on the costs to the future homeowner?
I think it really depends upon the agreeement. I know a few of the properties we mainainted, the realtor contacted us for the seller and set up the terms, but it was the seller themselves that footed the bill at the end of the month. And then sometimes it was the realtor that would pay us.

[kbacon3231]

i guess as long as i get payed every month it really makes no difference to mepayup .

[BCFLawnLandscape]

I think it really depends upon the agreeement. I know a few of the properties we mainainted, the realtor contacted us for the seller and set up the terms, but it was the seller themselves that footed the bill at the end of the month. And then sometimes it was the realtor that would pay us.


Worked for a few realtors this is the way it was handled on my end as well. Realtor sets it up, passes it on to the home owner who now lives in a different state/city or whatever, Sometimes you win with this... Sometimes you don't. Had one guy refuse to pay for last cut because it was a week before the purchase closing on the house. So take it for what's it worth!

[jacob land and]

thanks guys it definitly sounds worth pursuing, i will try the bank to that was a good idea i missed.

[nobagger]

We got in with a real estate company last year and what a PITA! They wanted dirt cheap prices and I really can't answer what they looked for in the finished product. I bid several apartment complexes and I thought is was a very very competitive bid and I was sent a letter stating "Thank you for taking the time and effort to consider our properties...yada yada yada. The one property had 6 separate buildings right next to each other and not very big yards but it came out to an unbelievable rate of $10.68 per yard (granted we could have done the 12 yards in roughly 1 1/2 hrs but come on. We were "considerably higher" than the lowest bidder. Whatever! I'm not wasting my time and effort anymore on real estate companies:mad:

[grass_cuttin_fool]

Ive worked for a real estate company and had good luck. They paid well, the downside was often they call and wanted me to go right to a piece of property and mow it and the other thing was payment. I always got paid but a bank owned alot of the homes I was maintaining, I turned in a monthly bill to the Agent and then they turned it in to the Bank, so most of the time it was 6-8 weeks before I got my money.

wayne

[PMLAWN]

Work for a lot of real estate agents. (I am a realtor), Do some rentals and also vacant listing maintenance. Do a lot of clean up for listing (curb appeal).
This is a good example of "knowing you customer" and selling to them. Even though a seller will pay the invoice your customer is the agent. And you are selling them more commission and faster closings which lead to more listings and MORE money- so sell that to them and they become your assistant salesperson!

Look for a flyer distrbution service to the agents- (ask agents you know) Around here we can send over 900 flyers to all agents in the area for $20.00 per time. It is the cheapest advertizing I do. Also agents are some of the busiest people I know so they will get there own grass cut too.
I find that the one or two time gigs will pay more but you need to be able to handle the extra work in a timely matter.
I also have never had a problem getting paid.
I also do handyman work and get a load of work from agents

[Carolina Cutter]

last season i called a few local real estate companys to see if they were happy with their lawn service companys and i got kind of a cold shoulder, i know it was late but still? are real estate companys worth pursuing this season or are they not interested in lawn companys? i thought that they had to have a company mowing their propertys where no one lived at, am i wrong or what?


I am a REALTOR and a lawn service company owner. I cannot however mix the too....too many sticky situations doing that.

I can answer some of your questions as they come in if you would like...I will answer them honestly....so if you don't like the answer, don't flame.....but all in all....REALTORs get paid when the deal closes so they call you and pay you, it is coming out of their pocket UNLESS the seller has agreed to pay for the services.

[Carolina Cutter]

Ive worked for a real estate company and had good luck. They paid well, the downside was often they call and wanted me to go right to a piece of property and mow it and the other thing was payment. I always got paid but a bank owned alot of the homes I was maintaining, I turned in a monthly bill to the Agent and then they turned it in to the Bank, so most of the time it was 6-8 weeks before I got my money.

wayne


The reason they probably wanted you to go right then was that they had a showing that day and wanted the property to look its best!

Start a company that caters to this and I think you could be rich! Your schedule would of course be erratic but it would be good money...I think anyway.

[PMLAWN]

The reason they probably wanted you to go right then was that they had a showing that day and wanted the property to look its best!

Start a company that caters to this and I think you could be rich! Your schedule would of course be erratic but it would be good money...I think anyway.

You are right about the timing and the money as people will pay more for a one time service than a week after week deal (higher profit margin)

Merlin-- Disclose Disclose Disclose-- 3 magic words. You can avoid the "sticky situation" as long as every body knows what and who is doing work and making money

At Lake Norman Realty we have a Mortgage company-- Insurance Company-- and a Title company all owned by the same people. We tell customers this and if they become clients one of the papers they sign is a disclosure stating that fact. Most clients are happy about the personal "in house" service but they need to know ALL up front. And as far as working for the agent direct there is no problem. I have done a lot of work direct for agents, Doing the initial clean-up before showing and the agent pays me as it is in his or hers best interest to make it look good.
Don't sell the mowers yet!! (Merlin)

[PMLAWN]

Merlin, Let me add that I do not do work direct for my own RE client. That can get too sticky!:)

[garth1967]

slow payers ......really slow.

[Carolina Cutter]

Merlin, Let me add that I do not do work direct for my own RE client. That can get too sticky!:)

That is what I was referencing too......too bad...that would be a great point in gaining listings.....I will list your house and give it curb appeal....:rolleyes:

[General Landscaping]

If you get stuck with a bill... are you able to collect from the new homeowners(lien)? Are you stuck with collecting from the realtor?

[nherweck]

I've worked with one relator, and so far so good! I've been paid promptly and the properties have never been too bad.

[Signature Landscaping1]

I worked for one real esate agent, doing one prop, she owes me $120, its been a year and a half and still no pay, i went to her office, i called her i went to her house, still she manages to escape.

[Carolina Cutter]

If you get stuck with a bill... are you able to collect from the new homeowners(lien)? Are you stuck with collecting from the realtor?

As I see it it depends on who ordered the service. If the REALTOR ordered it to make the property have curb appeal on their own then they should be responsible. If it was the sellers, they are probably gonna be hard to track down. If a REALTOR ordered the service and the house sold, No, you cannot charge or put a lien against the new homeowner as the service was not ordered by them nor were they a party to the agreement.

Thats my view anyway.

[Reliable Lawns]

My 2 cents is: I have had a great couple of seasons with a realty co. Never been late in payments and usually keeps me on approx 4 to 8 lawns at any given time. The agent actually pays out of his account and gets reimbursed at closing.
I like the bank idea, but I haven't had great response from them.

[rustyb265]

I just got my first job from a real estate company. The company speciallizes in renting houses in the summer. I simply sent them a letter saying who I am and what I do along with a few business cards. Got my first refferal from them a week later. Hopefully many more to come as I am just starting out!!! I am also going to offer off-season home security and thought that a rental company would be a good place to start for that too. Good luck!!