The Green Industry's Resource Center

pseudosun · #21 03-04-2013, 06:37 PM

Doesn't seem good to me. Your current 32 accounts sound great. You may even pick up more from word of mouth. I wouldn't fool with that real estate deal at all. For new customers, i never agree to get paid monthly. On 50 accounts, the chance of them yanking you in some way is very high. Realtors are cheap, and i don't like saying that word. Once, a realtor said she needed someone for "cheap", and thought that the opportunity would sound attractive to me. I actually told her that i don't like the word cheap.

weeze · #22 03-04-2013, 06:54 PM

that's why i said get paid first if they pay monthly. no risk at all.

or at the very least get paid weekly if they can't pay before you cut.

try it a week and see what happens. if you don't get paid don't cut anymore until you do get paid.

Snapper Jack · #23 03-04-2013, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zackvbra

Hey shut up! lol. I've only been doing this for four years. Still got a lot to learn.

Then read "Carefully" to the "Wisdom" posted by the "Pros" who've been in this business longer than you have. The realtors are looking for a sucker,so do a search to educate yourself on the business swindling tactics of Realtors and Bankers

zackvbra · #24 03-05-2013, 11:56 AM

Update: I agreed to take on 4 of the properties, and cut them one time, for right now, because 4 of them need mowing pretty bad. I told her I just want to see how this goes, and I'm gonna knock them out this week as they fit in my route, and get paid, and see how it goes. If I dont like the way they do business, I'll tell them to find someone else. I might even tell them I'll take on only like 10 of them, because thats all that I feel comfortable dealing with, along with my other 33 (now) customers. If they don't like that, then they should have no trouble finding another person.

I figured by only taking on 4 of them right now, its not a lot of risk, because they agreed to pay me just as soon as I Finish them all, and I come up to the office.

And I figured 10 wouldnt be so bad. It wouldnt be streching me past my limits, but it would still give me that little income bump I could definetly use. (I wanna buy a br600) But only if I like how it goes with this little set of yards.

MOturkey · #25 03-05-2013, 12:10 PM

A little more information would be useful. Are these foreclosures, and, if so, who is actually going to be compensating you? Is the realtor acting only in a property management role? Are the properties private owned by the realtor, or others and the realtor simply handling the maintenance until they sell? There is a lot of difference in these scenarios. Bear in mind that if a third party is actually the one issuing the checks, there could easily be a 60-90 day delay in getting paid. Best of luck to you.

zackvbra · #26 03-05-2013, 12:40 PM

this particular agent owns rental properties. They are hers. So I am not going to be payed by the company itself, but from her. Its not third party. So, one of the good things about this is when they get rented, the lawn maintenance fee is part of the rent, unless they have their own mower, so I can still maybe mow some of these when they get rented.

But I think Ill maybe do only 10, if I like how these 4 go. Not 50. Ive decided I cannot handle it, nor do I want to try to handle it. Its just too much. And I want to have a flexible enough schedule to where I can have time to fit in one time landscaping jobs, tractor jobs, etc.

bel-nor · #27 03-05-2013, 01:18 PM

Im sure you can do more than four, however try to prepare your contract/agreement to clearly....I mean windex crystal muthafkn clear that payment is due the first (1st) of each month. These are bi weekys you can do a few more, but cover you self, remember someone else did them before you thats a lot of properties to just POP up.

DA Quality Lawn & YS · #28 03-05-2013, 03:26 PM

OP - take a pass that is way too many accounts for a college kid trying to earn a degree at the same time.

BAMSLandscaping · #29 03-06-2013, 01:22 AM

Only accept credit card to bill after each service or give the realtor a prepayment discount to pay in full. I am a Realtor also... DO NOT trust them that they will pay later.

Tweedy's Lawn Care & More · #30 03-07-2013, 08:19 PM

I was contacted by a company called Work Site Center about some jobs and I'm wondering if its a scam.
They want me to pay them 99.00 for a background check and they say if I pass "no problem" I will recieve 2 to 5 foreclosure jobs a week. I don't trust them, any of you ever done any work for them or heard of them.
Thanks, Glen Tweedy
Tweedy's Lawn Care & More