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Cheap realestate company.

1.9K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  tacoma200  
#1 ·
Well I did a clean up on this abandoned house a month ago and charged them $65 and told them I would maintain the small property for $35 every two weeks because they were crying about how much money they lost (repo). Well he writes me a letter back and said to only mow it once a month, twice was too much. So I mowed it and sent him a bill for about double the two week price. He calls today upset that I charged so much for a small lot. So I told him I was sorry but I wasn't cutting this overgrown rough lot for $35 per month. So I'm fired and glad. He wants me to find someone that will do it for that and I told him I guess there are some desperate guys out there, I'd see. Glad to be fired (or quit). Heres what it looks like after a month and it has two steep banks in front that are really over grown.

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#2 ·
Was that two feet tall??
 
#3 ·
Repo companies are outrageous on their demands, and will get whatever they can out of you. The number you shoot them doesn't matter, they will try and bargain down from there. You would be doing the same thing if you had shot them $70 instead of $35. His having you call around for him is just trying to get out of doing his own work. You might try telling him that nobody else will do it once a month for less than a Benjamin. After all, he's lying to you, and you gotta play the game. Remember, "If you're not cheating, you're not trying."
 
#6 ·
Unfortunately, you're not alone in this experience Tacoma. They're like that in this neck of the woods also. He would still have complained if you quoted $25, or $50 for the month. Realtors play the same kind of games. They all have a "budget" and it is a holy sin to encroach on their commission.

I wouldn't do the slightest bit of legwork for him. If he's that concerned about price, let HIM get out there and push a 21.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over this one either. :)

A
 
#7 ·
Did you ask if he is from Florida???
:laugh:
I heard that!!! But can you blame them? They have to save money where they can to increase their bottom line. Good business practice. Everyone should do it. It sucks that we happen to be on the receiving end of the screwing.
 
#8 ·
He wants you to find some to do it for his price? Hello....If you do, let me know. I've got some lots for that new guy to mow.....in Illinois. This so called real estate agent has a phone and probably more free time than you. (After all, you work for a living, remember.)

Really, after this clown pays you for what you've done, check your caller ID each call and avoid him forever. Jobs like this ruin your equipment and your attitude.

Sorry, I'm just bored and being a smarta$$, but don't get used or abused.

Good luck......

Jim
 
#10 ·
Id call him back ad say you found a guy and he will be out the last day in each month to cut it........Just make sure not to laugh when you say it. Then when he calls and asks were the guy is, say I dont know but I can come do it for $165 if you would like.
 
#11 ·
I have dealt with the loan companies/banks that want things done for nothing and two years ago I was contacted by a company with a property for sale about the same size and shape as the one in the pics.

This place was bad. The shrubs along the front of the poarch were grown to the roof of the house and the grass was almost six feet tall.

Well I quoted the company the price and they said no way.

I left him the bid sheet and stated that If they wanted it cleaned up any cheaper they had best go do it their self because I know for certain that no other lawn service in our area would do it any cheaper than I would do it.

They did clean it up theirselves and it took them four days to clean it up.

I drove by and ****** the horn and just waved at them as they were sweating their rear ends off.

Funny thing about it is is got everyone of their clean up jobs after that.

This job consisted of interior and exterior clean up which incuded cleanup of the outside of the house and hauling off trash/furniture from the interior of the house.

I make good money on repo/forclosed properties.

I dont do many of them because I work a fourty hour a week job along with running my part time lawn/cleanup service.
 
#12 ·
I have had some company's that were good to work with. If it was a little old lady that was sick I may have had some sympathy. This dude is tight, asked me if I wanted to buy it!
 
#13 ·
What did you say? If he's hot to unload it, snap it up! It looks like a nice little place. Flip it! You don't need to be Norm Abrams on the inside. Just make it nice and it will sell.

Make a cash deal and offer to settle within the month. Also, "as is" is a very likable term in their eyes. Adjust your price accordingly to these terms. If he wants out, he'll jump at a reasonably decent offer.

Can you flip it and make 10-15?

A
 
#14 ·
Well...one thing is for sure Tacoma...you did a great job on that property!
 
#15 ·
Many realestate companies around here are the most unethical people to deal with most dont pay or either they try to haggle you down about your prices. Its a pretty normal practice in their business. They would like for you to bend over backward for them until its time to pay, then its a different story. Any work we do for realestate companies we have them give us an authorzation to begin work and we always collect half of the money up front. We make sure to explain it clearly that all funds are due immediately that day. Buyer be aware or in our case Mower's be aware.
 
#16 ·
I do most of my work with real estate foreclosures and they are also hard to deal with but since the houses are empty I do not have to deal with people claiming you charge too much or my favorite complaint,"you didn't cut it low enough". . I deal with a broker who represents va, freddy-mac,interban,country-wide,american general. The va's are very picky about price and details but pay as soon as you bill them. The rest are always about 2 months behind and that is very tough at the beginning of cutting season. I am to old and tired to argue,bicker or haggle over a price,I will always walk away befor i drop too low.
 
#17 ·
I have realtors here that tell me about how many tens of thousands of dollars the will make off the sale of a piece of land. One the other day hit the roof that i told him 1,000 to bush hog 3 acres, after he told me about how the company paid 200,000 for the land and was going to sell it for over 3 times that much, (waterfront) he told me 500 was a reasonable number to do 3 acres, I told him to fly a kite, and if he wants to he can go buy a $26,000 tractor, a 2,500 bush hog, a $5,000 trailer and a $12,000 truck to pull it.

It drives me nuts when people think they should be the only one that can make a decent living, and everyone else should work for peanuts.

I have found that most realtors, and people that do property investments (flips) are the cheapest. Realtors that do property management are usually pretty good and most developers have become accustomed to the fact that things arent cheap anymore.
 
#18 ·
Well I did a clean up on this abandoned house a month ago and charged them $65 and told them I would maintain the small property for $35 every two weeks because they were crying about how much money they lost (repo). Well he writes me a letter back and said to only mow it once a month, twice was too much. So I mowed it and sent him a bill for about double the two week price. He calls today upset that I charged so much for a small lot. So I told him I was sorry but I wasn't cutting this overgrown rough lot for $35 per month. So I'm fired and glad. He wants me to find someone that will do it for that and I told him I guess there are some desperate guys out there, I'd see. Glad to be fired (or quit). Heres what it looks like after a month and it has two steep banks in front that are really over grown.
You've gotten 17 replys to this thread, I think you have looked hard enough for someone to do it cheaper. Just my 2 cents worth