Your problem is not with just the Village but the whole state. Good Luck with a fix and say hi to Joel and Gail from Minnesota

 

It's very confusing . When I give bids some people are like ok, some look at me like I am crazy. There isn't a range. It's either way high or way low. I agree that we should get together and talk about prices. The villages is growing. There's enough work out there for everyone. The people that work the hardest, do good work and are genuinely good people will get steady work. But there needs to be some type of pricing to go by. Ten dollars a yard is ridiculous. You are not making any money. And like you said the ones that are insured and have overhead will go into dept. I think it's sad that these people that go out there for ten dollars think they are making money. We have families to. But it's quit clear that they are not doing it by the book and that's not right. Something needs to be done about that too.

 

Sorry to hear this. Luckily where we are you do have customer loyalty as long as you are providing sufficient service. I am thankful for that. Maybe something I take for granted sometimes. I see a lot of flyers and/or cards on mailboxes of my customer’s properties with estimates sometimes half of what we charge. I leave them. It doesn’t worry me a bit anymore.
Is there any services you could concentrate on that would get you away from these low ballers?

 

Sorry to hear this. Luckily where we are you do have customer loyalty as long as you are providing sufficient service. I am thankful for that. Maybe something I take for granted sometimes. I see a lot of flyers and/or cards on mailboxes of my customer's properties with estimates sometimes half of what we charge. I leave them. It doesn't worry me a bit anymore.
Is there any services you could concentrate on that would get you away from these low ballers?

We have many who are loyal but have started saying with all there costs increasing on everything being on fixed income they will have to cut where they can. I have also had customers come back after leaving for cheaper service. But I do see it changing. With new clients now also, we give a bid they will call us back and say you were higher, or if we call back they will say they went with someone else because they were a cheaper price. But you see all over the villages talk on fb them complaining about the service they get here in Florida. Well it is because these companies take on 1200 accounts to make what they could make with 500 if they bid appropriately. Then they would be serviced better. Customers really do not understand that concept. I am moving to more commercial and phasing out residential service.

 

Wonder what % of companies operate under the table??

 

If I was to guess being here since 2014 about 70 to 80 percent.

 

*You answered this while I typed!

The Villages has roughly 80,000 residents. I’m assuming there’s one large hoa with some governing rules, are there smaller hoa’s that involve maintenance or is everyone on their own. I can’t imagine trying to run a mowing business in an area with $10 cuts.

 

The Villages has roughly 80,000 residents. I'm assuming there's one large hoa with some governing rules, are there smaller hoa's that involve maintenance or is everyone on their own. I can't imagine trying to run a mowing business in an area with $10 cuts.

My reason for asking is HOA's migh get in trouble for hiring illegal/under the table contractors.

 

yeah not here lol. I mean just read this stuff. This is what we face here. https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/landscape-talk-129/cost-lawn-services-38983/

 

Sounds like a bunch of super cheap old people being serviced by super cheap companies. Granted that info you linked is from 10 years ago.

 

How big is a lawn that is cut weekly for $40. That thread is 10 years old, how have you made it this long?

 

Oop! I missed that.

 

I’ve been to The Villages several times over the past 5 years and there are plenty of companies there that I bet don’t operate legally. I agree it’s hurting the industry in the area

 

Give are present economic situation, now might be the best time to stop competing with $40 a month and get prices to more like $125 a month or whatever it takes.. Plan on losing lots of customers. Maybe personally call customers a month or so b4 contacts go out, explaining your cost increases will at least give you an idea on how many you are going to lose and give you a chance to sell your company.

 

What makes you different than the low ballers? Try and find a way to differentiate yourself, and if you are just mow & blow maybe look into adding other services that have higher margins.

 

We offer several services most want mow and blow. We make money on bushes and landscaping. We do well with commercial. I raised all our residential rates 5 bucks a month last year and lost 5 accounts cause of rate increase. I will be doing another this year as costs across the board have gone up. The days of living of residential cuts been long gone they just pay the bills barely.

 

The whole state of florida is like that for residential lawn mowing. 75-125 per month a lot of people include roundup and shrub trimming as well in that monthly price lol poor man’s game down here !!

 

The whole state of florida is like that for residential lawn mowing. 75-125 per month a lot of people include roundup and shrub trimming as well in that monthly price lol poor man's game down here !!

We tried to do complete packages with bush trimming but we found that most wanted there shrubs trimmed more. when our initial package would be 4 trims per year. it became a pain with customers stating they wanted 6 trims per year for same money. So trimming is extra and we do well with that. ZI just wish there was a way to get at least 70 percent of the guys out here on the same page to start getting rates where they should be.

 

Best of luck, there’s always a new low baller right around the corner. A 55+ retirement community is a low ballers paradise.

 

My advice to you is to get out while you can. They have always been like that and aren't going to change. I have lived in this area for over 40 years and when the Villages were just called Orange Blossom Gardens, and just a mobile home park. Now some of the homes are over million plus. I live 20 minutes from there and have avoided that place like the plague. The only thing in this industry that might make real money is indoor pest control. These old crabby people won't live with insects inside their homes. Most of them will spend $50 on a good meal and leave a $5 tip. The residents are only out for themselves and the rest of the non retirees are slave labor. To give others the scope of this retirement community. They are building at the rate of at least 90 homes a month and have enough land to keep up this rate for the next 30 years.
When I walked away from the lawncare/pest control service 2 years ago I was averaging $70 hour lawns and over $100 for pest control. The money can be there in Florida, but you have to set yourself apart from the average cutter.

 

6 largest builder of homes in the US for last 10 years.

 

You need to find a different place to buy Roundup. I bought a 2.5gal for $90 just before Thanksgiving. In December Rural King had 43% Glysophate for $112

 

i got the rest of what rual had left. They are now 169.00 as well. I even buy direct online same thing. Site one been buying from them for years used to pay 68.00 now they are 162.00 for 2.5 granular. lesko even more. Yes The villages is very cut throat and lots of non legit companies. They will drop you over 5 bucks a month.

 

Add a Pre-emergent and spray less often. I only sprayed every 8-10 weeks.

 

that is what we are doing but still expensive

 

What about pgr’s on grass?

 

Very True that is why Commercial is the way to go simply because they require proof of insurance, business license and they will send you a 1099 if not inc. Residential is cut throat and A lot of nationalities not from the US.

Commerical is cut throat in our area........they are pinched from all sides.

 

My reason for asking is HOA's migh get in trouble for hiring illegal/under the table contractors.

things different in south... we don't use the racist word you used...

 

I am from Tennessee.

 

A fixed income. Many people working nowadays like our employees are surviving on a broken income.

I just checked the cost to golf at The Villages. Any where from $33.00 for a Priority Member to $89.00 for a non resident.

https://www.golfthevillages.com/images/Rate Sheet Winter 2022.pdf

 

Yeah they will play golf 4 times a month or more but not want to pay a damn thing for lawn service.

 

Most old people living in florida are snowbirds lol they are laughing at the people charging $80 bucks a month to mow the lawn!

 

I ride around in my golf cart full of loffa’s !! Pulling my push mower collecting 20 bucks per mow!