If you had your choice?

[Jason K]

I am currently servicing almost 100 residential homes for a company that maintains foreclosures. I have not done much else though. The contract I have is getting ridiculous. I have been looking for other work and have the ability to obtain commercial or residential contracts (both individual and bulk contracts). I like the idea of diversification with residential (more inidividual contracts), but i think the commercial side has much more competition. What would you spend your time and money going after? My back ground is real estate and construction. Still have some learning to do with lawn and landscape. Meaning the details/experience.

Jason

 

[KennyV]

Hello Jason.... & WELCOME to LMF...

It looks like you already are dealing with all the worst parts of residential & commercial work...

You are likely having to travel some distance between the various locations to reach the houses. And you are having to deal with one person to negotiate a price for a lot of work....

The main thing I see that would change will be... dealing with various other 'personalities' And controlling your working radius.... :smile:KennyV

 

[RobertBrown]

I am currently servicing almost 100 residential homes for a company that maintains foreclosures. I have not done much else though. The contract I have is getting ridiculous.

What does riduculous mean exactly?
Why don't you raise the prices on the properties your not making money on?

 

[Ric]

What does ridiculous mean exactly?
Why don't you raise the prices on the properties your not making money on?

If he's working for a company that maintains foreclosures they more than likely set the price he gets at least around here they do. I've been approached twice about working for company's like that. You can't make the money you think you're going to make because of all the travel involved, some of those guys travel up to 50 miles or more between lawns.

 

[Carscw]

I do foreclosed homes Sometimes you drive a hour to the next house. I do 80 yards in five days then have five days off. I spend $500 In gas and maint and still pocket $2200 And that's not counting any extra work Any grass over a foot is double pay then $20 a foot over two feet. Plus I bid anything more than a acre. The bad is I work from 5am to 9pm and take 32 pics per yard. On my days off from grass cut I dredge sand out of the river in Atlanta

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[mullins87]

Dang dude, you're busier than a one armed paper hanger!!!

 

[Ric]

Dang dude, you're busier than a one armed paper hanger!!!

The thing that I see, at least in this area is that most of the businesses that mow foreclosed homes are mow and go outfits. They never trim, edge or anything. That's the reason they mow two or three to one over the residential operator.

 

[Carscw]

We have to show a pic of someone on the mower Edge driveway Before and after of bushes They have got very picky in the last year Two years ago we only took 9 pics per yard now we do 32. Now you are right about not being as detailed as I would be if I was doing residential but they still look good when I leave. You have to take pride in your work no matter what your job is. I have got to yards that someone else did the cut before me and left clumps of grass the company I sub from frowns on that a lot

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[Ric]

I do foreclosed homes Sometimes you drive a hour to the next house. I do 80 yards in five days then have five days off. I spend $500 In gas and maint and still pocket $2200 And that's not counting any extra work Any grass over a foot is double pay then $20 a foot over two feet. Plus I bid anything more than a acre. The bad is I work from 5am to 9pm and take 32 pics per yard. On my days off from grass cut I dredge sand out of the river in Atlanta

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

That's the reason I went the residential way and not commercial or for-closers. I do 70 lawns a week. No pictures to take. I work six days a week in season from 8am until I want to quit. I can drive my entire route and not drive 10 miles so the only gas I use is basically in my mowers and equipment.

 

[jenkinsph]

I pick my customers for full service lawn, interior and exterior repairs and remodeling this includes any landscaping work. I typically check the homes, work on the lawn and flowers doing about three homes per day. I have fewer customers but take care of everything they need.

I do lawn work about 2 to 3 days a week in the summer, the rest of the time is building landscapes and construction work. Seems to be very steady work even in the difficult times we face today.