Servicing the Greater Pittsbugh Area
Professional Repair Estimates
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What is a professional? A “professional” is someone who acquires training and expertise in a specific area, and then adheres to the technical and ethical standards of the industry. They apply their learning in the market place, for the benefit of clients, but also for financial gain. The public is willing to pay for this expertise because they value the professional’s knowledge, experience and integrity.
Professional contractors are no different in this regard. We spend years learning about several trades. We earn certifications in business and technical areas. We consistently execute our client’s project on time and budget; meeting or exceeding the codes and standards that govern our field. Why, then would any of us ever work with a prospect without asking for compensation. Consider other professions. The Real Estate agent does not sell property without compensation. The appraiser does not appraise the property without compensation. The attorney does not prepare the legal documents and conduct closings without compensation. No professional does and all for the same reason. They cannot afford to work for free … I am a professional and as such I want to be compensated for my expertise and time. A customer would not dream of asking me to change a lock, winterize, board up windows, or make repairs to a property for free but thinks nothing of asking me to leave my office and go to a property, spend an hour or more checking for repairs, safety issues, etc., then return to my office and spend another hour or more making up an estimate of these repairs, sending or faxing it to them all for free when in some cases they have no intention of repairing the property either now or in the future, because they are intent on selling the property in an “as is” condition and need the estimate to offset the lower selling price that the compensated appraiser put on it. Let us not confuse an estimate of repairs and bidding for work. They are two separate entities. An estimate as described above is exactly that. A bid is for a specific amount of work that the customer has outlined with specifications and is requesting contractors to bid on; work that the customer has already decided to have done and intends to award a contract on that work. We offer two types of estimates: 1. Estimates for complete repairs to property which can include a video taping to aid in your decision making process at a nominal cost. 2. Estimates for specific jobs as outlined on our repair estimate form, filled out by your staff and estimated by our computer methods, which is less costly and does not involve us going to the property. I hope that this gives a better understanding of the position of professional contractors and the need to charge a reasonable fee for these services. We are full time professional contractors who specialize in REO’s and the many areas of expertise that are involved. If you have any question please feel free to contact us. |