Anyone else getting quoted insane prices for work around your place?

[tallyho8]

One of my friends is a contractor in Austin. He did some work for a high end home, owned by a lawyer. The lawyer stiffed him, because he knew what it would take to get the money out of him.

My best friend's next door neighbor was a lawyer living in a very nice home. He bragged about how he never paid anyone for anything and didn't even bother going to court when he got sued. He said all they could do was put a lien on his home and that the liens on it now were way more than he paid for the home so he is already a couple hundred thousand dollars ahead. He said it was perfectly legal to do what he does and he never considered morality.

This made me for cautious when working for lawyers.

I have always wondered if there was some kind of list these people could be put on to warn contractors to avoid them in the future.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My best friend's next door neighbor was a lawyer living in a very nice home. He bragged about how he never paid anyone for anything and didn't even bother going to court when he got sued. He said all they could do was put a lien on his home and that the liens on it now were way more than he paid for the home so he is already a couple hundred thousand dollars ahead. He said it was perfectly legal to do what he does and he never considered morality.

This made me for cautious when working for lawyers.

I have always wondered if there was some kind of list these people could be put on to warn contractors to avoid them in the future.

You are on to something. What's that list that you have to pay for to get names of honest contractors? We need one for dishonest payers. I guess it could be a list that only survives in court records, but how to access that list?

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I remember standing in line behind a couple of tile guys ( that's what it said on the back of their shirts), I asked what kind of tile work etc as I'm always collecting cards, names of subs in case I need that type of work.

The shirt said *** Company, so naturally, I assumed they worked there. Nope they came over from a Southern Country learned their trade here and now are competition for the company they worked for STILL WEARING THE GUYS SHIRT.

So not they do the same work for 1/3 the price, pay no taxes, pay no insurance, pay no license fees, pay no workers comp, pay no required anything so naturally they can beat everyone's prices in town.

That's the reason I finally retired. Between workers comp and insurance I was paying nearly 100K a year.

So when people say these are simple farm workers picking our crop, they are our construction workers IN BUSINESS, Tile laters IN BUSINESS, Brick MAasons IN BUSINESS, Arborists IN BUSINESS, Landscapers IN BUSINESS, Plumbers IN BUSINESS, Electricians IN BUSINESS, AC companies, and on and on. Making huge profits and competing with honest businesses to the point they can no longer compete. Some of these companies are working for wages only because they pay nothing out. No business can compete with someone working for just wages.

This is a HUGE loop-hole in this country that needs to be plugged.

100% agree. Hay Dude has found out as well. Why do the few carry all the rest? I will be retiring in a few years, my son may take over, who knows anymore. But, it is getting harder every day to make an honest, legitimate living.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

It's going to be hard to find Americans who will put up sheetrock, when they can stay home and get about $1100/week in unemployment.

It was hard in the first place to find them. It is super hard work.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

It's going to be hard to find Americans who will put up sheetrock, when they can stay home and get about $1100/week in unemployment.

It was hard in the first place to find them. It is super hard work.

Yes it is hard work. For many years I threw up 12 ft sheets of 5/8 fire rock. 110 lbs per sheet. Try balancing 110 lbs that is spread out over 48 sq ft. It'll put muscles in your shirt, that's for sure. And, you are right, try finding anyone willing to work hard anymore.

 

[KennyG]

This made me for cautious when working for lawyers.

I once bought a house from a lawyer. It was a complete nightmare until something happened and the lawyer needed his money quickly. Fortunately I had a good lawyer who held his feet to the flame when the circumstances changed.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

My best friend's next door neighbor was a lawyer living in a very nice home. He bragged about how he never paid anyone for anything and didn't even bother going to court when he got sued. He said all they could do was put a lien on his home and that the liens on it now were way more than he paid for the home so he is already a couple hundred thousand dollars ahead. He said it was perfectly legal to do what he does and he never considered morality.

This made me for cautious when working for lawyers.

I have always wondered if there was some kind of list these people could be put on to warn contractors to avoid them in the future.

One of my very last residential jobs was in Charlotte, NC. In the highest end development there was. PGA Golf at the country club, that kind of place. BIG BUCKS... Anyway, we were brought in to do all the exterior building; swimming pool, terraces, retaining walls, landscaping, and pool house. 200K in work. At the very end, my last payment due was like $7500. The guy said, sorry, not going to pay you despite the amazing job, I always keep the last payment. So, I went and put a lien on the house. What the guy didn't think about was he hadn't closed with his home builder yet, and technically it wasn't his house. Boy... did he call me fast from closing, I seriously thought he was gonna cry; the bank wouldn't close with my lien. I told him how convenient it was he was at the bank, I would come by for cash and then head right to the courthouse. Man, did he look sad and pathetic handing over that money...

 

[EddieWalker]

My best friend's next door neighbor was a lawyer living in a very nice home. He bragged about how he never paid anyone for anything and didn't even bother going to court when he got sued. He said all they could do was put a lien on his home and that the liens on it now were way more than he paid for the home so he is already a couple hundred thousand dollars ahead. He said it was perfectly legal to do what he does and he never considered morality.

This made me for cautious when working for lawyers.

I have always wondered if there was some kind of list these people could be put on to warn contractors to avoid them in the future.

This is always my biggest fear. What if I don't get paid, and then I have to go through the process of having to force somebody to pay through the lien process. I've only sent letters twice demanding payment. The rule is that you have send 3 registered letters after waiting 60 or 90 days for payment. After all three letters have been sent, then you can go to the court and file for the lien. Once filed, the homeowner cannot sell the house or refinance it without paying off the liens first. You also get to set your interest rate, but I'm not sure how that works since I've never gone that far. In both cases, they paid up days after getting the letter. One was a banker, the other a retired Air Force Colonel and current Mayor of that town.

I've had three clients bounce checks. The first two paid me the next day, along with all fees that where added to my account. The third, was the wife of a local, and well known Counselor for $100 to install a hanging bed on their porch by their pool. I worked for them for 8 years, and never had a problem, then she lied over and over again about leaving the cash under a floor mat, and then mailing it to me. Eventually I just took the loss and walked away. She called me last year to fix the damage from a water leak and I told her that I didn't work for people that do not pay what they owe.

All of my bigger jobs, I have a payment schedule in the bid. When I finish a certain part of the job, they owe me an amount that is written down in the bid. Usually it's $2 to $3 grand. I never want anybody owing me more then that amount.

I get a lot of jobs from people that paid upfront for the job, or paid a big deposit to secure their job, or gave money for materials, and the contractor never shows up. Most of the time, they have gambling problems. A few have other addictions, but it's the gamblers that are the worse!!!

 

[riptides]

You are on to something. What's that list that you have to pay for to get names of honest contractors? We need one for dishonest payers. I guess it could be a list that only survives in court records, but how to access that list?

Better Business Bureau, google, yahoo, web bases social media and word of mouth. There is a lot of information that you have available, put still have to sift.

That's for contractors, the other end...I have no idea. Especially so, now, in these times and circumstances.

 

[riptides]

....and just because you do your homework on a "good" contractor, there is no guarantee they will not have a brain fart or whatever and completely muck up a job.

Yeah..I should have fired the guy when the first stage of that project went bad. LOL. Speaking from experience.