Crazy Quotes

Crazy Quotes
10/16/24
An Amish neighbor does contracting. Seems like a nice guy. I got him a job putting up a small barn for a friend. When I asked the friend how well he was satisfied, I got a qualified answer. He was happy with the building and the price. But expected to develop a relationship with them that never materialized. I didn’t put much credence in that as he’d said the same thing about his lawyer, who I knew well and respected a great deal. You want someone to do a good job at a fair price, not necessarily to be a new friend.

A year later, I asked my neighbor for a quote on siding for a home I was rehabbing. He was $100 more than another contractor, one with whom I’d worked with several times in the past. So that guy got the job. When I decided to side the rest of the home, I asked both of them again. My neighbor asked why he didn’t get the first job and I explained that he was the higher of the two quotes. The second time he was higher again, somewhere between $1-2000 more, so I gave the job to the other contractor once more. At the time, I wondered if the extra high figure was some sort of revenge for not giving him the first job.

Several years later, I had a home which needed a new roof and I called him again. He sent out his man, an “English” (ie - not Amish) fellow to take measurements. “If he can afford to hire English”, I thought, “his business must be doing well”. The quote came quickly landlocked professional. It surprised me: $24000. A few months prior, I’d sold the farm of another Amish fellow, one who had hung up his shingle and was now doing construction, so I asked him for a figure. He got back with me, apologizing that he was so busy erecting greenhouses that it might be a couple months before he could get here. That was OK by me. And even more OK when he told me $6500. He did a good job and I gave him another while he was there.

Lest you think I am picking on my particular Amish neighbor (I have other Amish neighbors who work put and have not had the same difficulties with them), here’s another story. I acquired what I called the ‘ugliest home in Montgomery County”. Mostly it was ugly from a complete lack of grounds maintenance, rather than  structurally difficult, but there was a lean-to addition whose foundation, such as it was, had both cracked and fallen over in places. On structural things such as this, I knew from experience that most contractors don’t want to get into it and would charge me extra to take it on, so I looked for Amish, who are more apt to charge reflecting the actual work and materials needed. I found a guy. He came out and it was obvious he really knew his stuff:  $22000, which was more than I’d paid for the place. For that figure I reckoned I’d end up doing it myself. But first I asked around at the local Amish. Not all Amish are the same - along with differences in how they practice their religion, one group uses cell phones and hires drivers; other groups don’t have phones and get around by horse and buggy, which of course severely limits the extent of their business.

I just went to a nearby Amish home, told them what I was looking for, and asked if they knew anyone who could do it. I’ve done this before, knowing they each know everyone in their community, know what they do, and know how busy they are. But the second home, I’d found my man. It turns out he was the younger brother of a fellow who’d worked for me in the past but had since moved away. Under $1000 for labor and I supply the store-bought materials. To be fair to the first guy, this fellow was going to do a lesser job. Adequate, that’s all.  But this was not a top rate home and a top rate job would not add anywhere near the difference in price. I also knew there’d be some follow-up work to do once we got further along on the inside work. At these figures I could do it, and later did.

The lesson here is not about Amish, but about work. Some jobs are not straightforward (roofing  and siding usually is) and it is not easy to know what you will run into, so you inflate your price to take care of unpleasant surprises. Which is why I often ask for a time and materials quote, like for the foundation. The contractor then knows he won’t lose money and I know his figure will not be artificially inflated.

But there is another side, one that I take great umbrage about: getting quotes before the home has changed hands. If you are buying a place with an issue and are unsure what it will cost to address, it is perfectly reasonable to predicate your offer upon knowing what the repair will cost beforehand. But I have learned to hate to see this. Here’s why: in every single case, every case,  the quote was significantly higher than both the buyer and I had guessed and each time, the buyer ended up not buying. So not one of us gets what we wanted - no money for the seller or the contractor, no commission for me, and no property for the buyer.

What I think is going on is that the contractor meets an out of the area buyer, one who does not know our lower costs here, and he sees this an an opportunity to make a bundle. People often come to the area attracted by our low prices. This has happened so often now that when I call a contractor to give a before-the-sale quote, I am frank and upfront and tell him if he comes in too high, neither one of us will get a cent. So far this approach hasn’t worked.

Here’s something else, related. Among certain contractors, the quote is influenced by how much money he feels the buyer has. If the guy’s rich, the price goes up. A lot of rich guys are aware of this and let it roll off their backs. But it bothers me. I suppose you could say that the extra money they make off the rich can be used to subsidize the poor, the locals. But it still rankles.

I am not for a second implying that all contractors are like this. In every area I work, I search for the type of guy who will do good work at a fair price, the same for all, rich, local, out of state… whatever. And I keep a database on those I can recommend. It can never be exhaustive as there are always people starting into business or retiring. And I cannot possibly have experience with everyone out there. Also, I am also well aware that personalities which can mesh or clash. From my own experiences living in different areas, one of the hardest things to learn is who will do what he says, and when he says. Those guys are out there, but are not always the first  person you meet in the trade.