Dealing with cheap real estate agents

[Notarealsignguy]

How in the world else would you do it ?? Ya left out putting a piece of cardboard on the ground first so ya don't scratch the sign and you also put small pieces of old Cor-X near each hole and pile the dirt up on that. When ya leave, there's really no trace of you having been there. Learn to clean up properly. Be efficient and this is why they'll use you rather than the schmuck down the road who's only cheaper.

You put a tarp on the ground to keep the grass from getting dirty, coro is expensive. You also left out keeping a gallon of white paint, brushes and foam rollers in the truck to touch up your tamp marks and dirty hand prints when you're done. Amateur.

 

[zspace]

Psh, who in this day and age can afford wood? Welded 2" tube frame, dibond face, about a dozen screws. Total weight, 50lbs or so? I've been meaning to get a 3" auger bit to save on sacrete costs!

What wall thickness on the tube?

 

[Pauly]

Not sure how it works where your from, but here, We have dedicated companies that only do real-estate signs.
Not even worth competing with - When the team just drives around installing signs all day. Then reuses the same board with a new print when the advertising is finished/property is sold.

 

[StarSign]

We have a company here in town that just does installs for all of the real estate agents.

 

[bob]

Realtors, for the most part, are cheap chiselers when it comes to signs. In this shop realtors, non-profits, political organizations, and governments pay up front. Period.

 

[Bradley Signs]

I explained to her that the biggest portion of cost was the labor. I subcontract most of my installs and based it on two guys taking 3-5 hours, so I quoted the high end. I think she'll be in for DIY remorse after she sees what it takes just to dig the holes.

3 to 5 hours to dig three holes for a V Sign?

 

[gnubler]

3 to 5 hours to dig three holes for a V Sign?

You think it's too high? Those of us in the Western US can attest to the challenge of digging by hand - we either hit caliche or small boulders and it's never easy. I could rent an auger to save some time but then have to bill for equipment rental and more back & forth travel. Everything is rural here. We did one recently that took 3 hours total and almost an hour of that was digging the holes.

 

[Bradley Signs]

We do Real Estate Signs all over the Metroplex.
The last thing I would use is an auger to dig holes. There is so much crap buried everywhere, the last thing I want to do is drill a phone cable, water line, better yet an electric line that Grampa installed for a light on his old pole sign... or even a sprinkler line.... easy to fix, but why hit it in the first place?
I hand dig them all.
Sand, clay, shale, whatever, and it takes about 5 or so minutes a hole, except where shale rules the day!
I shoot for around $900.00 for a V-Sign 4x4.
Paid in advance.

 

[gnubler]

Thanks for the info, it's interesting to learn about different markets around the country (you're in the US, right?)

Moze and Tex can attest to the awesomeness of the drill auger. It's on my shopping list, ahead of a bucket truck. I file a utility locate for any and all digging, even by hand.

Also, these were 8x4 signs, not 4x4. I was right around $1000 for the two sign panels on MDO, plus $600-800 for materials & estimated labor.

 

[gnubler]

In this shop realtors, non-profits, political organizations, and governments pay up front. Period.

The first three I totally agree with, but governments? None of the local ones I deal with are set up for billing that way. All 30 days. Usually there's a PO on the order.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Thanks for the info, it's interesting to learn about different markets around the country (you're in the US, right?)

Moze and Tex can attest to the awesomeness of the drill auger. It's on my shopping list, ahead of a bucket truck. I file a utility locate for any and all digging, even by hand.

Also, these were 8x4 signs, not 4x4. I was right around $1000 for the two sign panels on MDO, plus $600-800 for materials & estimated labor.

The auger does amazingly well in about 95% of stuff I've come across. It chews though caliche. We have not had a good rain in months and it's starting to show. On Monday I was out near Olney and about 4" down it's nothing but compacted dry clay. I had to use post hole diggers to chip away at it because it was burning the drill up.

 

[Boudica]

The auger does amazingly well in about 95% of stuff I've come across. It chews though caliche. We have not had a good rain in months and it's starting to show. On Monday I was out near Olney and about 4" down it's nothing but compacted dry clay. I had to use post hole diggers to chip away at it because it was burning the drill up.

 

[Milo]

Price your jobs to make MONEY, and let them decide. Don’t be afraid to lose the sale.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Yeah, and worse yet, don't try to rock the auger to get a more aggressive cut. My adapter hilariously split in two while in the ground. Drill still turning in my hand and auger sticking out of the ground. Yay for never leaving home without the post hole diggers (and a skilsaw...)

Oh damn... I was doing that on Monday. I started smelling crude oil and thought I hit Texas tea... but it was the drill getting so hot.

I wonder if you can sharpen the blades to get them to bite better?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

View attachment 155750

That you driving?

 

[gnubler]

Price your jobs to make MONEY, and let them decide. Don’t be afraid to lose the sale.

I'm not. I quoted 3-5 hours labor because digging holes here is a PITA, and so are realtors. Supposedly they're going to be installing the sign today and I'm going to cruise by later this afternoon to see how far they've gotten.

 

[gnubler]

I had to use post hole diggers to chip away at it because it was burning the drill up.

That's how it is here too. We don't have caliche, but really hard packed dry ground filled with rocks.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

I've had more than one quote for $400 just to dig holes. I finally found a local young man that does it for $50 for simple stuff.

Surveying the site and calling in the JULIE request is going to cost over $50.00 for an insured installer. And of course you would never hire some kid with a pickup to do this kind of work; along with getting injured or killed if he hits a power or gas line, the bill to fix it and all the hospital bills will be paid by YOU or your insurance company (who will promptly drop you and welcome to the world of high risk insurance premiums - if you can still get it). Repair costs will be north of $1500 for a simple electric feed line, $2k - $10k for a broken water line, and god forbid you hit a main fiber communications cable, which can run into $100k or more!
I think $450 to survey and install (in town) a 4x8 on 2x wood posts (plus the cost of the sign) would be a reasonable price in a medium market. Many of our real estate agents now request 4' x 4' 3mm ACM sign on 2 lb. u-channel posts, which by direct printing on the substrate can be furnished, surveyed and installed (in town) for under $500.00.

 

[gnubler]

Thought you all might like to see the aftermath of this one, and what happens when customers opt to install their sign. We've had a running bet in the shop that it would fall within six weeks...one more storm and it's done.

 

[truckgraphics]

So you think I overbid it? I was going off another job we just did, a single 8x4 panel on two posts and it took us right around 3 hours (including travel time and picking up lumber/hardware along the way). So I added a bit to cover the extra labor & materials to do a corner sign.

I read the hole digging/auger thread with interest and have one of those on my shopping list.

I have one real estate customer and not taking any more. That said, digging holes with a post hole digger seemed like too much work, so I got a power auger from Harbor Freight for about $200. Problem solved? The first - and last - job I did with my power auger was at a site with very little margin for error, given the underground obstacles. (I had them marked.) That was stressful. Add to that, the power digger had to go through tree roots and didn't like that at all. Think I could have done it easier with a post hole digger (but I broke it on a previous job and didn't bother to buy another.) The job took me two hours in the hot sun.

Next time I do an outdoor sign install, if there is a next time, I'm going to get a professional digger or a kid with a strong back. And I'm sure it will still take a couple hours if they run into trouble like tree roots.

(If there are any horticulturists among us, I don't think I killed any bushes as they are still there, as is my sign. But it's possible, I suppose, to be an inadvertent tree killer.)