My son and I live a few blocks apart. Our houses both needs shingles. I’m thinking of getting estimates and then asking for a 10% discount for both jobs. My son is getting an estimate. Thoughts?
My son and I live a few blocks apart. Our houses both needs shingles. I’m thinking of getting estimates and then asking for a 10% discount for both jobs. My son is getting an estimate. Thoughts?
First thing to do is get an estimate.
Then call three contractors you have read good reviews on and interview them.
Tell each of them exactly what you posted, two jobs close together, I suspect you will do way better than 10% discount.
__________________ It's only game. Why you heff to be mad?
Just be up front. Tell the roofer that you’ll give him both jobs for a discount. Most of these guys are horrible business people. Negotiating doesn’t come easy to many contractors. They will take the work if they need it.
Bear in mind the distance part is irrelevant, unless the house are next to each other the guy will have to do them as two separate jobs, it makes no difference if you are three blocks or 30 apart.
It is not always a good strategy long-term to ask for a discount. The really good contractors are generally less interested or not interested at all as they have little problem keeping busy with or without you. The marginal tend to discount more. I know this is a generalization and there will be exceptions.
A poorly done roof that leaks or has other issues will quickly eat up any discount savings. I have to get a roof done next summer, I will be much more concern about getting a quality job done by a company I trust than trying to save a couple of bucks.
Last edited by cupofjoe; 07-05-2019 at 12:15 AM.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to cupofjoe For This Useful Post:
I’m a contractor and the last thing you want is to save thousands, especially on a roof. I know it’s nature to save money, however in this business since the economy downfall many contractors come in very cheap just for jobs. What’s best is to pay the median price from your estimate or the higher end.
Just be up front. Tell the roofer that you’ll give him both jobs for a discount. Most of these guys are horrible business people. Negotiating doesn’t come easy to many contractors. They will take the work if they need it.
Took three posts for the gross generalization to come out. Not surprising. Granted, a lot of bad contractors have certainly helped to give all contractors a bad reputation generally. The contractors that ARE good business people know well which clients to avoid, though, so bear that in mind when you are taking SportsJunky's advice and dictating your terms. Most contractors aren't inclined to negotiate when their margins are so thin to begin with. Do your due diligence but don't be an idiot.
Addressing some of the comments about saving, I have the money but my son is cash strapped. We’ve gifted them some cash. I’d like to direct any savings to him.
Took three posts for the gross generalization to come out. Not surprising. Granted, a lot of bad contractors have certainly helped to give all contractors a bad reputation generally. The contractors that ARE good business people know well which clients to avoid, though, so bear that in mind when you are taking SportsJunky's advice and dictating your terms. Most contractors aren't inclined to negotiate when their margins are so thin to begin with. Do your due diligence but don't be an idiot.
I meant no offense. I guess I could have worded that better. I deal with contractors everyday. In my experience, many are not business minded people. They are good at what they do.
I meant no offense. I guess I could have worded that better. I deal with contractors everyday. In my experience, many are not business minded people. They are good at what they do.
This is not my experience at all. Generally good contractors are also very good business people. I can also tell you that the bottom line is the bottom line. A discount will need to come from somewhere, be it less quality products or a rushed installation. There are no free lunches.
Hmm, I run a business and regularly give a discount on bulk orders. I don't find it offensive when people ask. In fact, I appreciate when people are up front about their budget. It saves so much time.
I think with the close proximity you're not out of line to ask for a discount. The guy quoting will only have the travel time once to quote. If one job finishes half way through a day, the crew can just pop over to the next job and begin right away versus traversing the city or shutting down for the day - there will be a tendency for them to look at the two jobs as one and just keep rolling.
If you can give something up, that could be a good negotiating tactic, too. Like, if you can put it off until September or something that works better for their schedule, they may want to work with you and take the sure thing of two jobs at a slight discount versus no guarantee of any jobs in what may be a slower time of the year.
I'm teasing a little bit, but also a serous question. What kind of discounts do different services offer for landing multiple contracts?
We offer a package price for husband/wife wills that is less than the cost for them to do the wills individually. We have sometimes offered discounts to return clients, and to clients referred through our network (including CP).
I'm teasing a little bit, but also a serous question. What kind of discounts do different services offer for landing multiple contracts?
We offer a package price for husband/wife wills that is less than the cost for them to do the wills individually. We have sometimes offered discounts to return clients, and to clients referred through our network (including CP).
Yeah and it depends on how things are structured, but if the child is say 21 years old, fresh out of school and just starting to invest the fees (regardless of where they are) are going to be much higher than their parents. I can't speak for everyone in the industry or every company, but I can structure things so that the parents fee level applies for the kids. It's hard to say what kind of savings that is because there are some moving parts here, but it definitely can make a huge difference.
My ex wife used to haggle for 50 cents with the poor schmoes selling trinkets on the beach in Mexico for a buck or so, used to piss me off so much, we weren't poor and they were destitute.
As well how the hell could I trust any drink or meal when I was linked to that what ever the Spanish was for 'that crazy cheap gringo lady that insults you to your face when you are just trying to make enough money to eat today'
No one wants to be ripped off but as the old saying goes 'if you pay peanuts you will hire monkeys' I want to pay a guy who knows his craft what he's worth as I expect to be paid myself.
I'm teasing a little bit, but also a serous question. What kind of discounts do different services offer for landing multiple contracts?
We offer a package price for husband/wife wills that is less than the cost for them to do the wills individually. We have sometimes offered discounts to return clients, and to clients referred through our network (including CP).
I wasn't advocating for haggling, but rather shopping around.
__________________ It's only game. Why you heff to be mad?
Contractor negotiations
