Recently I received a call from one of my neighbors. Her elderly mother had gotten a quote from a big name plumber for a water heater replacement. She wondered if more than $8,000 was too much? I was stunned to hear the quote, which seemed outrageous. I talked to the licensed plumber who replaced my own water heater and without seeing the job he quoted $3,000. He was very busy and wasn’t able to get to the job right away, so they found someone else who did the job for under roughly half the original quote, which still seemed like a lot but obviously not nearly as bad.
Being in the business, if you know, you know. Generally speaking, Realtors are very familiar with who charges the most for their services and who not to use. Several years back I was selling a condo in Terra Linda and my client called a plumber to snake his line. Unsolicited, that plumber gave a quote to do a whole bunch of unnecessary work for $10,000! It was of course the same plumber who wanted $8,000+ to do the water heater.
I was not happy. Because the plumber had issued a report, I was obligated to provide that totally unnecessary quote in my disclosure packet to buyers. I had to explain to the eventual buyer’s agent that the work wasn’t needed, that the plumber was just fishing for work but they should talk to their own plumbers about the proposal and have a plumbing inspection if they wanted one. Fortunately, the Realtor was familiar with the plumber, so she knew the score.
I have nothing against plumbers. It’s dirty, difficult occupation which can take a toll on one’s body. Most often I believe in paying people what they think their time is worth. Sometimes a little negotiation is in order, other times it can lead to unintended consequences. You can insult the worker. If they take the job, you are not going to know if they are putting in their best effort. I’d rather have someone stoked to do the work, as opposed to feeling underpaid and underappreciated.
I recommend contractors all the time to my clients, friends and neighbors. They are treated very well by the contractors I recommend because they get called again for more work when it comes up. I don’t recommend contractors who charge exorbitant rates. Everyone has to make a living. Living in Marin County is very expensive. That’s no excuse for overcharging people and pushing unnecessary services. It’s especially egregious when it happens to elderly people. That’s just unforgivable.
*** Thank you for reading my blog! If you or any of your friends and family ever have any real estate questions, please feel free to contact me at andyfalk2112@yahoo.com or 415-250-8025. I’m always happy to help!