So we have been getting quite a few drive up inquiries to the house we are building. Its failry large and high end so alot of folks will drive by and then stop and ask about it.
They then of course ask “How much?” Being it is a custom house, I tell them its kind of confidential being the homeowners may not want others to know.
Some folks do hint at a “per sq. ft. price” as there are other vacant lots in the neighborhood. I try to shy away from that as I don’t feel its a good estimate measure but one or two folks have gotten pushy so I have told them a number.
Any other thoughts on how to handle this as I do want to assure I might not brush away any potential clients yet cannot just toss out numbers without more info. I did offer to meet with one couple to draw up some plans and get them a solid estimate but they wanted it for free and I can’t afford to pay the archy a few thousand for plans just for an estimate.
Any thoughts?
Replies
If they live there it might be to feel good about the neighborhood, or gossip with the guys on the other side of the fence. Sooner or later they will find out anyways, I personally wouldn't tell them to respect their privacy, I doubt they would care, but on the off chance I wouldn't.
Mike, you have a tremendous marketing tool, a live brochure. My thought is to avoid discussion about prices and dig for info.
ie. Who are the, buying or building in the near future, additions planned etc.
At the least have a brochure with previous work and info to hand out!
Give out a square foot price and one of two things happen: the prospect asks you to build a nicer, smaller house for the same square foot price... OR... the get "the other guy" to say he can do it for less per foot.
Whenever possible, go out of your way to demonstrate how useless square foot prices are. Ask how much a car costs per pound, or how much a cubic foot of food costs. You need to control the language used in the discussion.
The building permit (at least around here) is public information and includes cost of construction.
I've used this resource to find out how much the winning bid was.
John Svenson, builder, remodeler, NE Ohio
in our town.. and most of the othersnew construction cost is estimated by the BI per a sf formulaand remodeling relies on the applicant to state a "cost"... and tere is no definition of "cost"neither one bears any relationship to realityMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I've never understood why the "costs" are never challenged. We worked in a lot of jurisdictions and unless you put in something like $1 they just said OK.Seems like they are losing a lot of revenue by not going after this harder.Not that I think they should.John
well.... i used to write in the contract price.... and then the permits would be listed in the local paper
so... i might have a roof listed for $6000...... and the next listing might be a similar roof for $2000
or a homeowner , doing it himself... might have a similar roof for $500
i redefined my internal definition of "cost"Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
"
"and then the permits would be listed in the local paper"
What possible good comes from listing this in the paper?
nosy paper.... nosy people...public record
i read the permit section every weekMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Any thoughts?
sure.
"depending on the final finish choices, it'll run from $####,#### to $yyy,yyy"
you said the house is sitting in a neighborhood. Can't be that big a swing from house to house. I'd answer the "sq ft" question by telling the truth again ...
"oh ... in this neighborhood, a similar house could go from $#### to $yyy"
I did offer to meet with one couple to draw up some plans and get them a solid estimate but they wanted it for free and I can't afford to pay the archy a few thousand for plans just for an estimate.
and that last one ... after they say they can't afford drawings ...
"oh, trust me ... you'll be spending a bit more than that for the final product. It's money well spent up front."
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
You're in a good position, people are interested in what you're doing.
I always try to be friendly and personable with walk up questioners. I tend to give information freely, but I also am very up front about the vagueness of costs and schedules without specific plans.
I also try to draw them out about where they live, what their building dreams are, etc. Get them to talk about their situation. If what they're after is something that someone else might do better, I say so.
I often hear back from people months after I say "Company x has more guys and equipment, they can bang that out quicker than I can, if time is as big an issue as you say." Or, "Company Z is very cheap. If money is the only issue, you should call them." Being helpful and confident and friendly goes a long way.
And, I try to get back to work quickly, politely excusing myself, and making it clear that I will be happy to talk more, but not on my current client's time. I figure they won't want me goofing off chatting up the neighbors when I'm working with them.
Be happy! You're getting attention for what you do- that's great!
k
I suppose the 'posh' way to handle these tourists would be to greet them gladly, give them the nickel tour, and stress that this is a custom home for an exacting client. Point out some of the "upscale' features (though omit reference to any that relate either to security issues, or that may identify the owner).
You've now set the stage for diverting price inquiries. You're sorry, but you hold the client information, including price, confidential. As a custom home, there are too many variables; you would have to see a set of plans to work up a quote. You can speculate that nost houses in the neighborhood might cost between X and Y to build .. or pick a number on the high side, and tell them to budget for that. Again, specifics come down to having a set of prints.
Apart from the usual 'sticker shock,' some may reply that they feel your price is high. At that point, stress you are giving a budgeting figure, not a quote, and that you need plans to even guess at a price; right now, you're speaking in generalities- as are they.
If they persist, and say "Joe gave a much lower price," then the conversation is over. Wish them well with Joe, and get back to work.