First condo bid

J

JasonScheiding

New member
Hello, I am new in the area of bidding on condos/apartments. I got a call to bid 44 units, that is 11 buildings total, 2 stories tall, with walk out basements floors on 4 of the buildings, so the backs are like 3 story on those. I was put on the spot to give the guy a price right away, as he said this needed to be done asap and he had to present the bid to the HOA that night. I told him 200 per unit, so 800 per building. I think I bid too high, as they are all in the same spot, and will take me about 3 - 4 days total. I am used to single home residential, I bid pretty low compared to what I would have if it was an individual unit calling me. This is in NY state. Any input or advice would be appreciated, thanks.
 
Jason, what all is he asking to clean?

If it helps at all... Just think of it as a bunch of single house washes... Factor in your Materials... Factor in your profit... and if you have employee's, factor in their wages and man power to complete this job.

The first one is always nerve racking... but just be sure to remain calm.
 
Just siding. Yeah, I was factoring in all costs, and bid each unit much lower than a typical 1 time visit, I'm thinking I maybe could have gone a little lower, but I still feel the bid was reasonable. However, being all in one spot, and having the ability to get about 10 units or more washed per day is convenient. I wouldn't come to a job for 1 house wash and bid 200, my typical single family home in NY is around 4-600. Its pretty much a 40-50% discount on the bulk of it, but going lower still would not be a deal breaker as I would be covering cost, but my hourly rate would drop quite a bit. I would rather not lose the job and build a relationship with the company and do it cheaper if I have too, I hope I don't scare them off.
 
Where else are you going to get 44 properties to wash in the same street????? It's like shooting ducks on the water. Even if you bid a little less than you would for a single home bid you will be making money. One trip there, one trip home x 3 days against 44 trips there and 44 trips home and the work spread over god knows how many square miles.
Personally I would have bid $150-175 for that lot or varied the price to suite accessibility etc etc.
 
looks like a pretty easy wash....... 2 people do it in 2 1/2 days...............$450 per building $4950 total
 
Don't bid too low because it's in bulk. You're still dealing with an HOA even though there is a middleman between you and them.

With that group the problems start after the job gets started. You really need to cover your bases to make sure you start, finish and get paid.
 
I wouldn't be much help. I bid these all the time and rarely ever get one. The usually only way I get them is if I already know someone. If they like you and want to hire you they will tell you if you are too high.
 
As it turns out, there are 55 units, not the 44 I was told. They also wanted the price to come down, so I knocked off 25% to try and make sure I get the job to build a relationship for repeat business. If all goes well I will start next week. The only problem I will face is water access, only available source is at the clubhouse, may need to run 400 feet of hose. I currently do not have a huge water tank to use. Looking into fire hydrant meter. Anyone here experienced what is needed to use a fire hydrant? Thanks.
 
good score!! 55 units at an average $175each $9600. Not bad for a weeks work. I should be so lucky.
 
JasonScheiding said:
As it turns out, there are 55 units, not the 44 I was told. They also wanted the price to come down, so I knocked off 25% to try and make sure I get the job to build a relationship for repeat business. If all goes well I will start next week. The only problem I will face is water access, only available source is at the clubhouse, may need to run 400 feet of hose. I currently do not have a huge water tank to use. Looking into fire hydrant meter. Anyone here experienced what is needed to use a fire hydrant? Thanks.
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Lay down some ground rules in writing before you start. Seriously, this group of people are a different breed. Every one of those units is a person and a lot of those people have some degree of animosity against the HOA board. This is to keep you from becoming a victim in the never ending little battles amongst different owners and the HOA itself.

No work stoppages by homeowners. Somebody might try to play passive aggressive games by intentionally leaving windows open, etc.

All communications through one person only, do not allow the entire HOA Board to become involved in any way at all if your main contact is the property management guy only. He is the main and only contact and it stays that way

Set expectations before starting and in writing. Note EVERY defect you find before starting and every little thing that will not come clean. It may take a few hours but you'll be covered that way. Smeared stain/sealers on siding, heavy oxidation, etc.

Do NOT allow anybody to follow you around while working. There's a good chance one of them will try. set the pace of the job and put in writing the order you will be going in.

I will never give an HOA a substantial discount. Small yes, but not sizable due to potential headaches. Just be careful brother, these people can be an odd group. Some run smoothly, others are a mess of politics, personal vendettas and squabbles amongst each other.
 
Matty P said:
Lay down some ground rules in writing before you start. Seriously, this group of people are a different breed. Every one of those units is a person and a lot of those people have some degree of animosity against the HOA board. This is to keep you from becoming a victim in the never ending little battles amongst different owners and the HOA itself.

No work stoppages by homeowners. Somebody might try to play passive aggressive games by intentionally leaving windows open, etc.

All communications through one person only, do not allow the entire HOA Board to become involved in any way at all if your main contact is the property management guy only. He is the main and only contact and it stays that way

Set expectations before starting and in writing. Note EVERY defect you find before starting and every little thing that will not come clean. It may take a few hours but you'll be covered that way. Smeared stain/sealers on siding, heavy oxidation, etc.

Do NOT allow anybody to follow you around while working. There's a good chance one of them will try. set the pace of the job and put in writing the order you will be going in.

I will never give an HOA a substantial discount. Small yes, but not sizable due to potential headaches. Just be careful brother, these people can be an odd group. Some run smoothly, others are a mess of politics, personal vendettas and squabbles amongst each other.
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LOL. Matty P you been here before brother. You are quite right HOA's can be a pain in the butt and Jason may end up with 55 bosses if he doesn't nail it down before he starts, after all every home owner is an expert on how to wash a home and we just have no idea at all. LOL
 
Actually, my bid is at 125 each. Still good for me though, probably would not have gotten the job if I didn't come down a lot. Still waiting to hear the news, but I am still making money on the deal, so I am happy. Would have been nice to be at 175 per unit, but that was way over the budget. I mainly did not want to be outbid by anyone else and get the job, there are many other properties ran by this company, I hope to get more work out of it. Should be about 4 days of work. Thanks for all the info and suggestions.
 
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