REO Property Preservation Forum banner

Could be AWESOME

10K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  Teemster 
#1 ·
This forum could be so damn awesome. I just joined but have spent many nights prior on here reading and trying to learn. But not sure how much longer I can listen to some of the folks here. A forum is a place for people to talk about the subject of the forum, to make friends and just shoot the ****. Forums r a place people go to so they can ask questions and learn from the more experienced folks. Of all the forums I am a member of I have never seen one with so many people that r just so angry with life and do there best to make people feel and look so stupid. From what I have read I understand this type of work has went to **** and not paying out as good as some of u would like. Why r u still doing this line of work if it is so damn bad? If u despise it so bad why r u even a member of a forum for something that sucks as bad as u say it does?
The new guys (myself included) r coming here asking for help and instead of offering the help u r trashing this type of work and just being complete DICKS about everything. We did not come here asking if we r going to get screwed over or r all the regionals and nationals scams. We r asking what's needed to get started, can u give advice on a name for my company, or can u offer advice on insurance. I just read a topic on advice for a company name and most of u made a complete joke out of it. If u don't want to help why not just keep your damn mouth shut instead of making people feel stupid. U r a bunch of grown ass bullies acting like the kids in my son's 7th grade class. It is much appreciated u guys informing us of how bad things r going for u personally but it's my choice in the end if I want to attempt this or not.
Again that's awesome of u to let me know how bad things r going but just leave it at that, and then help us with what we r asking about or just move on to the next topic.
I have recently meet a guy in my area and he showed me a few things along with some of his work orders and what he is making. So it can be done, maybe not in all areas by everyone but there is still hope for people such as myself that has been layed off and looking to make it on my own.
But what I don't understand is from what some of u r saying, if it's that bad why the hell r u still in it. The post some of u make sounds like u hate it. So why r u even involved with anything to do with this line of work?
And to the ones that have taken it seriously and offered sound advice to myself and others THANK YOU SO MUCH.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
first of all if you can't think of your own business name, then this is not the place to be. That is the easiest part of being in business. Maybe that person should rethink their career plans. next if a local guy showed you a few things, then he isn't doing to well either. Why would someone show you who they get their work from, how to do the work, and by the way might as well take it from them too because they don't want it. There are too many little guys in this biz as it is and for another to come on to just be competition is the main reason why numbers are so low. The nationals and regionals just push the numbers lower and lower. When a new guy doesn't know any better but to accept the numbers, it becomes the new norm. When this happens quality goes down, short cuts are taken and that results in later chargebacks and insurance claims. So in reality go do the research on your own, google is a powerful tool and other than discussing issues within the biz like how can I perform this or that and what equipment would you suggest to make my life easier, or does this company pay or not, then your in the wrong place.
 
#3 ·
It really is getting that bad

Many of us are only in it on a limited basis at this point. When you have been getting HUD rate or better, going backwards is not an option. You are better off doing something else at that point.

The only advice I have for you is be careful, don't let any company owe you more than you can afford to lose, or wait a long time for. Don't let them run your bank account down to the point you can't afford to fight them, and don't ever depend on this industry.

There are opportunities out there, but there are far more pitfalls, thieves and scammers.

I have been contracting one thing or another for thirty years, and have never seen an industry with as many outright crooks.

The advice you have been given, though a bit harsh, is good advice.
 
#4 ·
Sorry, but when you go on the world wide web and ask everyone what you should name your business, your destination is failure. What makes you think you can run a business if you can't even give it a name?!!!

Look, if you want to sign up and work for thieves, go for it. I recommend Safeguard. After you've purchased a bad experience or two, come back on here and ask for advise on an exit strategy. Then you'll be taken seriously.

Think about that for a second. The best advise on a P&P forum is how to get out of it, not into it. What does that say about the condition of the industry? I don't hate this industry, I just hate what the nationals have done to it. No one with experience could honestly recommend a startup doing business with nationals right now. A few startups will make a couple bucks, most will fail.

I still think counseling was the best advise I've seen on this forum.:wink:
 
#6 ·
I understand where u r coming from with worry about being undercut and all but not everyone is about doing business that way. I personally can't stand some one to come in and under bid a job just to get in the door. I'm a firm believer in the quality of your work will get u the job or to the ones under bidding cost them there job. If u got to under bid your quality of work probably ain't that good.
And as far as the business name goes I would never ask someone what to name my business but I could understand the purpose behind it. Trying to think of a name for my company I wasn't sure if it should be something catchy or something basic including property preservation in it.
Fortunately the guy I was referring to is a family member by marriage that does this and I just found out after my wife mentioned it to him about me wanting to give it a try. I don't see him much and always assumed he did just lawn care. Luckily he is doing pretty damn good in our area and I'm gonna work with him for a month or so just to learn the ropes while I try to get myself started up in the surrounding areas.
I apologize for the way my post came off. I was just frustrated with some things I have been reading. But I guess maybe after being in the business for so long it's hard seeing so many people try to jump on board.
 
#7 ·
Working in preservation stinks when you have to work for someone other than yourself. Preservation work is not defined as working for Safeguard.
Ask how to get started doing this for yourself instead of a list of carpet baggers from a strip mall in Florida or Ohio and I'll bet the negative just floats away.
 
#8 ·
If you don't want to be undercut and expect the quality of your work to get you your job, preservation work for nationals isn't the place to be. That's the 2 things this industry is about, finding someone to do the work as cheaply as possible. Quality be damned.

Me personally I'm getting out of preservation work. I'm keeping my feet in the water being here because I've made some friends here but I've went from covering 6 of the biggest counties in NC to covering 1 of the smallest by choice. There is money to be made with a few nationals still but you have to fight for it too much to make it worth it.

Don't judge the negativity on here too harshly, it's just honesty. Sure, other forums I'm on are nicer but the industries are better too. Give it about 2 years in this work and you'll see what is going on with the snarky responses here.
 
#9 ·
I love posts like this....(taking off my recruiter hat and putting on my forum/group admin hat). I own a variety of FB groups and pages that revolve around my home town...the city has no social media presence so I took it upon myself to help try to drive engagement and knowledge of happenings around the city...if I had a dollar for every time someone said "this page could be so awesome..." or "this page has so much potential" I wouldn't be recruiting contractors as my 9-5. The solution to this problem is simple...web pages/forums/Pages/groups are very easy to create (but extremely time consuming to maintain). If you don't like how something is run...create your own within your own vision.

I think that the administrators do a good job here...sure, there can be posts and responses that could be interpreted as "negative"...but this is a "forum", a place to talk and share experiences and give advice. You've got to take the good with the bad and figure out what comments/advice is right for you and your company.
 
#13 ·
The difference between the 2 folks here I've noticed is the "old timers" who are used to making XXXXXXXX dollars and brag about how great it used to be. but now everything sucks cause they only make xxxxxxx dollars now. Was better before when the world had a better economy, but instead of blaming the economy they blame the Nat's.

Then you have the new people, new to starting up in this business, who are used to making ......... money and now make xxxxxxxx money. That xxxxx isn't XXXXX but it is a whole lot more than they were making before they started in this line of work.
 
#15 ·
The difference between old timers and newbies is old timers understand what they are "making". Newbies may think they are making xxxx but after 6-12 months they realize the expenses are insane and they really only made x and the job they left for this biz wasn't all that bad.

A local guy in my small town started with 5 Sisters last summer. Every time I saw him it was "great, making 5-7K a week". Saw him last week, he said "I'm getting out, just not making any money".

It's unfortunate the Nats can bottle up so much good work, but they will take advantage of the cheap labor revolving door as long as they can.
 
#14 ·
Money is or can be good when you don't put your business in the hands of others.
Foreclosures in areas we cover are down approx 14% since last year.
The economy didn't cause the speed up or slow down of the REO market; government enabling lenders and secondary markets did.
New business start ups are like marriages-half are dissolved before 5 years. It doesn't take Hawkings to believe that it is higher in the REO field as more enter this field depending on out of state non vetted vendors to spoon feed them. Many of these new starts have little or no contracting experience; they aren't apprentice plumbers branching out, they are coming from unrelated fields.
They have no idea how to market themselves and grow a base. Believing the comments on here are rude, imagine posting on an electricians forum "I'd like to know the names and numbers of a lot of customers needing electrical work who pay good and on time" and see how that goes.
Preservation as a career or tied to a national is not cradle to grave and it shouldn't be.
Use it to market and enhance your skills and move on.
 
#18 ·
I've been in this industry for 10 yrs and I don't think the negativity is warranted on here either. It's almost laughable. You definitely can make money in this biz but it is not easy. Ya better get used to long hours and hard work, especially starting out. I think most of the negativity comes from being butt hurt about competition...or it seems to me but I haven't been on this site long tho so idk. If u have any questions u can send me a pm and I'll try to help u out any way I can, u definitely have a lot to learn lol
 
#20 ·
The positives are simple...I've took care of my wife and kids the last decade, I put food on the table and meat in the freezer. I can afford to do pretty much whatever I want. I go on huntin and fishin trips every year, I go on family vacation, I have nice cars and a nice house. I'm not rich by any means but nothin about my life is negative. If there was something it would be the long hours...but what u gonna do in this economy? I refuse to let my glass be half empty. You could also say there isnt very many positives in the oil industry right now...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top