So, you turn your nose up at apartment cleaning?

[Able 1]

Lots of high end apartments out there just separate your self from the rest (it's not that hard to do).. Helps to have personality, and try to form a bond with everyone working there also(even the toilet scrubber).

Apartments are also a great way to add vans, it's harder to do it one customer at a time paying $200 each visit, then adding a few complexes at $10,000 per year.

Service is very important, and hard to accomplish with just one van. They can be a pita but the consistency of work make them worthwhile..

Some managers are all about price, but most have been at it long enough to know if you get great service and a great job they will continue to use you (no matter what Jimmy tells you). Get in there and give them service so good they are worried to lose YOU!!

I brought up this thread because I was on SM and was shocked by what I've made off one of my best..

I started working for this account 1/1/11..

This one in 2010..

I like apartments for filler work..

We got a call today from one of my favorite managers, he told us that he got a call from the higher ups that they want to use us exclusively.. That would be 3500 apartments, way too much for me right now, I guess I'll have to figure it out..

PS. The apartment king of this area tried multiple times to steal these from me. The last time I saw him there I gave him a great smirk haven't seen him since..

 

[hogjowl]

That was RUDE!

 

[Able 1]

Yeah, it was.. Asshole!

 

[Desk Jockey]

Hell why hold back. Flip him off!

Normally I'd say "Pussy" but since you seemed upset by it last time, I refrained.
However somebody has to get it. Porkchop you Pussy! LOL

 

[Cleanworks]

man, you guys are so tough

 

[hogjowl]

Yeah, it was.. Asshole!

It's rewarding to see my hard work is not going unnoticed.

 

[Desk Jockey]

man, you guys are so tough

Who needs friends, I have you guys...as I said who needs friends.

 

[Cleanworks]

What a mental image, Keith and Richard, cruising through the ghetto, flipping the bird at all the hacks and smirking all the way.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Damn, good thing I can run like the wind!

Uhhh any cute hood rats scampering around?

 

[BIG WOOD]

If I had enough rentals around here where I could put a tech in it 30hrs/week, while I was out there taking care of all my higher end customers...I sure would. The annoying part of the apartments around here, is that they don't give me more than one apartment each time it's needed. I have several property managers that call me...just not enough to where I can hire another tech with a tm.

 

[Spurlington]

Years ago we had 13 complexes and most of the work done was the last and first week of the month. A lot of scrambling around.

 

[Desk Jockey]

They go a lot cheaper around here. $50.00-$75.00

Do we do them?
FOOK NO!

 

[Cleanworks]

I have quite a few apartment and condo buildings that I do, for example one of my jobs is a 3 building-3 story complex. My average job is $150.00 I usually get 1-3 jobs a month from them. Let's just say I get 1 job a month, that's $1,800 a year. Plus I clean the hallways and stairs once a year at $500 per building. Another $1,500 per year from one customer. I have other property management companies that use me, unfortunately, I can't handle all the volume, so they use other carpet cleaners when I am not available. They call me for the tough jobs that other cleaners have failed on and I charge an arm and a leg for those. The other day I did a $1,200 job cleaning all the hallways in 5 hours. Over $200 per hour. I have a job coming up downtown in an upscale office building where I am charging .10 per sqft more than the last cleaner. I got it because I cleaned the hallway carpets in the building where the office manager lives. Just hold your prices at a reasonable rate, where you make money on each job and don't try to compete with the lowball hacks. There is always someone cheaper but there is Never anyone better than you

 

[Onfire_02_01]

@Able 1 are your high end apartments still sticking with carpet? It seems like the high end places in my area are going to laminate and don't even want to talk to carpet cleaners.

 

[Bill Soukoreff]

Keith, do you much condo common area cleaning?

 

[Jimmy L]

Well I used to do a few of them and you are always losing sleep over calls that they need you right now. It's a rat race and you are married to them in that they have control of your life. So you can have those apartment crews who hack them out but that transition over to doing residential can be hard. Crews that wear heavy metal T-shirts doing apartments is okay but home owners don't want to see that. And it's a far different mind set in residential.

Apartments suck.

 

[Able 1]

Keith, do you much condo common area cleaning?

I have a few of those... Lots of apartment common area cleaning every May, good way to jump start the year! I have had one van dedicated to just that for the last two weeks.

 

[Able 1]

@Able 1 are your high end apartments still sticking with carpet? It seems like the high end places in my area are going to laminate and don't even want to talk to carpet cleaners.

I think they will, but the smartstrand and polyester might eventually have them change their minds.. When I started with them they had nylon in all the apartments and it lasted a good 10 years. This new CRAP they are buying shows traffic lanes in a year!

 

[Onfire_02_01]

I think they will, but the smartstrand and polyester might eventually have them change their minds.. When I started with them they had nylon in all the apartments and it lasted a good 10 years. This new CRAP they are buying shows traffic lanes in a year!

But it is cheap to put in and the accountants like less money. It may not last as long but then they can charge the "extra damage" to the last resident, and it doesn't cost them more to replace the carpet early.

 

[Able 1]

I understand that, but if they were good accountants wouldn't they see the benefit of having carpet last 10 years instead of 1.. With high end rentals a simple wear pattern is enough to get them to replaced.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

You would think wouldn't you. But so often it has become about making money this quarter and not about making money in the long run. I see it with water damage all the time, if they would just spend a little more money right now and have it dried out properly their building will last a lot longer. But many want the quick fix now to save money and they can "remodel" the unit in 15 years when no one, not even the 3 Mexican families living together, will rent it because it looks so bad. I even told a Mexican couple to leave their apartment and find something else because the owner would not have a company come in and dry out after a water leak. The tenants were paying me out of their own dime to clean their carpets because they were tired of looking at the black mold everywhere.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

But I guess that is the bottom of the barrel isn't it. I have known some awesome managers and companies. One company I would trust all my apartment buildings to (if I had any) and not question any charges from them. They knew how to take care of a place. And to boot their rent was standard price for our area.

 

[hogjowl]

He didn't mean to hurt your feelings Taco.

 

[Able 1]

That is the bottom of the barrel!!

I do work for ghetto properties also, but they are going with hard wood (fine with me).. I don't work for slum lords they are just in bad neighborhoods.

Apartments are 25% of my business, so if I would lose them all, I would just go back to one van.. It is great to have them for "fill in" work, but it wouldn't put me under if they all left(Always think they could all be gone tomorrow ).

Well I used to do a few of them and you are always losing sleep over calls that they need you right now. It's a rat race and you are married to them in that they have control of your life. So you can have those apartment crews who hack them out but that transition over to doing residential can be hard. Crews that wear heavy metal T-shirts doing apartments is okay but home owners don't want to see that. And it's a far different mind set in residential.

Apartments suck.

I agree with some of that..

 

[steve_64]

Ive been cleaning some of my apartments for ten years. I dont think they are any more of a pain in the arse than any of my customers but I make a LOT more money yearly from them.

I agree that switching between apartments and homes can be a tough switch sometimes. Not because of uniforms but because of techniques and speeds.

 

[Nate The Great]

Ive been cleaning some of my apartments for ten years. I dont think they are any more of a pain in the arse than any of my customers but I make a LOT more money yearly from them.

I agree that switching between apartments and homes can be a tough switch sometimes. Not because of uniforms but because of techniques and speeds.

And you also thought you did a great job with a Bane........

It is a different business model between the 2... I still clean with the portable or truck mount, depending on the job.... Of course I tend to use the TM as much as I can but if I can't the portable is right there to keep the cash flowing..... I'll clean whatever for my price....

I also clean pipes for women who ask nicely............. It's not an advertised service though.....

 

[Onfire_02_01]

And you also thought you did a great job with a Bane........

It is a different business model between the 2... I still clean with the portable or truck mount, depending on the job.... Of course I tend to use the TM as much as I can but if I can't the portable is right there to keep the cash flowing..... I'll clean whatever for my price....

I also clean pipes for women who ask nicely............. It's not an advertised service though.....

Impersonating a Doctor, you better be caerful.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Oh no he is qualified there. Its impersonating a carpet cleaner that's going to get him in trouble.
@Nate The Great

 

[GCCLee]

Hell why hold back. Flip him off!

Normally I'd say "Pussy" but since you seemed upset by it last time, I refrained.
However somebody has to get it. Porkchop you Pussy! LOL

anda lay

 

[Desk Jockey]

Hey Chris!