[paule]

i am starting canvassing in bradford on new houses private not council they r 2 and 3 bed det what sort of price would u charge.i have been window cleaning for 2 years now working for a firm and want to give it a go myself,will be useing ladders any help in priceing would be great cheers

[brett walker]

hi paule

3 storey wfp 10 - 12 quid



brett

[Biscute]

Me prsonaly would i would charge between 4 and 6 £, depending on location and acsess.

[*strawman69]

ide charge £1 every time you climb your ladder and 25-50p for every downstairs window having said that i use wfp and it takes half the time that it used to when i used ladders therefore an investment in a wfp system means you can earn far more money

[paule]

cheers lads for that i was thinking on £4-£6 and im already saving for a reach and wash but will be a while yet thanks

[mark dew]

hi paule

3 storey wfp 10 - 12 quid

brett

Yes the same around here.

Me prsonaly would i would charge between 4 and 6 £, depending on location and acsess.

Whereabouts are you based at those prices and how many can you do in an hour?


mark

[rosskesava]

£4-£6

Hi Paule

Don't under price yourself. That price is far too cheap.

Personally I won't go under £15 for any job other than something that fits in with other work and is quick, simple and easy.

As posted above, £10 minimum otherwise it'll end up being work for small return.

Cheers

[24-7 S C Services]

Hi Everyone,

Paule,

I would not get out of bed for those prices. Ross is like me, a minimum charge is set at £15, that's even if you only have one window.

Seriously everyone, you really need to look at all your prices. Why are you working for pennies when it should be pounds. Ok, you may not get as many houses at £15 a shot, but what is better, 10 houses that pay £150 or 30 houses that pay £150? I know which i prefer and do.

Plus, if your saving for a wfp set up, you will be saving for a very long time at those prices.

Many Thanks

Andrew

[geoffreyspecht]

where i live i would charge £8 for2 bedroom and £10 for a three bedroom house

[steve k]

if we all stick to a minimum £10 charge, we`ll all get somewhere...!!

[geoffreyspecht]

it really depends where u live down south u can charge a lot more then again wages r a lot higher

[24-7 S C Services]

Hi Geoff

Yes and no. I am originally from the north east.

Although wages are less the furster north you go, the actual cost of leaving decreases. So it does even itself out.

Many Thanks

Andrew

[geoffreyspecht]

your wrong there andrew the cost living up here is the same as down south exept for the price of houses

[rosskesava]

I live in Brighton and the cost of living here is the highest outside of London.

Regardless of that, people will pay the money anywhere in the UK. You just have to find them.

The last Kelly's directory of wealth distribution placed more 'wealthy' people (over £40 000 income) in the Midlands than anywhere else because it is cheaper to live there.

Andy's point to clean less houses for more rather then more for less took us 4 years to learn as a lesson. Towards the end of last year we tripled our charges for all over cleaning of conservatories (thanks Andy for that) and much to my amazement, roughly 75% of people pay/paid it without any hassle.

I think it's having the confidence to not only ask the price but also acceptance that some won't to pay it but in the long run, you earn more for less work by asking for more money which leaves time to get new work at similar prices.

I'd go for £15 a house minimum if it was me but when at the beginning of starting out as a w/c, it takes time to have the confidence to just do that and have the faith that customers will pay it.

Our first job was £3.50 for a 2 bedroom council semi. That seems so impossible now that we asked that price. The same job now in the same street 5 years later - £22.50 and we do 18 of them and that £3.50 job is now long gone.

[Morph]

Is there a north/south divide on the cost of life?

How much is the cost of dying where you live?

[AdamSouth]

i live in down south and one wc round my way has been tell people he'll clean a 4bed house for 6quid. fu@ks me up cos i was going in at 10-12. can't see how he can live on that and theres no telling the customs that he ain't paying tax or got ne insurance because they don't care if they save a few bob.

still i'm sticking with my prices cos means less work for me.

2bed small 3bed - £8
big 3bed - £10                        plus £2 for a con
4bed - £12
 
and i do a quick wipe of the frame

i think i'm cheap but the customers don't

[paule]

when u say £15 what do u do for that and im in bradford yorkshire

[rosskesava]

When starting out on your own confidence is in 2 parts. One is that type of confidence that you have thinking about prices when away from the job. The other type is when you are face to face with the customer and you try to think what they will accept as your price.

The 2 prices are very different so just try to go a few quid above the price your comfort zone says that you feel happy with asking.

Whatever price we ask now or have done in the past, we've always done a thorough job regardless which is the glass, frames and doors. I may be a bit odd but I cannot work any other way. Sometimes I've done an immaculate job for little money.

I used to take ages to do a house as I was thorough but by being like that, bit by bit, the speed increased but not at the expense of quality. We did have someone work with us who was super quick but did a cr*ppy job and his theory was to improve the standard but not at the expense at speed. After a while I ended up doing a better job and quicker.

A few times every so often we get customers try a new window cleaner who has undercut us. It happens from time to time and my view is good luck to them. Sometimes I don't know how the w/c concerned can ever hope to make any money. Sometimes we end back with the same customer, sometimes we don't. That's business for you.

In the end it is all about posture. If you think you are worth that money then you will get that money. If you are prepared to drop your price to please the customer or keep the job, then that posture goes with you to the next job, and the next, and so on.

I don't think that whether you are from Bradford or anywhere else makes any difference in the end. If you are determined, then you will get there. Lots of successfull business men have made money in every part of the UK. It's when they've made their money that they move to a different area.

Cheers


ps Sorry if the above reads disjointed. It's been a long wet and cold day and I'm just having a 'relax' before bed. I'm knackered. ZZZzzzzzzz

[geoffreyspecht]

hi ross   im going to brighton to work £22.50 for a 2 bed council house is good money i should be able to make £500 a day =£2500 a week.just wish it was true

[rosskesava]

hi ross   im going to brighton to work £22.50 for a 2 bed council house is good money i should be able to make £500 a day =£2500 a week.just wish it was true

I think you need to learn some maths and mix that with what time and motion studies be real. Nearly 20 houses a day on your own. Sure. 5 days a week every week. I am not stupid.

20 odd houses. 7 hours work and non stop including taking the money and the odd chat. 3 an hour on your own. Dream on. What are you - superman.

So... move to Brighton then, build up a business, do the work and you are made.

I never said it was all done in a day. If you are going to quote me then quote what I actually write not what you think I wrote.

Sorry if that seems a bit provocative but gets your facts right before quoting guessed at sums of money possibly earnt.