If you manage to waterproof your basement during the dry season of the year, you will not only be able to negotiate a better price but you will also be prepared for when the rain arrives and you will not suffer the losses and inconveniences of your neighbors that were if you are not so far-sighted, you will earn double .
However, choosing the right time of year is not the only way to guarantee the best price for your basement waterproofing project, here are some more tips for negotiating the best price for your basement waterproofing project.
1. Just ask your contractor “under what circumstances would you do this job for a lower price without compromising on quality or specifications?
Listen to the answer and see if it fits your needs.
2. Contractors get ups and downs in their work schedule that are expensive to handle. You can often negotiate a real discount for being flexible on the timescale and allowing the contractor to adjust to work with others.
3. Ask if your work could be used as a reference with before and after photos and ask for a discount instead.
4. Ask the contractor how much discount would be available for the opportunity to place a billboard at the end of your driveway or in your window.
5. Once you’ve chosen the proposed contractor, try “Well, I was going to get one more quote, but if I canceled that and gave you the order now, what could you do with the price?”
6. Ask your neighbors if any of them want to have their basement waterproofing done as well. Ask if there would be a discount for more than one job to get you going in the neighborhood at the same time.
7. Talk about the payment terms, ask if a very quick payment would be worth another small discount.
8. Your contractor’s labor will be expensive, so anything you can offer to reduce the amount of labor should give you a nice reduction in price. Could you remove the manure or dig for the sump pump and under-floor gutter? If you have that inclination or have friends and relatives who are, you could save a significant amount on labor.
9. Please note that the specification is reduced in exchange for a lower price; This is not a discount; you are simply buying less for less money, six eggs are always less expensive than twelve! That being said, if you really can’t pay for everything you want in one go, it may be a valid decision to put some features aside until a later date – for example, it’s usually possible to install the battery backup system at a later date.
10. Make friends with your contractor, win their sympathy, show that you are a good customer to deal with, be understanding, offer hospitality, team coffee, food, especially if the surveyor has come a long way. A little psychology can go a long way!
Keep in mind that with all of the negotiation tactics above, you are giving your basement waterproofing contractor some value in exchange for your discount. Always beware of the contractor who may suddenly discount for no apparent reason, were they offering a fair price in the first place? If not, can they be trusted?
Also, don’t forget that you are (presumably) going to want good quality service and it is not necessarily in your best interest as a customer to leave your contractor with little or no incentive to do their job. Most reputable contractors will have 10-15% to negotiate for some of the above terms; More so if you’re doing a significant amount of work, but don’t forget that if you seem like you can negotiate a deal that seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
Find out the cost of waterproofing your basement.