QUALITY PAYS, IT DOES NOT COST!!!

As the old saying goes " if you want something good, it will cost you." Well, you can see my title does not reflect that statement. On the contrary it's quite the opposite. Without any arguments, any good or great products' price will usually be a little more on the up front purchase. So let's examine the "cost" versus "price" issue. People usually want to shop for the best price on anything they buy. Hey, it's human nature not to want to pay more for something when it appears there may be the same product or service for a lesser price. Price has been described as the amount of money initially paid for a product or service. Cost has been described as the amount of money a product or service "costs" you over the long run.

Landscape maintenance and tree services fall into this price versus cost issue. Most community managers are pretty savvy regarding that they will get what they pay for when it relates to landscaping and tree services. Let's start on the subject of landscaping. As you can see by the following pictures, New Way Professional Landscape Services has been providing a quality landscape service for many years. Remember quality pays, it does not cost! Let me take you on a little mind excursion of community associations that I have witnessed many, many times in the 1000's of estimates I have gone on.

Let's go back in time to about 1994. Community "A" is in the eastern part of San Diego County. As I drive into this community, my initial thoughts are that it's a nice community. But the more I drive around the perimeter areas the more I begin to see some deferred maintenance items. Boards of fences are missing, buildings need painting and my real indicator for how any association is doing is to look at the asphalt or the sealing of the streets. This community did need some work. I did meet with the landscape chairperson and he did show me around the place. As we walked he shared with me their monthly dues and not being a community manager, I even knew that the amount seemed low. As there were many for sale signs throughout the community I asked how the units were selling. He said they weren't. We finished up the walk through and I went about my business of estimating what it would take to maintain and improve this community. (Notice I did say improve). Since the landscape chairperson was very curious to hear my "price" I did drop by his house and discussed what I observed about the landscape. Of course I wasn't shocked to hear that they were paying approximately $400 per month less. This $400 per month "price" difference calculates to only $4 per door. Needless to say we were not contracted with and I was told it was based upon the "price".

Community "B" I visited about 3 days later and it also was in the eastern part of San Diego County. It was about the same number of units as Community "A". The buildings were freshly painted, the streets were recently sealed and the landscape was in pretty good shape. Again the landscape chairperson took me on a tour and she said how the Board was interested in "keeping up" the image of the community. The Board wanted ideas on improving the landscape because they were in tune to the fact that landscaping as well as other maintenance items played a significant part in the values of their homes. Community "B's" dues were approximately $25 per month higher than Community "A's" and this chairperson even knew that fact. "So which association would you live in?" she asked me. Of course the answer was obvious. She also informed me that her community's homes were selling and their prices were higher.

Her question of which association would you live in directly relates to the statement of the title of this article. Quality Pays, It Does Not Cost!