Putting a mechanic's lien on the house while she is trying to sell it is a very smart move. She may not be aware that no sale can go through on the house until the lien is paid so is probably just ignoring you. Good luck with everything.
He'll get paid at closing more than likely by the escrow company to meet requirements of the title insurance.Notifiying the listing agent is a wise move too just so they know of the issue and might be able to convince owner to pay it off early.
Just found your channel. My late husband did lawn maintenance. When he died unexpectedly, clients that he had for many years, decided that they no longer owed their bills. Unfortunately, I was not in a good state of mind and didn't pursue their debts. The money could have helped but the pain I was going through stopped me. People can be horrible. Lesson learned.
I would have asked her for a partial payment of $100. She probably could have that. Her life is in disarray and she isn't getting things done. If she paid the $100 ask her when she gets paid again. Try to collect the balance. Do not talk loud or harsh at any time. Be polite and firm.
I was once hired to do a DJ/singing performance at a sports club.The place was full. They even gad to ad seating outside.Many customers stated they'd never seen the place so full. After five hours of work, the owner refused to pay me because"business had been low that night. He tried to hire me again month later. I declined. Later that year his business closed down. I wasn't saddened.
100% you did the right thing. She requested a service and you provided it. She didn’t hold up her part of the deal. You have every right to get ALL of your money.
”people don’t realize this is how you make your living” Rather ridiculous statement. And WHAT do ‘people’ think this man is doing? Getting a tan? Excercising? Hanging out?
Not ridiculous at all. Many 'high end' folks with money ... actually don't think about the people who work 'for' them as being actual human beings with families and obligations. ime ... the 'more' someone has ... the less time they spend thinking about those who don't. ymmv your mileage may vary.
Your mechanics lien will cloud the title and the title company/attorney will insist you get paid off before they will issue title insurance. So, it's a nice stick to have. Do call the listing agent and inform them of the lien so they are aware of it early. They might be able to convince owner to pay you off early. Good luck.
The other thing that can happen depending on the financial institution that issued the mortgage, a mechanics lien can force the primary mortgage into default. A nasty little clause in some mortages
@@BilCook That depends on the state. A mechanic's lien would be secondary to whatever was applied before it so the bank's first mortgage wouldn't be affected, at least in Michigan. The owner can't sell with a clean title without the debt being paid, though. There is a good chance that a buyer wouldn't be able to get a mortgage without this being paid at closing. $250 isn't going to stop someone from buying, the buyer will simply pay the $250 plus fees and interest at closing.
Early in my marriage, my husband did a home remodeling job that he gave an estimate on that was accepted by the couple. Later the wife added on a small "extra" that really enhanced the stairwell so he added about $200 to the total. The husband, a lawyer, refused to pay for the extra work because HE didn't approve it. We put a lien on the house and it took us 7 years, but we got the money because the lawyer wanted to sell. My husband was just a high-school graduate but oh so talented. Guess the lawyer didn't think we knew of such things, being young and uneducated but he found out differently. That money was a big deal for us and we had no regrets or second thoughts. Good for you.
@@trilbynhiss You got that right. I really think he thought he was getting away with something. No formal education after high school but very street smart. We were so young and I really felt taken advantage of.......but it all worked out in the end. Have a great evening.
I had to put a lien on a property that I painted (exterior) same situation, paid half upfront and never paid the rest. When he tried to sell his property he discovered the lien and tried to run me off the road. I had to get a restraining order against him and it was a mess. I finally got my money plus I sued him for harassment. He thought because I’m a female that he could screw me over and intimidate me. Nope. Good for you for standing up for what’s yours. You work hard and deserve to be compensated for that.
Glad you got your money! Sounds like he would try to screw over anyone in any situation. Not simply because your a woman. I have an auto shop and when things go bad about money my wife puts them in their place real quick.
@@1ROB82 I like your wife, she sounds like a badass! I think you’re probably right about him not paying anyone, but it seemed a little scary when he tried to run me off the road. I’m probably overthinking it, and he’s probably threatened others the same way.
I agree with your actions 100%! If she did not want to pay you the $500 for the job she should have negotiated a price that she wanted/could afford. I have a powerful disdain for cheaters, scammers, and the like.
Call the appropriate courthouse office. They can't give legal advice but if you ask how long the lien is valid for they should be able to tell you. In Michigan (IIRC) they are good for ten years but be sure to ask.
As a home daycare owner who just had to make the decision to leave the business, I can say I had customers I would go the extra mile for who always treated me with respect and I loved them and their children. Other parents, on the other hand would take advantage of the fact that I love children and would stiff me, drag their feet about paying, expect me to buy their children coats/shoes/clothes, expect me to open my doors two hours early, stay open two hours late, work weekends, etc. and then leave me without notice owing money because they found a sitter a little closer to home or one of the bigger centers had an opening (usually at a higher price). Almost always they would come back to me after the new daycare kicked them out (always for parent behavior, not the child). I was always conveniently full. Stand your ground. She owes you. She knows she owes you. And the only way she will do right by you is if she cannot get her money.
You have a much bigger set up than I do. I’m retired and do some lawn care part time just to keep busy and get out of the house. I don’t have $500 dollar jobs. I’ve been at it for a few years and have only encountered 1 customer who refused to pay. I got stiffed for 2 mows, kept getting the run around when trying to collect payment. I had enough and sent a message saying “Merry early Christmas. The grass cutting is on me and I wish you luck in finding someone else”. I think my attitude shocked him. He finally paid and tried to convince me to continue mowing his lawn, we met in person. I shook his hand and said “Merry Christmas, but I think it’s best you find someone else”. If a customer is being an asshole it’s really gets under their skin if you are polite in return while refusing their business.
@@karlwithak. I wasn’t trying to “work” the customer. I was getting rid of the customer in a calm manner with no expectation of collecting my money. It just happened to work out in my favour
3 residents that I mow for have died and the families never bothered to pay, always amazed by their lack of concern for the guy out mowing in 100 degree heat, you did the right thing here.
Interesting. When my mom passed away, I made sure I paid any bills that came. I knew she would want me to and I didn’t want her memory sullied in any way. I’m sorry you got stiffed!
Absolutely! Do what is necessary! When someone accepts a quote and wants it done on a time schedule and doesn’t pay!! Totally a good call on doing the lien!
Good job, I would charge them an accelerating late fee as well. You might contact the realtor too to make sure they are aware of growing late fee as well.
With all the work you did plus on a weekend, you absolutely are doing the right thing. People like her think once they move off they can't be made to pay for services rendered.
Even if you do not "you have a crew to pay, maintenance on equipment, etc" and you are a billionaire because it IS your money and you want it - you are NOT a charity and you hate being robbed by anyone.
Hi Stetson!, call her realtor and tell them what happened, and see if they can pay you and then the realtor can add that to the lady's cost of selling her house, then you can stop the mechanics lien, good luck 👍
She agreed to the price! Yes, I would of our a lean on the house. It's a job and people that do a job, GET PAID!! The jobs you guys did was PERFECTLY DONE! NICE A CRISP! 💯👍😎
Getting a deposit on the large tickets is never a wrong thing to do. And, I suspect, once the sales agent finds out about the lien, you'll get paid. You've done well, for yourself and those that deal with her in the future.
You do a fabulous job. The customer knew exactly what she intended to do. She didn't anticipate you would know there was a way for her to pay her balance. Good business decision. A hassle? Yes but as you mentioned you don't want her to continue doing the same to other contractors. Let us know how it goes. Best wishes from California♡
Every little bit helps and yes, you did the right thing! It cost you time and money to get it done and it sounds like she made it difficult by demanding a certain day/time too.
No doubt in my mind that you did the right thing? Some people just think of themselves and could care less about the work they request of you? Good job and hope you get the rest sir.
That’s what mechanics liens are for ! You don’t get paid, don’t get mad that never helps. Use resources that are available to you as business owner. Communication is key.
StetSON! Absolutely! Could be why she waited until last minute, thought she could stiff you and close before you filed a lean. Wonder if there's other workmen she did that to. Had a friend with a tree service that wouldn't even bid for lawyers anymore. Had 2 different ones that sign the contracts and when it came time to pay they said let's negotiate. It was a major hassle. Wish I knew then what I know now, he should filed a complaint with the state barr association, one guy even said "I'm a lawyer, I can tie you up in court forever". That's pretty much not tolerated by most state barrs. Thanks for the video Brother, take care.
Here's how you handle this, and I've had to do it twice already. The intent to file a lien (or a lien) is nice, but what you need to do is CALL THE REALTOR. The realtor may not know about this, and believe me they'll wake her up fast. Now, there may be no money to pay you and the realtor will become aware of that and make sure you are compensated at the closing. Always, always call the realtor. Works every time!
I used to be in the retail furniture and appliances business, and had to do liens occasional to collect debts owed to me. It invariably angered the other party when they tried to sell, but I got my money. What you did was totally justifiable. No worries.
Stet, the way your crew manicures those yards is amazing! It IS expensive, but that's the price you have to pay in order to have a beautiful, well-manicured outdoor space. It's not only the time involved, it's the equipment maintenance as well.
If they are not a regular customer I need cash up front. If they are a reg. and start to go slow pay I notify them that they owe me x amount and stop service until they pay up.
just watched the full vid! loved it great decision getting half first and putting a lean on the house asap because thats the right thing to do especially when shes already planning on selling
It’s the principal of the thing, to me! That is so cool that you did what you did! I love your videos! My Mom parked on the street because they didn’t have drive ways. So one day we were gone and my Uncle was just relaxing sitting in there yard. This man came by in his car and ran right into my Moms car and totaled it! Just kept going. My Uncle write down his license plate nu. My Mom garnashed. His work check to make sure she got her Money back! I think I spelled the word wrong here but I think you did the right thing and I’m sure you will get paid or she won’t sell her home! Nobody is going to take up for you if you don’t take up for yourself!❤️
I've been burned by several people that moved. People you never think would do it. Very leery now about people that are moving, regardless of who they are and how good of a customer they've been. I got into it yesterday with somebody that had been blowing grass on my customers lawn and sidewalk every week for over a year. Ended up cussing her out, You might have seen her around. Blond chick in a red truck with some skinny young dude with her.
GOOD JOB filing a legal lean on that woman's property so she has to PAY you in the end. And, you can charge her for whatever it costs you in your time and actual filing fees, court costs, lawyer's fees, etc. as long as what you are asking for from the court (small claims is pretty simple and you can do everything yourself) are reasonable amounts plus your actual costs paid out of pocket. I've done it, if you can show convincing paperwork, witness statements, your time and costs to the judge and they can see the other party owes you, you win if they can't show convincing legal reason why they shouldn't have to pay you. ;)
I think you've done the right thing. $250 is important, and so is the principle of the matter. I like the sound of a lien, but I don't think we have something similar in Australia (Victoria). I believe we'd have to take the case to a small claims court or tribunal
I'm retired now but as a contractor I had to put in 45 years of owning a business I had to put 3 wings on people houses cause they wouldn't pay me So I totally understand what you gotta do Eventually you'll get paid cause they can't sell the house
What you did was right on man. You guys work hard for your money and to make a deal she agreed with up front. I used to mow all over SE Ohio big 5-10 acre lawns the one of the most fun jobs I ever had put on headphones and get lost in thought while mowing. It’s was hot sweaty dirty work but enjoyable. To step back after your done and look at how straight your lines are and clean the lawn looks was rewarding.
A veteran in the green industry here in Augusta GA once told me that if you start letting folks get over on you, it will cause you to carry that reputation of being a push over. Do whatever it takes to get your money. Even if you lose money doing so.
You did the right thing. Anyone who doesn’t pay you likely doesn’t pay anyone else. She’s a small business bully and everyone should make her pay up front. I lend money for a living and 99.5% of people pay me back ahead of time and the rest often have dire hardships that prevent them from being able to meet the obligation. About 1 out of 100 is a true pirate, horrible living lump of dog crap that are entitled know it alls with no good qualities except they lie very well to convince my team to lend them money in the first place. I take all of them bad actors to court, they never - ever show up and you get a “default judgment” which is a further pain in the neck to collect but your lien will be paid when the house sells. Good luck! Really enjoy your work product videos.
Customers not paying sucks! Whatever you can do to get the money works for me! I had a client, a senior director with a national bank who refused to pay $150 for a job. When I happened to mention that my friend, a journalist, would write a nice story about him, the money appeared without 30 minutes 🙂
Take her to small claims court!I don't care what the amount is,you worked for it.Give an inch, and people take a foot.People always have a story if you can't afford the service then don't hire someone to do the job.Always have a contract with the customer,I learned the hard way when I was young.Good luck Stet!
Small claims court judgements do not always get collected.often they are ignored with little consequence. A lien against the property will get paid, but it may take a long time to get paid.
@@PAHighlander24 If you don't get paid, go back to court and they will be cited with "Contempt of Court" which is a criminal charge. When they are served with an arrest warrant and forced to appear before the same judge who gave you the award they think twice about having to spend time in jail/hours of community service plus pay the award and court costs. And talk about screwing up someone's credit!
You worked for the money and she agreed. Thank God we have that option in America. You should send her a letter because she likely won't know until they check for Lein at closing. Better sooner than later.
You wanting to take her to court even if you’ll loose money just to protect future contractors says a lot about you bro. Not only does it say a lot about you but about your parents as well. They raised a stand up guy. Have a blessed weekend bro.
Stetson, great to see you back. I can't imagine the heat you and the crew are enduring. Hope you got relief from it this week. On the nonpayment, you did exactly the right thing. It is unexcusable for a person to pull that.
Nothing like a bit of revenge gardening, we got accosted at horticultural college for not planting bulbs quick enough. So we went back across the plot planting rude words that would not be obvious until the next spring. Another time we weed killer sprayed our opinions into a huge paddock that we had mowed and lastly we rotovated a lawn and removed the new fencing we had erected. This was in the 1970s UK.
Hi You’re right to take her for payment, no matter how little the amount may be it’s yours and every business owners responsibility to make sure people pay or they will continue to do this to others meaning the good customers eventually will have to pay more to compensate for the bad customers, you should tell people it’s an extra $50 per day after the account due date . Good luck
So the mower doesnt collect the clippings. Nobody rakes. Where do all the clippings go? Back onto the lawn to dry out and look ugly? Its like this guy doesnt want to deal with clippings and just leaves em on the customers lawn. I wouldnt pay either. Get a bag for that mower. Remove the clippings.
glad to see you haven't given up, been here for many years been watching you motivates me to do great on my lawns we should game some more sometime haven't gamed in years together since streaming mw keep up the amazing work!
You need to add into your contract a non pay clause. The FEE for non payment/collection is 300$ lien fee, plus whatever it costs to file the case. Add in administrative fee of 100 for your time. Even if its a 200$ job. EDIT dont forget interest.
You deserved to get paid, but, as you said, it's probably costing you more in your time and legal fees than the $250 she owes you. If this doesn't happen often, if I were you, I would just eat it and move on. Your reputation is also important, and if it gets around that you put mechanics liens on property, that might give you a bad reputation and reduce your customer base. In other words, I'd view the lost $250 as the cost of doing business. The half up front is a good idea and should cover your actual material costs: gas, equipment, transportation, overheads (depreciation, insurance, licensing, etc.) while the other half should cover your labor costs.
You did the right thing and hopefully you can charge her interest as well for all the time that she doesn't pay the balance. People like this deserve to learn a lesson...and you probably did her a big favor, and this is how she repays you. 🙄
Have a sister that hired a landscaper to do a patio, fire pit and reshape the lawn. She wouldn’t pay the final bill as she was ALWAYS tiring to manipulate people for $$$. Landscaper came over with 3 employees to remedy her complaint … he talked her into writing the final check as 2 employees planted new seeding for the grass. 3rd employee went to the bank to cash the check. About 7-10 days later my sister had a nice crop of new WEEDS coming up!!! Yep, the Landscaper used weed seeds for about a 15’ x 40’ section of her new grass … 🤮💩🤮💩🤮🤣🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪. Took her much more $$$ to have weeds removed!!! She’s still a snake!!!
@@chad-yc4px yep…and she was an attorney to boot …. Her downfall was her addiction to alcohol and Rx drugs!!! No excuse to her, but she has received what she has sowed. Saw her a few years ago and she still lies and steals from everyone!!! May her soul be her forgiven !!! 🙏🙏🙏
Some people will claim it's a💩job to avoid paying you. With new customers you should maybe flim the finished job as proof you did what you were asked to do. You were right with the lien.👍👍👍👍
I would not go as far as taking anyone to court, but that's my faith. She'll never get a referral from you as a reliable customer and will end up hurting herself in the long run. I hope the lien does the job.
Looks cut way too short to me for grass to stay healthy. Also why do you blow the grass and dirt out the side of the deck? I’d be pissed to have all that land on my deck and furniture especially as a neighbor getting it blown my way.
I would put a lien on the property, absolutely! The amount of money isn’t important, she knew she didn’t intend to pay up - how dare she! You worked hard for that money, physical labour and on a weekend. Smart move, hope you get your money.
Not getting paid sucks. Carrying about 4k of invoices for the past 13 years of mowing. I personally after due diligence just stop chasing that money. It is part of being in business. Have developed a good since of who will pay and who will not. It's hard to get on my schedule. Usually they must be the home owner before I accept a new customer. Property managers, commercial accounts, renters and scary neighborhoods are not a good fit for me. Add to that dogs and children, tight parking spaces and outside of my 10 mile radius are things I look for. Oh yea, probably the #1 rule for me is the current condition of the yard. I have found that it is the condition you will be called next to service. You already know these but I just felt like typing. Peace out and go go go. Card on file don't always work - many charges back to me when they don't go through!
I take them to small claims court and charged an extra $400 on the bill for my time ,and the $200 it cost to put in the claim . So out of a $200 bill they will actually be paying $800 that gets their attention .They offer to settle out of court to avoid paying the extra 400. And of course always get paid Upfront for new customers and customers that are selling houses
Yes, using a Mechanics Lien is mandatory for non payments as agreed upon. I live in an area where there are a lot of Asians. For some reason, they will agree to a price, sign a contract, and then try not to pay you. Mechanic’s Liens, camping on their doorstep, following them to work, talking to their bosses, everything possible and they’re still reluctant to pay.
Dang dude, I've missed your videos, but been dealing with family tragedy lately. It's life so, it makes you a stronger person. Made me feel good seeing that morning sunshine like that, and you playing that song, it was so good to see and hear. Your job can be pretty rough at times, but I will say though, with all the hard work you do, you have some beautiful surroundings to work in most of the time.
Sorry to hear about the tragedy in your family brother. My thoughts and prayers are with y’all right now. I’m glad my video was able to lift you up a little! 🙏🏻
when you put a lean on it can you go even more ( she owes 250 can you bump it to say the 500 , for all the sh!t you had to go through , LIKE taking the day off to go to court p.s. sound like you knok down a nice days pay can you go for that , maybe 1 more call telling her this and you make say 1k a day on top of the 250
LOL I love that you did the mechanic lean. Honestly to me (an old man) you look young and I would never have suspected you to be "old" enuf to be smart enuf to do this. Hope that makes sense and is not insulting.
Had a customer, years ago, who fought tooth and nail to get the cheapest hydro-spa price. We were offering free installation with the tub but she wanted the discount for the installation as she had a great plumber so we settled on a price and delivered the spa. She put a hold on the check. We were not able to get hold of her. When I went out to get a picture of the spa on her property she sicked her mastiff on me - barely cleared the fence that kept me from the doctor. A week or so later she is calling demanding we come out and fix it, we declined however we did offer to write a procedure for the plumber. A week later we got a call that it didn't work. We go out to her house and find the plumber there and a completely mess of plumbing. Pipes were connected to places we were surprised could be attached. So we told them how to fix it and left. Had to take her to small claims court where we would get a lean on her property with a date set 1 year out. She paid us on the 2nd to the last day before he property we up for auction.
Long ago, built a small floating dock for a warf business against the advice of contractor friends. They didn't pay, but I walked away without a word because they were connected. (Tragically, their only son died shortly thereafter in a self inflicted boating accident, speed boating in a moorage.) Take-away lesson: don't ignore informed advice.
