The construction industry is riddled with deception.
Whether it’s contractors raking you over the coals with change orders, charging back their mistakes to you, or sneaking extra costs in to cover their bid that was way too low, it’s everywhere.
As an owner, you naturally put your faith in the contractor. He or she is the “expert”. You should never have to think about the games that they play.
Yet, this is why most owners get screwed. It’s not a matter of intelligence. It’s a matter of education, that’s intentionally kept from you.
Construction not only rewards deceptive contractors by taking advantage of owners, it actually encourages it. Discover how to side-step the major pitfalls of large scale construction projectsFree e-book
DON’T GET SCREWED
Lack Of Information
The public is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to information. We’re at the mercy of the big black box.
This happens because owners typically have little information about true costs: the actual cost of labor and materials.
Contractors hold all the cards, and keep it close to their vests.
This massive gap between contractor and owner allows contractors to get away with all sorts of games, while the owner feels like his life has been hijacked (especially when it comes to change).
In the past, when you went to buy a car, you never quite knew if the price you were paying was fair. Now you can use Carfax to assess its true market value.
Purchasing an airline ticket used to be expensive and unpredictable. Now there is Expedia, Priceline, and other platforms that provide the information for you to make an informed decision.
There hasn’t been any such platform or service to bring the same transparency to the construction industry.
That’s what I’ve aimed to solve.
Contractors Are The “Experts”
Most owners don’t have construction expertise, nor should they. Other than professional developers who do projects all the time, most people are not often involved in construction projects.
It’s kind of like going to the mechanic for a car repair, when you can’t tell the difference between a piston and a muffler.
The mechanic can make up problems and even car parts that don’t exist, knowing you’re in no position to argue, because he is the so-called “expert.”
So, the contractors underbid on their projects, knowing you’re blind to the realities of what’s going on.
They know that the lowest bid gets them hired, and they know they can make up for it throughout the project through change orders that you have no choice but to pay for.
This leads me to the sad reality most have accepted in the construction industry.
20/20 Vision – The Sad Normal
There is an invisible game going on, and I refer to it as “20/20 vision”, that is the result of the constant games contractors play.
Owners, whether they realize it or not, subconsciously assume that all projects will take 20% longer to complete, and will be 20% over budget.
This is what everyone accepts as the norm, and they pray that everything will turn out okay.
It’s seared into owners’ brains that 20/20 vision is acceptable because at the end of the day, owners have little control over the outcome. They have no idea how to exert control once the train has left the station.
And what inevitably happens—should the outcome be anything but a total failure—the contractor says (after taking all of your money), “Yeah, but doesn’t it look great?!”
20/20 vision is fine if you’re willing to accept it, but I find it inexcusable.
Honesty Doesn’t Stand A Chance
The construction industry is a system of deception that screws over owners because they don’t understand the big game going on.
It’s the same game that’s been going on for at least half a century. And understand, the technology out there does exist to improve efficiencies on a project.
But the contractors don’t share that with you. They use the technology to improve their own efficiencies, but never to the benefit of you, the owner.
And because owners don’t understand the game, the deceptive contractors are the ones that win. Honest bids don’t stand a chance.
They underbid you and make up for it throughout the project, whereby at the end, you realized you’ve paid millions more than you expected.
Don’t fall victim to this. Don’t accept 20/20 vision. Educate yourself on the game.
Grab a free copy of my book that will teach you the ins and outs of this system, and how you can navigate it to your advantage.
Get it here.[Link]
