"Honestly, locking in prices can be a gamble either way."
Couldn't agree more with this. When I first bought my house, I rushed to lock in a quote on roofing materials right after a big storm, thinking prices would spike. Turned out, prices actually dipped slightly after the initial panic faded. Lesson learned: clear terms and regular communication from suppliers make all the difference...but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.
Yeah, timing can be tricky. I've seen homeowners stress over locking quotes only to have prices drop later. Usually, honoring quotes for around 30 days seems fair—gives everyone some breathing room without too much risk either way.
Yeah, 30 days sounds pretty reasonable—it gives homeowners enough time to weigh their options without leaving contractors hanging too much. I've noticed sometimes material costs fluctuate unexpectedly though, especially with shingles or metal roofing... Have you guys found certain materials harder to price consistently? Seems like metal prices jump around a lot, at least from what I've seen lately.
30 days seems fair enough, but honestly, even that's pushing it sometimes. Metal prices are all over the place lately—one week you're quoting a customer, and by the time they call back, your supplier's already jacked the price up. Shingles aren't as volatile, but I've noticed certain brands or colors randomly going out of stock, which messes up pricing too.
I remember last summer we quoted a metal roof job, and the homeowner took almost the full 30 days to decide. By the time they said yes, our supplier had raised the price by almost 15%. We ended up eating some of that cost just to keep the customer happy, but it definitely made me skeptical about holding quotes too long. I get wanting to give homeowners time to think things through, but it feels like contractors are always the ones absorbing these sudden price hikes.
Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should be clearer about material volatility upfront. Like, maybe quotes could have a disclaimer or something that specifically mentions certain materials being subject to market fluctuations. Might save us from awkward conversations later on.
Have any of you guys tried something like that, or do you think it'd just scare customers off? I'm still pretty new to this, so maybe I'm just being overly cautious...
"Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should be clearer about material volatility upfront."
Yeah, that's probably your best bet. I've seen a few contractors around here add a short disclaimer about material prices being subject to market changes. Doesn't seem to scare customers off much—most homeowners appreciate the transparency. Just make it clear you're not trying to pull a fast one, and explain how volatile metals can be lately...usually folks understand.
