Residential Snow Plowing....Who is the right professional for you?

An old timer in the snow removal industry once told me that you can have any snow removal service 2 of 3 ways, Cheap, Fast, or Good.

If you get it cheap and fast, it won't be good.
If you get it fast and good, it won't be cheap
and if you get it good and cheap, it won't be fast.

When considering a snow removal professional, there are a number of factors that come into play. Because the residential snow removal industry is such an easy market for anyone with a snow plow to enter, we have to be very careful as to who we choose.

* Is this driver a part time driver or is this their only business? Most people starting off in the business find that Residential and Commercial snow removal is an expensive venture. With costs of maintaining equipment for just one plow truck running an average of $5000-$10,000 a year, Most newbies don't have the financial stability to weather the storms of broken down equipment or the costs of maintenance.

*The other thing to consider, does your plow guy have additional equipment? Chances are, If they have one truck with one plow and they get into an accident or suffer a breakdown in the middle of their route, you're going to be shoveling.

* How long have they been in business? This will give you a better understanding of whether your snow removal professional has been in the business for long, and how much experience they have with the above scenarios.

Do they have a website and references? A website will also give you a little more information about the snow professional. Calling all references will go a long way as to understanding how your residential snow removal provider handles themselves in a storm. Do they come back multiple times per day? Do they clean up after the DPW? Do they have general liability insurance? No, not car insurance, business insurance to cover you in case they run into your house or knock down a telephone pole or tree crashing it into your home. What if they hit your outside A/C unit? Or even your car. Most fly by night newbies don't have the coverage you need to insure your property is covered. Verify, Verify, Verify!!

Finally, mostly because of the ease of entry into the business market, plow drives think its a simple task to just push the snow. They'll tear up your yard and leave deep trenches and don't think to comes back and repair the lawn after the snow season is over. Make sure the contractor you sign states that your residential snow removal contractor will come back in the spring if they damage your lawn.

My rule of thumb is to not plow anywhere near the lawn until we have had at least 7 consecutive days of below zero weather. After that, the ground hardens and there is less likelihood of damaging lawns.

Oh yeah, one more tip, Find a snow removal specialist who will answer their phone 24 hours during the winter. Once you've selected your residential snow removal company, and they perform well, don't ever find another. Cheap price for poor service is just that, cheap and poor. I would rather spend an extra $25-$50 and know I will never have to touch the snow.

If you ask the questions above when vetting your snow removal contractor, You will be nice and cozy this winter and your plow contractor will serve you well.

Thank for reading

Anthony Jesmer

SonwRemovalServicesCNY.com
SRSCNY
Anthonyj@snowremovalservicescny.com 
(315) 254-1429