How will the economic stimulus package affect your business?

How will the economic stimulus package affect your business?>>>

It will depend on how easy or difficult it becomes in the Near Future, for private citizens to start moving forward with home equity lines of credit once again, considering how devalued most properties have become from several years high appraisals.

As long as the doom and gloom remains in the news media, plus the steady monthly additions to the corps of newly unemployed, this may be much longer than the one year anticipated and hopeful recovery ascent.

In my own area, I know of 6 local long time contractors who have folded, so it is not as much how it will affect my business, but more so, how will my company adjust to the newer economic climate.

Ed>>>

i have more calls for bids than i can shake a stick at. got 3 lined up allready and about 6 more to look at and its only mid march.>>>

The stimulus will not help our busness at all. I goes mostly to roads, and bigger government, neither of which will help us. Welcome to the Obama-nation>>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opxuUj6vFa4>>>

I think that somehow, if you can steer your business sales motivation towards energy related issues, then maybe the energy aspects of the bill will help you.>>>

builderr, I think that's probably dead-on.>>>

One major negative factor for the roofing industry, is that a very large portion of the stimulus package has already been designated for rood improvements, which use the same grade of asphalt as the roofing industry utilizes.

Therefor, the prices in the next 4 years, or as long as the stimulus generated road improvements continue to be federally subsidized, the costs of roofing will continue to increase dramatically.

Ed>>>

Hi Y'all,

My reading of it is to provide work on roads and infrastructure, maybe Govt. have forgotten that most road works are done by machine now so the big employment numbers may not come to pass.

Real Roofers will survive, forget the suit for sales get back on your tools it's going to be a bumpy ride !

Ireland was the fastest growing economy 2 years ago, the Govt. went to sleep at the wheel and woke up going downhill at 110 miles per hour, now they have 2 options, slam on the brakes and the passengers get hurt or keep going into a concrete wall called bankrupcy !

Love him or not Your President speaks words of Hope and is positive about the future, that alone helps the average consumer to spend even if only on repairs.

People who were earning in excess of €1,500.00 per week (site laborers paid from the neck down) now discover they have welfare of some €180.00 per week.

The big difference this time is we don't have the emigration safety valve, a bit like in the past you Guys were able to move to another State or at least could see some prosperity in other States, this time Every State, Every Country is n the same boat.

I will not be looking to Govt. packages to put food on my table I never did in the past, we can all expect to take a hit on life style but use the skills of our trade, give better value for money, work a little harder to show value and we will be ready when the big boys (Banks etc) ave sorted out their mess.

Best of luck and Keep The Faith !

>>>

Good points Peter. Welcome back!>>>

Hi Guys,

Jed, I am in Ireland it's been a while since I posted.

Those who know me are aware I strayed from my true calling :) and entered the world of renewable energy.

It has been a rocky road but since I like a challenge it has been fun, first thing I learned is I am a terrible retailer, to say I hate working in the showroom would not be an under statement, the freedom of working on the roof is something we don't appreciate until we retire the ladders.

One advantage of a retail outlet was I could see the crash coming before most, sales started to drop big time this time last year, lucky I stayed small and was in control of the finances, honestly I fail to understand how so many big companies did not see the fall off in customers and more important cash at the till.

I think so many of the owners had so much credit available to them and never having experienced a down turn could not recognise what was happening.

Basically the average consumer was at their credit limit, banks began to realise that they had run out of viable borrowers and that serious amounts had been lent to inexperienced business people who were actually gambling on the construction market.

Honestly Guys it is sad to see customers who were in high paying jobs most construction based going to the point where they can't make the monthly payments on the beautiful homes they built all with borrowed money.

I have built a nice little business that does not rely on new sales because I took the time to visit the factories and learn about the products I was selling so now I have the back up of after sales service not just from my own customers but the other companies that have had to close down due to crazy high overheads.

Surprise all those years of roofing is also paying because so many solar systems were badly fitted and need skill to repair the leaks !

I do believe we are living in very interesting times, I hope our elected leaders do not spend too much time trying to rescue a financial system that is obviously flawed, instead I would like to see them fix the system and learn from modern history, the last 10 > 15 years should be far enough back to ensure the future for our children.

How is life for the small business in the USA ?>>>

Hi Jed,

I haven't come across Johnny Graden but I met up with Paddy Crickley a few times.

Hmmm anyone using the phrase "out of" you must have real Dublin connections :)

If I am right then you would know half of Finglas have used the title of roofer at some time LOL.

Where do you hail from ?>>>

I had a crew from Sligo....I swear they never slept..... worked as hard and as long as you wanted them to.... and it didn't matter what you needed done.... Poor blokies, got deported on Christmas eve at Logan airport, picking up some friends that got caught on the plane without proper documentation. Getting back to the stimulus package issue... the 30% up to $1500 is a tax credit...dollar for dollar deduction, not a tax deduction, for weatherization and energy improvements.....

creative stuff like solar, wind energy, geothermal heat pumps, and fuel cells qualify for 30 % with no limit. >>>

Hi Jed,

A very accurate description of roofing in Dublin and Dingle in the 90's :)

Hi Bay,

I reckon Solar is not too difficult for any roofer to add to his list of services, fairly good margins and with the incentives people do buy it. >>>

Well we already have to pay more taxes than we can hardly manage and i guess in a couple years when its time to pay all this free money that we never saw any of back we will be paying much much more. :unsure:>>>

Very good to see you in print Peter. Many is the time I have thought of you and wished you well. Still remember your quote from the rich arab investor that lined out the generational chronology he envisioned for his family. Something like 'my grandfather rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, and my grandson will ride a camel' although I confess I am not doing it justice in the telling. There might have been a volkswagen in there somewhere. lol. By the way, I'm still using my little greenstone on my keychain everyday that I got from MikeNZ. Little things in life can do a lot to brighten a day.

Bay, that Energy Star credit has less potential for us roofers than for some other types, but it does have the potential to make a deal fly in the right circumstances. Among the downsides are: it only applies to buildings that are the principal residence of the applicant and it only applies to the material cost of certain materials and so far it is only a one-time thing if you tap the full 1500 credit which is not hard to do with insul and/or a coolroof. I calculate it defrays the increased cost of coolroof asphalt shingles over standard ones on a good-sized residence. I'm planning to upgrade windows on my own home because of it. The plus, if you want to be a purist, which I do, is that there isn't much hanky-panky possible with inflated numbers.

Peter, out here in Ca. roofers don't have much opportunity connected with solar. It would be invalid for me to say none, but you really have to be an electrician to get much action in that biz. That's not to say there aren't ways to achieve principal involvement if the desire is compelling and you have plenty of capital. The technology has certainly improved since the last cycle that you and I are not too young to have witnessed, which reminds me I need to go up on my very elderly mother's roof and finally remove that eyesore that never worked right in the first place and hasn't worked at all for over twenty years.>>>