If you are overworked, tired or perhaps trying to just not get behind or catch up then you have probably considered a Houston house cleaning service. The challenges we all face today are great. We don’t blame you. Maid services in Houston are pretty awesome. When you have the kids to tend to plus your career and everything that goes along with that, time becomes very tight for many of us.
We tend to leave a lot of things that are important to us behind. This can include our self-development time or time to cook a nice dinner with our family. We may also be too tired to read our kids a story or put some extra work into the new project we just picked up from the boss. Either way, we look at it home services are continuing to grow as all of us seem to be busier and busier.
What should you pay for the average house cleaning and maid services in Houston? Let’s take a look at the answer.
One quick point…
It’s Not That We Are So Busy – It’s About What We Value Today
We can say that we are busy and lead hectic lives. It is also about what we value in terms of our happiness and time. Most of us have to work and many of us actually enjoy the work we do and many do not. Work is necessary and most of us cope as best we can with the toll of time in exchange for labor. We also may value spending our extra time on personal health or wellness and taking care of our family as opposed to mowing our lawn our cleaning our house.
We choose to be busy with what we enjoy doing in tandem with what we have to do or must to do to have a lifestyle we desire.
It all in our decision making. And you have decided to hire a Houston house cleaning services because you want that extra time for what you choose it to be.
So let’s get to what you came to this article to find out. How do Houston house cleaning services decide on their pricing…?
Drivers of Houston House Cleaning Services Prices
There are a few major drivers of pricing that help determined local house cleaning service pricing. Let’s take a look at some of them now.
Local Economy
If you are looking to hire a local house cleaning service and you are reviewing the pricing – local economic conditions play a part in what you will most likely pay for your maid service. We all understand the general economic impact. If the economy is weak and folks are not making as much money as they once were their disposable income may not be as high as they once were. This means for many items including local Houston house cleanings services that demand will lessen.
With a lower demand for maid services, it’s likely that some companies will drop their pricing to meet market demand.
The opposite is also true that when people have more disposable income they will also spend more money on things such as house cleaning full service or additional home services. So with more demand the house cleaning and additional service pricing averages increase. You would pay a little more for a full service house cleaning in a strong economy as opposed to a weak local economy.
Their Cleaning Service Business Model & Average Maid Service Price
Cleaning services have several types of business models which can determine the pricing in the market as well. We will have a look at the most common types of maid service business models:
- By the Job
- This model of home cleaning service is a win for everyone if done correctly. There is a scope of work usually followed by a checklist that is completed. The goal of this model is to be efficient and move thru the home as quickly as possible. The reason this is a win, win, for customers and local maid services is because you will likely get more for the price. The cleaning is usually more consistent and complete as well.
- By the job, models tend to cost more but they are generally overall the best to hire. Many fall into the trap of picking a cheap service and
- By the Hour Houston House cleaning Services
- In this house cleaning service model, you buy your maid service by the hour as it states. There is no guarantee of how much you will get in that hour based on your homes build up, size and add-on. Hourly cleaning services usually estimate what can be done in your home for a specific period of time. This model has a high capacity for complaints if good communication is not clear on what will be done for the time the cleaning service pro will be in your home.
- This model is largely driven by what the maids are paid and if the house cleaning has additional services added on
[also applies to by the job model for additional services]
- Houston House Cleaning Service Franchise Model
- This model can be a by the job or hourly model. They pay royalties and other supply chain fees. This impacts the pricing {typically more} to absorb those fees.
- Contractor – Employee or Independent Cleaning Services
- They type of workforce a company has also impacted the pricing as well. There are employee payroll taxes that drive up the price. For a contractor, they can write off expenses but are usually set to what the customers pay. Independent Houston house cleaning services can also write off their expenses but it widely believed that many do not report their taxable income accurately if at all.
- This types of workforce bears on how pricing is determined for local maid services
Do They Have Company Fleet Vehicles in Their Cleaning Service?
When you think about your vehicle do you keep the upkeep costs in mind? A full-service house cleaning service may have a fleet of vehicles they use largely for marketing and for transporting their maids from one location to the next.
When you have a vehicle you have fuel costs and wear and tear upkeep in addition to insurance costs for each vehicle. House cleaning service vehicles also tend to be used more than the average 15,000 miles per year usage. If the average maid service vehicle monthly cost is:
- House cleaning service car payment $200
- $120 for car insurance
- $$150 for car fuel
- $50 wear and team
That’s $520 per vehicle per month (given this is an estimate) we are not far off. This cost is passed on to each customer. So if each cleaning service in Houston has a fleet of at least 7 vehicles, then that is a whopping $3,640 per month and almost $44,000 annually. Which all fall into the overhead costs of doing business and those costs are passed on in the final price.
There are many instances that prove that multi-million-dollar full-service house cleaning services in Houston [or anywhere] can be, and are built without fleet vehicles. It was long though that vehicle with logo and phone numbers were the major marketing investments. Digital marketing has outpaced this marketing stream by leaps and bounds.
Employment or Contractor Labor Market
An important factor that impacts how maid’s services are priced is if the company has employees or contractors. Both models are proven to be successful models however in a local maid and house cleaning market like Houston it could make a difference in how companies price their maid service.
This is because of local, state and federal taxes. Those that have employees pay a higher tax rate which usually can impact in lower wages or higher prices to the customer. With a contractor, the pay is usually far better because there are business owners who can write off their expenses. This can keep your prices at a fair level because the booking company usually take a much smaller cut of the profits. This drives a higher level of job satisfaction because of the higher pay for the contractor. Many of the highest ranked maid services in Houston use either model.
Some markets have high demand and a large labor market to choose from which typically have resulted in a little lower price and lower pay.
Competition
Competitive pricing has dramatically impacted the price gouging that many maid services used to charge. While $99 to clean a 4 bedroom, 4 bathrooms, 2800 square feet home every two weeks is a little too low, $267 is way too much.
While there isn’t a unified and governing pricing standard for the home cleaning services there is a reasonable price based on good and well-ranked home cleaning service companies by markets.
Essentially the higher the [better competition] the more the prices will be closer together. It does not necessarily mean the price will be lower but there are at least some guardrails for what you should expect to pay for a home cleaning service.
Your Homes Size
Many Houston house cleaning service members tend to forget that their home size plays a big part of their pricing. Simply put the larger you home is the larger you bill is going to be and if you have pets it may cost you more. It all boils down to time and labor. Contractors and employees all have time to manage and have multiple jobs per day to get to. So if your home will take them longer based on estimated time then we should expect to pay more.
Many home cleaning services no longer take home over 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms because of this issue. The price simply starts to get high (in many cases north of $160 every 2 weeks).
If you have a budget and a large home the company will allow you to adjust the number of rooms cleaned on each visit to lower the price. Basically instead of picking 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms you could pick 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and rotate on each visit. Keeping mind however if you were to have a move out cleaning service or one time cleaning the price may be higher as well.
Putting it All Together
Now that we have looked at the major factors that drive house cleaning services let take a look at the local Houston sector specifically. While Houston has had a recent downturn in energy that should not fool any of us. Houston is one of the strongest and best thriving economies not only in the America but in the world.
The Houston market continues to offer more job in the aerospace and energy sector with over 26 fortune 500 companies. According to Forbes Houston is also the number job creator in our nation. We are simply an economic juggernaut.
The real-estate market is also very strong in Houston with new inventory popping up literally daily. The cost of living is also lower in Houston than in most States. Houston also has one of the highest household incomes.
What does this mean for maid service and home cleaning services? It means there is expendable income and more people are investing in home services and enjoying the benefits of what a Houston maid service delivers. With more and more Houstonian’s creating demand prices could slightly increase for Houston house cleaning service, right?
Right! Many of the companies have increased their prices since 2008 and the home industry has been on a steady growth path.
Labor costs have grown significantly for many of the cleaning services that are ranked and rated highly by customers because they want to keep their good people. More pay improves more retention and consistently for members. Remember no one really wants to clean for a living.
If you are looking for maid services in Sugar Land TX or you want a house cleaning in the Woodlands {2 of the wealthiest areas of Houston proper] you may end up paying a little more.
Overall the Houston economy is extremely strong and on a growth path and very stable. This has a significant bearing on pricing on home cleaning services and well just about everything else.
Quick Note About Move Out Cleaning Services
A move out cleaning service is not easier than a regular house cleaning service. Many think they should pay more because the house is empty of furniture and living goods. Typically, there is build up all over the home. The inside of the cabinets, oven, fridge, on baseboards, blinds, and fans.
A move out cleaning service takes the time to scrub harder and maybe longer as well. It really a battle with dust and build upon in the empty home. Bathrooms are usually the main culprits in taking more time. The tub usually has not been cleaned in a long time and likely the sing either.
Expect to pay the same if not more for move out cleaning services
Conclusion
Expect to pay $100 to $150 for regular weekly, bi-weekly, every 3 weeks or monthly Houston house cleaning services. Market demand, overhead and business model all have an impact on the price. What you should be realistic about is the size of your home and how often you would like cleaning. If you have more rooms and more square expect and plan to pay more.
You may also have to pay more for the first Houston house cleaning service. It’s because most, homes have build up that takes the maids much longer to clean. Also, you’ll pay more for add-ons like the inside of most appliances, baseboards, and fans.
The joys and benefits of hiring a maid service can have dramatic and positive effects on your life. When making your decision consider what you gain from having a good home cleaning service on a consistent basis.
Go to readysetmaids.com to get an instant price and book your house cleaning in Houston proper today!