<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">  <title>Leasing used pianos</title> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PostalCode"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> >>It wasn't until the contract period was up that I could grab the piano…<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p>  I always rented month to month, no long term lease. That way you can pick it up anytime they stop paying.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> You don’t need to rent expensive pianos. I could pick up 5 or 6 pianos a year at very little cost if I wanted to, and that is without trying very hard. I got a free story and <st1:place w:st="on">clark</st1:place> console a couple of months ago, tuned it up and sold it for $600. All you have to do is start answering yes to the phone calls, “do you buy pianos?” If they are old uprights you might even be able to get them to pay you to “haul it off.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Use low cost pianos like these and then you aren’t crying if they get destroyed; consider them disposable. I even rented ugly uprights for $25 a month. Have some ugly pianos and some nicer ones in a price range of $25-$50/month or so, or whatever your market will bear. Charge a set up fee of $75-150, whatever you want, to cover delivery, pickup, and pre-delivery tuning plus the first months rent. People will pay the set up fee because they know it ain’t free to move the pianos. Usually your costs can be pretty much covered with that first check, anything else then is gravy. Plus then you’ve automatically got another tuning client. You can offer a discount in the contract if they have it tuned every 6 months. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Consider an old upright you get for free. <o:p></o:p> Prep- work: 2-4 hours of repair/adjusting + pitch raise tuning (if it needs more, consider the dumpster)<o:p></o:p> Set up fee: $125<o:p></o:p> 6 months of rent payments: $150 <o:p></o:p> 6 month tuning: $85<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Total 6 month return for one free piano: $360 <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> All for a little shop time, a delivery, and an in-home tuning. For me the shop work and delivery can be done by my sons for a fraction of my normal rates. If I had 10 of these pianos out that’s an extra $600/month and that’s at the very bottom end of $25/month.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I should get back into this….    ;-)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Dean<o:p></o:p> <u1:PersonName u2:st="on">Dean May</u1:PersonName>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <u1:place u2:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Terre Haute</st1:City></u1:City> <u1:State u2:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">IN</u1:State></st1:State>  <u1:PostalCode u2:st="on"><st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</u1:PostalCode></st1:PostalCode></st1:place></u1:place><o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Jon Page Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 4:03 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Leasing used pianos<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> I agree, it is bred and butter money just like: tuning, light repair,<o:p></o:p> </blockquote> <blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt' type=cite cite> cleaning ... and it all adds up in the end.<o:p></o:p> </blockquote> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> <div> You guys have better luck than I do. I've rented a few out and the payments stopped.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> It wasn't until the contract period was up that I could grab the piano without getting<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> the courts involved.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> <div> One M&H upright was for two years, it's been four and the guy won't return my calls and is<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> mostly out of state (summer house) but he's in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region> now.  What do ya do?<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Break the door down?<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> <div> Another rental the piano came back with case damage and the renters moved out of state.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> <div> I hate to be the only one not drawing a rosey picture but there is a downside to renting.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> It's too easy to be left in the lurch.  I have a deal with the bank... they don't sell pianos<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> and I don't make loans.<o:p></o:p> </div> <pre><x-sigsep>-- <o:p></o:p></pre> <div> </x-sigsep>Regards, Jon Page<o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </body> </html>