Property Preservation Pricing by National (2026): Safeguard, MCS, Cyprex & More
Updated: 2 days ago
The property preservation industry has changed a lot in the last 10 years; many national companies such as MnM, MSI, Xome, and a few others that used to dominate the industry have now merged or been sold to their competitors.
The cost of doing property preservation work has also skyrocketed due to inflation and gas price increases, but the price of allowables from the nationals has not increased much.
As such, it is important for property preservation companies and contractors to be aware of what the current prices are being paid by each national so that they know what they will get paid when working with these nationals.
Below, I have listed a comprehensive guide for all the nationals and their current allowable pricing, as well as what is the startup cost for property preservation.
Property Preservation Startup Cost
In regard to the startup cost for property preservation, it is roughly advisable to have around $10,000-$15,000.
This is because you will need to apply for General liability insurance, errors and omissions insurance, workers' compensation insurance, and sometimes auto insurance as well. This will roughly take around $2300 to $3500 annually.
You will also need to apply for an Aspen Grove background check from Shieldhub, which is a background check platform for contractors. This is roughly $65 annually unless you are from New York, where it's roughly $165.
Beware, though: unless you have a fairly clean record, nationals will not hire you.
You will also need to buy a PropertPres Wizard account for work order management, and that costs roughly $225 per month.
Nationals also pay you in a 30-40 day cycle after you complete work and the order has been closed from their side. But you will need to pay your crews promptly in order to complete work - unless you complete them yourself.
The rest of the startup cost is exactly for this, so that you can pay the initial cost of completing work and also have money should there be any unforeseen losses.
Understanding HUD, FHA, FNMA, and FHLMC Allowable Pricing in Property Preservation
In the property preservation industry, HUD, FHA, FNMA, and FHLMC allowable pricing refers to the rates or reimbursement limits used to determine how much a mortgage servicer may authorize or reimburse for specific property preservation services.
These may include winterization, lawn maintenance, debris removal, lock changes, property inspections, and repairs on vacant or foreclosed properties.
For contractors and property preservation vendors, understanding these terms is important because the allowable amount for a service can vary depending on the loan program, investor requirements, property condition, location, and the servicer's work order.
One important distinction is that HUD and FHA are closely related, while FNMA and FHLMC are two separate mortgage investors. They do not represent four interchangeable pricing schedules.
1. What does each pricing category mean?
Category | What it means for property preservation | Where pricing guidance comes from |
HUD | The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees housing programs and has requirements for preserving properties associated with its programs, including certain properties conveyed to HUD. | HUD property preservation and conveyance requirements, including applicable contract terms. |
FHA | The Federal Housing Administration, which is part of HUD, insures eligible mortgages. For defaulted FHA-insured loans, HUD sets allowable preservation and protection expenses that mortgage servicers may claim under applicable rules. | FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, particularly the property preservation allowances and schedules in Appendix 7.0. |
FNMA | Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored enterprise that purchases and guarantees mortgages. Its servicing requirements include limits and conditions for reimbursing eligible property preservation expenses. | Fannie Mae Servicing Guide and applicable property preservation expense limits. |
FHLMC | Freddie Mac is another government-sponsored enterprise that purchases and guarantees mortgages. It maintains its own servicing rules, expense codes, reimbursement limits, and approval procedures. | Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide, including applicable expense schedules and reimbursement procedures. |
2. How do allowable prices affect property preservation vendors?
The most important distinction is between investor reimbursement limits and the amount a vendor actually gets paid.
For example, a mortgage servicer may be permitted to claim reimbursement for a particular preservation service up to a specified limit under the applicable investor's rules.
However, the property preservation company managing the work order may have its own contracted rate, pricing matrix, or bidding procedure for its vendors.
This means:
A HUD/FHA allowable amount is not automatically the amount a contractor receives.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac limits do not necessarily match each other.
A field service company's vendor rate may be lower than the maximum amount the servicer can claim.
Some work requires prior approval, even when the proposed price seems reasonable.
Work that exceeds an applicable limit may require an approved exception or over-allowable request before it can be reimbursed.
HUD expressly distinguishes maximum preservation allowances from approved over-allowable expenses. Freddie Mac also uses its own expense reimbursement system and prior-approval procedures.
3. Why should contractors understand all four categories?
Knowing the applicable pricing category helps property preservation vendors prepare accurate bids, avoid performing unauthorized work, and understand why the same service may have different approved prices across assignments.
For instance, a winterization, lock change, lawn cut, or debris removal assignment may be subject to different limits depending on the investor, the property condition, the scope of work, and the applicable servicing rules.
Vendors should check the specific work order and the field service company's current pricing instructions rather than relying on a single universal rate sheet.
For property preservation businesses, the practical rule is simple: know which investor's requirements apply, understand the field service company's vendor pricing, and obtain written approval before exceeding the authorized scope or price.
Safeguard Properties Vendor Price List (Updated 2026)
Safeguard Properties Management LLC is one of the oldest national companies in property preservation.
They cover all 50 states when it comes to work, although some states, like New York they have more work in comparison than other states.
Safeguard not only does property preservation on foreclosed properties owned by banks, but they also do maintenance services on Real Estate Owned (REO) properties, FHA conveyance, property inspections, and insurance loss inspections as well.
In regard to their pricing structure, Safeguard does take a percentage discount out of your invoice. It is usually 10% - 30% depending on your negotiations with them when onboarding. In addition, there may be instances where they add penalties to your invoice due to the order being late or if you fail, per them, to fully justify work per photos.
In regard to property inspections, Safeguard typically pays $10 per inspection, which is honestly very little if you think about current gas prices. It only makes a profit where you are doing inspections on 100 properties that are 5 min drive away within a small cluster (i.,e. in big cities). If you are doing these inspections on a 100 properties with an average of 25 min drive each, it's a guaranteed loss of your time and money.
In regard to payment terms Safeguard typically pays 30 to 45 days after the work order is invoiced and closed (meaning there is no rejections and follow ups and Safeguard has accepted the results).
Below is their updated price list for PnP, REO, and Grass Cut/landscaping:
The grass cut and landscaping pricing for Safeguard has essentially remained unchanged since 2020. Vendors negotiate a grass-cut price with Safeguard based on lot size, typically around $35 to $55, plus an additional amount depending on grass height.
Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) Vendor Price List (Updated 2026)
Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) is another major U.S. property services provider specializing in property preservation, mortgage field inspections, vacant-home maintenance, and other services for mortgage servicers, lenders, and real estate asset managers.
Since 2016, MCS has acquired several of its competitors including EPIC Real Estate Solutions and Lenders Title Solutions in 2016, Carrington Home Solutions — Field Services Division in 2017, M&M Mortgage Services (MnM) in 2019, Chain Store Maintenance in 2023, Five Brothers Asset Management Solutions in 2024, and finally MSI in 2026.
After acquiring MSI in 2026, MCS sold its mortgage services business to Stewart Information Services Corporation.
Stewart acquired the operations, processes, and technology supporting mortgage servicers and lenders, including the property preservation and inspection business. MCS retained its separate commercial, residential, and government services businesses.
In other words, the legacy mortgage-preservation network and the current MCS business are not necessarily the same contracting entity.
When it comes to vendor opportunities with MCS, MCS covers all 50 states as well and has one of the highest volumes of work.
It also takes a discount of 25% to 30% from your invoice and pays in a 30-day cycle after closing the work order. If you want a 7-day payment cycle, the discount percentage goes up by another 3%.
Below is the price list for MCS:
SingleSource Property Solutions Vendor Price List (Updated 2026)
SingleSource is also a prominent national mortgage field-services and property management provider that has gained a fair amount of work volume in recent years.
Unlike Safeguard and MCS, they do not take a percentage discount out of your invoice, as they likely add their percentage to your bid/invoice when submitting to their clients.
Their payment cycle is 30 days after an order is closed out by them but because they make payments via check instead of ACH, its likely that you may get paid in 40 days after the order is closed out by Singlesource.
Because they pay by check and the mail contains the work orders you got paid for, it's imperative that you track the orders you completed for them and the ones you are getting paid for.
Below is the pricing sheet for Singlesource:
G7 Group Vendor Price List (Updated 2026)
G7 Group is a new property inspection, preservation, repair, and mortgage field-services company launched in May 2025. It serves mortgage servicers, investors, and asset managers through a nationwide network of contractors.
G7 was co-founded by Kellie Chambers, who was the President and COO of MSI, along with Jodi Gaines and Marcel Bryar.
Below is the pricing from G7 Group for allowables:
Servicelink / Assetshield Vendor Price List (Updated 2026)
ServiceLink serves the mortgage industry across two broad areas: mortgage origination and mortgage default management. They have been in the industry for a very long time and do: property inspections, property preservation, and REO maintenance and asset management.
AssetShield, on the other hand, supports the field-services side of ServiceLink's operations. It helps coordinate work from the time a mortgage servicer requests a service through assignment, completion, documentation, and reporting.
In regard to their payment cycle, they pay 30-45 days after a work order is closed.
Below is the price list of Assetshield for allowables, winterization and lawn care:
Additionally, here is the price they pay for Winterization:
Cyprexx Services Vendor Price List (Updated 2026)
Cyprexx Services, LLC is another national mortgage field services and property preservation company that works with mortgage servicers, lenders, financial institutions, investors, and real estate asset managers.
Like everyone else, they also use a nationwide network of contractors and vendors to inspect, secure, maintain, and repair properties—particularly vacant homes and properties involved in mortgage default or foreclosure.
Below is their pricing guide:
Winterization
Starting from October to March, vendors are expected to complete winterizations on abandoned properties owned by banks as part of mortgage field services.
Winterization includes:
Checking the system for any leaks by doing a pressure test
Draining the water out of the system
Shutting off the main water valve
Pouring Pink non-toxic antifreeze on all fixtures, toilets, and showers
Sealing the toilets and pasting a sign that the property has been winterized
MCS usually pays about $80 net per winterization; Singlesource pays the same as well. Safeguard has a bit of stringent photo requirements for winterization, as they want a multitude of very specific photos on winterization orders.
When winterizing, if the property has plumbing damage, it must be reported and bid on.
Lastly, I hope this blog helps contractors understand the pricing matrix of these Nationals; hopefully, it will help you decide for whom to work and for whom not to work. If you find this article helpful for your fellow contractors, please do not hesitate to share!
Also, unfortunately, I haven't been able to cover all the large preservation companies in this one blog.
Some of the ones that I left out were NFN, NFR, NRES, etc. If you need to know the price list of these Nationals as well, please do not hesitate to comment on the blog, and I will be happy to reply.
We currently own over 35 price lists of different Nationals, updated every year to accommodate any changes they make, along with HUD, FHLMC, FNMA, and FHA pricing as well. If you need them, or pricelist any particular Nationals, please contact us.
Additional Links:
Below are some additional links that can help you to expand your property preservation business:
If your property preservation business is up and running you will need an assistant to process the work orders in a timely and error-free manner. This is where we come in! We provide work order processing services to preservation companies and you can hire dedicated assistants to submit your work orders. If you are interested, click below:
Zayed Ahmed, Founder, and CEO of ASL BPO, a BPO firm that partly provides Data Entry Services to Preservation Companies. Our aim is to go beyond just providing processing services and to help the business grow for those we work for.
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As a homeowner who has utilized various lawn services in the past, I found this article to be extremely informative and helpful in understanding common complaints that arise in the industry. The detailed tips provided on how to avoid these issues were practical and easy to implement and you can also explore more on https://help-center.pissedconsumer.com/lawn-services-complaints-and-how-to-avoid-them/ . I appreciated the emphasis on communication, quality of work, and professionalism, as these are key factors that can greatly impact the overall experience of using a lawn service. Overall, I highly recommend this article to anyone looking to hire a lawn service and wanting to ensure a positive and hassle-free experience.
Thanks for such an informative post. These links do not work, would you update them please. 1) List of National Property Preservation Companies and their Vendor Application Links
2) An eBook guide to using Repairbase