How to find affordable lawn care (and what it should include)
Homeowners consider price a top factor in their decision to hire a landscaping company. Finding lawn care companies that offer quality services and affordable prices is a balancing act. You want to get the best deal possible for your property, but you don’t want to cut corners either. Calling established companies off the internet may result in good work, but they’re often very expensive. On the other hand, relying on “I know a guy” recommendations may save money, but the results will leave much to be desired.
GreenPal is the most effective way to find high-quality and affordable lawn care. When shopping around for a skilled professional, it’s important to distinguish between “cheap” and “good value.” Here, we’ll discuss how you can find an affordable professional, what prices to expect, and how to determine if they’ll actually provide services that meet your standards.
Average lawn mowing costs based on yard size
The cost of lawn care service is highly dependent on the size of the yard. Across the country, the average yard size is 23,301 square feet (0.5 acres). In cities, lawns are generally much smaller. For example, Nashville ranks as having one of the largest average yard sizes at 11,810 square feet.
At GreenPal, we’ve found that the average cost of lawn mowing service across the country is $50, with a range of $30-$85 per visit. People who have biweekly service generally pay more. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Yard Size (sq. ft.) |
Average per-visit cost (weekly) |
5,500 |
$30-40 |
11,000 |
$45-65 |
22,000 |
$50-75 |
43,500 |
$60-100 |
Why is calling local companies more expensive?
Many people wonder if it’s better to find local pros the old-fashioned way by calling. The answer is usually no.
Finding local lawn care professionals online is definitely a great way to locate long-standing, established companies. But their expertise comes at a cost, and it’s not always proportionate to the services they provide. Large, corporate lawn care pros have high-demand and charge a lot to accommodate it. They’re often booked out weeks or months in advance as well.
When a homeowner relies on phone calls to find a contractor, they don’t get the opportunity to compare many quotes. They often just go with the first or second company they call. When you use an online marketplace app, however, you get access to a wide variety of free quotes, ensuring that you get the best deal for your lawn. The California Contractors State Licensing Board recommends comparing at least three quotes before hiring someone.
How GreenPal services provide both quality and affordability
It’s important to find a service provider who offers competitive pricing but also does quality work. While you may be able to find cheap, local people by word of mouth or classified ads, there’s no way to know if they’ll give your yard the lawn love it truly needs.
Lawn care pros that use GreenPal can be trusted to provide the highest-grade service. Consumers largely rely on reviews to hire local service companies. GreenPal users leave feedback so that you can view each contractor’s track record.
Comparing quotes with bidding
The bidding system incentivizes providers to offer affordable, industry-standard rates for an area. When homeowners can easily compare quotes, lawn pros know that their customers have access to cheaper rates. As a result, they won’t ever price gouge.
The risk of hiring a “cheap” lawn care business
Although affordability is very important to homeowners seeking lawn care, it’s important that you don’t go “too cheap.” If a service seems too good to be true, it probably is. While you might save a few bucks by hiring the cheapest quote you find, you risk hiring an inexperienced person. The consequences of this include:
Poor quality work
An unskilled, cheap contractor could leave your lawn looking worse than how it started. The grass may be cut too short, resulting in brown patches, or edging around sidewalks could be skipped, leaving your property looking like a jungle.
The benefit of the GreenPal app is that if you hire the wrong person for your home’s needs, you can easily find a different provider to take over the grass-cutting work. You’re not stuck.
Lawn damage
The worst-case scenario is that a cheap lawn care professional damages your lawn. As Colorado State University describes, poor management decisions are the most common causes of lawn problems. These can include:
Reliability issues
One of the biggest issues that homeowners face when hiring a landscaper who’s too affordable is communication. They might say that they’re on-demand, but when you need them, they’re nowhere to be found. You might agree on a certain date to have your lawn cut, but they never show up. You usually get what you pay for when it comes to landscaping companies.
No insurance
No insurance is a substantial risk because if the lawn care pro gets hurt on your property, you could be liable. All of GreenPal’s landscapers are required to be insured. This is just one reason why the app has received such a high rating on Trustpilot. You can have confidence that the person you’re hiring is skilled and qualified.
What to look for in affordable lawn care providers
There are a couple of key things to look for that can help you determine if an affordable landscaper is skilled enough. Cheap doesn’t always mean inferior, especially if they have all of the following characteristics:
1. A standard set of services
GreenPal prices include a standard set of services with every weekly visit. Affordable contractors who use the app will provide each. This ensures that your yard is fully taken care of every time it’s visited by one of these professionals. Standard services include:
Professional mowing
Weedeating around obstacles and trees
Paved surface and sidewalk edging
Cleanup and blowing (for lawns less than 10 inches tall)
2. Excellent customer reviews
Reviews will never lie. If a lawn care contractor seems like they’re too cheap, but they have stellar feedback from other homeowners, it’s likely safe to hire them. You only want to be cautious about affordability when there are no reviews or bad reviews.
3. Good communication
Good communication is a sign of professionalism. Whether you message the professional on GreenPal’s mobile app or you text their phone number, you should expect a high level of responsiveness. If days go by without hearing from them, you may want to look elsewhere.
4. Insurance
This was touched on before, but insurance is absolutely crucial for both lawn care and snow removal. This protects the professionals as well as the homeowner. It’s a non-negotiable, no matter how affordable or expensive they are.
Lawn maintenance red flags you need to look out for
Fortunately, it’s easy to spot a lawn care provider who doesn’t offer good value. Watch out for these red flags when you’re comparing quotes and talking to professionals:
Significantly lower bids: As the California Contractors State Licensing Board recommends, be wary of bids that are too low.
Vague estimates: Every good contractor will provide a clear estimate of the services they provide, the timeline, and how much they’ll cost. In many states, it’s a legal requirement.
No insurance: Many single landscaping operators do not have insurance, so you want to check every time you hire someone. If someone does not have insurance, it’s a clear sign that they may not be qualified enough to safely handle your lawn.
No demonstrated experience: A lack of experience signals that a lawn care contractor either a) just started their business and is upfront about it, or b) is not qualified for the job. Always ask for reviews and pictures of past work.
Cancellations: No matter how affordable they are, a quality lawn care expert will rarely cancel on a customer. Frequent cancellations are unprofessional and are not the type of value that you’re looking for.
Find top-quality, affordable yard work on GreenPal’s website today
Affordability is likely one of your main priorities when looking for a lawn care company. You want to be careful that you’re not hiring someone who’s unqualified for the job. Inexpensive, skilled landscapers do exist; you just need to know where to find them. GreenPal is the perfect resource.
GreenPal works like the Uber of lawn care and landscaping. With just a few quick clicks and your address, you can get affordable bids from local professionals in your area. Compare affordable quotes, schedule a service date, and enjoy a beautifully manicured lawn. Get started today.
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