What To Know Before Hiring A Professional Lawn Care Company

There are many reasons that a homeowner might hire a lawn care company. Most often, it's because it saves them time and can be a lot more convenient to have professionals take care of your yard. This is especially true for homeowners that work long schedules or have a lot of family obligations. Other reasons could include not having to maintain equipment, not having the knowledge for specific lawn needs like seeding or fertilizing, or not having to worry about keeping up a regular maintenance schedule. Sometimes, it's easier to set it up with a lawn care company. 

It can be a little nerve-racking to find a good business that will give you your money's worth and take care of your yard the way you want. Because anyone can do lawn care these days, it can be tricky to figure out who will do a good job and who will leave you disappointed. Fortunately, there are several things you can look for and ask before you hire a professional lawn care company to make sure that you are happy with who you hire. Taking the time to check the business you're considering before you hire them will turn out the best in the end — and leave you with good lawn care that you can trust. Compare services, reviews, and prices before going with a particular company.

There are several questions to ask a lawn care company before you hire them that will help you determine if they are the right company for your needs. The first question is what services they offer. If all you need is mowing, make sure your professional knows that. But if you want other tasks completed such as edging, fertilizing, raking, and more, see if they offer those services — or if they will tailor them to your specific yard's needs instead of simply offering generic care. 

Next, look at reviews and testimonials and check any references. Ask for at least three references for people you can call directly. Written references are not always as trustworthy, unfortunately, as anyone can write things down. Talking to someone on the phone is a lot harder to fake, especially if you talk to three different references.

Finally, the company you hire should be licensed and insured. This is for your protection as much as it is theirs. Using a lawn company that is not insured is dangerous for you if they get hurt on your property or if they damage something during the lawn care process. That is what their insurance and licensing is for. Once you decide, get everything in writing that you and the company agree on: Services they will provide, how often they will come, and the cost you will pay for each visit. Make sure that you can cancel at any time so you are not locked into a long-term contract. 

While hiring a lawn care company can be convenient, there are many advantages to doing all the yardwork yourself. Even if you are not experienced, there are resources available to teach you these skills pretty easily, like a mowing technique that is an effective way to control pesky weeds. When you are in charge of your own lawn care, you don't have to worry about being on someone else's time schedule or preferences. This is also beneficial if something comes up with the family or at work. Instead having to cancel the lawn care service and, in many cases, paying for it anyway ... you can just decide to do your lawn care on a different day.

Saving money, of course, is another huge benefit of doing your own lawn care. It can be more cost effective, especially once you have the basic lawn care tools you need. If you don't have the necessary lawn equipment yet, then now you have an excuse to go get those great Ryobi lawn care tools you'll wish you had sooner. Last but definitely not least — doing lawn work provides exercise and physical benefits.  It's not a secret that gardening is good for your health. Lawn care is the same and provides exercise and time outdoors in the fresh air. Just make sure you stay hydrated and don't overdo it, especially in the summer heat!