Get Better Pricing on Residential Maintenance in Michigan
For home owners, getting a landscaping company to come in and take care of all their landscaping needs is something that many landscaping companies can take care of. But, in order to save some money on your landscaping costs there are some things that you’ll need to consider before you start using a landscaping company. In this article I’ll go over some tips that can help you get better pricing on residential maintenance in Michigan for your landscaping.
Get Better Pricing on Residential Maintenance in Michigan
Although these tips can also apply for commercial landscaping in Michigan they are generally made to focus on residential maintenance. Be sure to follow these tips in order to get a discount and better service for your landscaping project. The tips are in no specific order and can be used together.
Ask About Contracts And If Signing a Contract Will Reduce Price
Most landscaping companies in Michigan will require some sort of contract in order for them to render services to you. The reason for this is because they want to make a schedule of stops and include your yard. When you don’t have a contract the landscaper’s schedule is never really full because they have to take clients on call rather than scheduled.
Landscapers want a contract so that they know the schedule and can bill you each and every month. Sometimes the landscaper will require a 30 or 60 day contract. But if you can negotiate a longer contract the landscaper may reduce the price since they know you’re in for the entire summer. If they require a 30 day contract ask them how much of a discount they will give if you sign up for 90 days or 180 days. It helps them by giving them more work for longer and they will usually give you a discount on residential maintenance.
Don’t Assume a Cheaper Landscaper is Better
Although we all want the best price on our landscaping it’s best to realize that cheaper isn’t always better when it comes to landscaping. Many times on cheaper services there are things left out of the contract. Grass clippings could be left behind and the schedule may only require them to mow your lawn every 15 days. Be sure to look over all points of the landscaping contract before you agree to anything. If the quote is much less than other be sure to inquire about how they can offer that price and also what’s included in the residential maintenance that you’re getting.
Ask About Bonus Stuff During the Residential Maintenance Rounds
When a landscaper comes to your home and does residential maintenance it’s usually the time when they address any additions that you may want. Things like adding mulch to beds or trimming hedges. Try to get many of these items included in the contract when you’re first signing up. Sometimes these one off services can be a huge price increase over regular maintenance. By adding these services in as a bonus or at least at a discounted price you can save money on residential maintenance in Michigan.
Are You Adding Plants? Be Careful of Sources of Plants
One way a landscaper can make money is by getting the plants from a local greenhouse and then billing you for those plants. There are two different methods to save money here. First, the landscaper will likely get pricing that is better than public pricing since they are likely buying plants on a regular basis. This also applies to sod for lawns as well. On the other hand, the landscaper could mark up the plants higher than the greenhouse pricing.
It’s best to do your research on any plants, trees, or shrubs you’re thinking about adding to your yard. Get prices from a few nurseries to get an idea about their cost and also speak with the landscaper about how much the prices will be if they are buying them for you. Then you’ll simply need to go with the best price.
Work Everything Out Initially
One problem that many people have when looking for better pricing on their residential maintenance in Michigan is that they try and do this after they have signed a contract. Usually, once you’ve signed a contract for landscaping it’s too late for some of these tactics that’s why it’s so important to go over them beforehand.