If you are a home owner, you know how much work can go into creating and maintaining the perfect yard. Countless Saturdays spent mowing the lawn or pulling the weeds can leave you frustrated. Perhaps you have been hesitant to call a landscaping company because of the cost. If you think that landscaping services are only for the rich and famous, then think again.

There are many landscaping services that cater to home owners with both small and large budgets. Follow these 5 tips and learn how you can find just such a service.

1. Business Background and Goals

When searching for any company, not just landscaping services, learning more about the business background can be tremendously helpful. Experience counts, especially in the landscaping industry. If you can, ask your potential contractor what his or her experience has been. Find out how long they have been in business and how long they intend to be in business for.

As important as the background of a business is, their future goals can be just as important. Spending lots of time looking at different landscaping services, finally choosing one then having that contractor quit halfway through the project can really be annoying and costly. Find out if they are interested in a long term working relationship and if they intend on keeping you as a client for a long time. If they are looking long term, you know they are going to treat you right.

2. Work History

Any good landscaping company has a solid portfolio. This portfolio may not necessarily have photos or sketches but the ones that do can really make or break your decision to hire them. If they are proud of their work, then past clients were likely very satisfied.

3. Testimonials

Good companies thrive on testimonials. Before the internet, if a prospective client wanted to find out about a certain landscaping services company they would have to call the companies old clients and interview them.

Nowadays we have things like Yelp, Google Places and the BBB to help us look over reviews and testimonials of previous clients. A quick Google search for the company should bring up a list of reviews and testimonials.

If the landscaping company has a website, look to see if they have testimonials on their site. If they do, you are in luck. having testimonials on a website can really only mean two things. First, they have experience and second, they know how to take care of their clients and their business.

4. Quotes

For a lot of people this is the most important step in deciding which contractor to choose. Most landscaping services will offer a free quote to help try and sell you on their services. Take advantage of this and get a quote from a few different businesses.

A word of warning: Stay away from getting contractors into a bidding war against each other. Though it might seem like a good idea at the time, it will end up backfiring on you. Some contractors may be so desperate for the job that they may underbid themselves and not be able to complete the job. Treat your contractors fair and they will treat you fair.

Follow these four tips to finding the best landscaping services for your home and you will be well on your way to a beautiful yard that you can be proud of.