ESCONDIDO — An Uber-like app for lawn care services is striving to make the search for landscapers much easier for area homeowners.
GreenPal, an app that connects homeowners with local lawn care services, recently launched in Escondido, joining fellow North County cities of Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Poway, which also offer the app’s services.
Nashville-based GreenPal enables homeowners to find pre-screened lawn professionals vetted through the app.
“They have to be 18 years or older, they have to have a valid driver’s license, a valid Social Security card, a valid bank account and pictures of their commercial grade equipment,” said GreenPal co-founder Gene Caballero.
To find a lawn care professional on the app, homeowners enter the services they want. Then, often within minutes, professionals start bidding on the property based on Google satellite images without having to meet face-to-face first. Homeowners can then choose the right bid for them based on ratings and costs.
Although landscaping is historically a cash enterprise, GreenPal eliminates that need by allowing homeowners to pay for services through the app, making it a contactless transaction. Caballero said this is particularly useful for the 30% of GreenPal’s customers who are over 60 and more susceptible to contract illnesses like COVID-19.
Caballero also noted that the app doesn’t contain hidden fees like other similar apps for homeowners.
“What you’re quoted for is what you pay,” he said, explaining that GreenPal takes 5% from its landscape vendors to pay for its services.
Since launching in 2015, the app is operating in 48 states and over 250 markets with 45,000 lawn care professionals and more than 1 million homeowners across the nation.
Caballero got the idea to launch the app after spending years working in landscape services.
“I’ve been landscaping almost my whole life, starting in middle school, working in college and even post-college,” he said. “I was always privy to newer technologies, like Lyft, Uber and Airbnb, and realized if someone is willing to summon a stranger to come pick them up or let them stay in their home, at some point home services like landscaping are going to be the same way.”
