Would a less than stellar looking front yard be a deal breaker for a renter? (See Photo)

[Dawn Roof]

How much does a potential renter care about the appearance of the front lawn? We are looking at a property in a middle class neighborhood in Charlotte, NC, and the front yard has just been seeded and covered in straw. None of the other yards are pristine, beautifully maintained show pieces either. The house is empty, so no one is there to water it. The inside has been completely updated. New laminate floors and carpet, and new SS appliances and granite in the kitchens and baths. Really nice house! So would the lawn be a deal breaker in your opinion/ experience? My husband and I differ on this. He is worried that the yard will scare away all of our potential renters. Has this ever been an issue for you? Also, what about the maintenance? Can we expect them to water it? Would it be strange for us to ask them to take care of it? Should we get a service to take care of it until the grass is better established?

Here are some photos of what it looks like. Would this concern you? Would you feel confident you could rent it out?

Thanks so much for your help/input!!

Dawn :)

[Anson Young]

Originally posted by @Jon Holdman:

This is a real problem here.  Water is EXPENSIVE.  Some tenants would like to have a nice, lush, green yard, but they have to pay for the water.  Denver isn't too expensive, though even there the bills would shock you folks who are in wetter climates.  Wheat Ridge, which buys its water from Denver is more expensive.  Aurora (biggest city in Colorado) is really expensive.  6000-7000 gallons a month at a small house I have there runs about $80 a month.  If they tried to water the grass, it could easily run $200 a month.  So, yeah, tenants don't really deal with the grass.  I've had one lady tell me "you should be ashamed of that yard".  I'm not.  We live in a desert and you want a lush yard?  Its going to cost you big time.  Most tenants don't care.

I think it should be included on your water bill:

Believe it or not, you live in the high desert!  Yes, the plains of Colorful Colorado is really a dry high altitude desert!  Oh, and 'lawns' were first used to showcase massive wealth by landbarons, who would just show off they could do whatever the hell they wanted with their land and they didnt have to plant crops to survive.  Think about that before you cultivate your nice manicured lawn that eats into our drinking water resources.

Isnt it about time for each lawn to be watered using non-potable water?  We put drinking water in the ground to feed plants that have no benefit other than keeping up with your neighbors....

*rant over*