It is a townhome so the yard is very small and the backyard is all concrete so the landscaping point is not as applicable here. 

But we also added lease options to our model which attracted a better tenant and lessened the the amount of work that it took to manage the lease option properties.So I would encourage you consider investing in your own back yard before going out of state, especially if you live in North Carolina. 

After digging through listings and getting feedback for needing a garage for all the toys, a fenced yard for the puppy or in a great location next to work. 

A home at risk of foreclosure might also have a for sale sign in the yard that indicates the homeowner is distressed.Additionally, you may see a home that appears vacant or in disrepair.

Its up to you as the builder to negotiate a fee that your happy to pay.. and Frankly market conditions dictate commission in hot markets one might be able to just stick a sign in the yard and do yourself.. still pretty tough or just put them on MLS and negotiate the buyers agents commish like the new rules dictate..

The last piece of the East Bank puzzle will be the sale of Carl Ichan's scrap yard which is going to auction this month. 

what about landscape/yard maintenance?

I don't have time to do two years of research and get to know the market as well as I would if I were looking for deals in my own back yard.  

For backyard, front yard - I use BLINK.

Now thats all groovy but the market is not liking it.. parking sucks and no yards.. so a few builders I know that did these little developments are not selling well and ( of course that buyer is very interest rate sensitive) so I personally wont do it..