I always expect the tenant to care for their own yard (except in the apartment complexes): keep it green, growing and trimmed.  

I'm planning to buy a house and want to add some extra spaces on it ( like connect the yard or add a bedroom).

Has anyone in the local Detroit area been fines for using bandit signs or For Sale By Owner signs in the front front yard of a property that is under contractor?

I own single families which have a yard (and no common walls) so while prospective tenants can rent an apartment cheaper than my house, they are giving up something.

Hey @Joel Schiffer -- I think having and agent list your property on the MLS is the easiest way to find a tenant but if you don't want to pay an agent you still have other choices:-Put a "For Rent" sign in the yard and some on the entrances to the neighborhood -- people who live in that neighborhood or are visiting people who live in that neighborhood will see it and either want to live by their friends/family or call their friends/family because they want them to live close to them.

You're in The Batch Yard I take it? 

Here's the numbersAsking Price: $279,000Funds: Conventional 20% downTenant occupied in all 4 unitsTotal Income: $2550 rent per monthProperty taxes: $154 per monthInsurance: $72 per monthUtilities: (Tenants take care of Gas and Electric) - Gas - $9 per month, Electric - $31, Water - $220 Trash - $79, Yard Maitenance - $50Extra Monthly Maintenance - $50Cap Ex - $100Vacancy - $100Property Management - $200 (I will actually plan on managing myself for now but calculated this for the future) Mortgage - $1,079Total Expenses: $2144Income - Expenses = monthly cash flowTotal Monthly Cash Flow - $406Down Payment: $55,800Closing Costs - $8,500Rehabs needed - $0 (Already Rehabbed Kitchen and no repairs needed)Total Investment - $64,300Annual Cashflow/Total Investment = Cash on Cash ROI4,872/643007.6% Cash on Cash ROI.Now honestly I would like to at least try and get a 8% cash on cash return so I wouldn't offer full price but if I was able to get to the 8% point, is this a lead worth pursuing or is it not that great?

Last spring I bought items from a yard sale not far from my house.

I think the most common is for people to come home from work and all their stuff to be thrown out in the yard and the locks changed.

@Linda Dellarippa: Just curious, but why would you rent to someone who just chains their dog in the yard?