Has anyone tried marketing to leads using their email addresses vs mail campaigns.....assuming you get access to clean and verified emails.

If you provide a nice clean rental at a fair price you should get several good applicants.

The backyard is literally a clean slate after you account for cleanup.  

I'm a newbie also, and like you, find it cathartic folding clean laundry...and even washing dishes.

also, I added, Animals/Fish will not be cleaned on the property. 

Plus cleaning fees, and pet fees.

It all seems so clean and simple...so why doesn't anyone else do it? 

I think with the lease and local laws I can find a easily justifiable way to pin this to both their backs, but I'll trade my right to leverage terms for a clean break and ability to move on.  

Clean the yard at your expense.

In light of that $650 seems reasonable if your units are updated, clean and frankly somewhere you'd live without thinking twice about it.