Yard & garden work on my first RE investment - advice?

[Sylvia Schumacher]

Hello!

My first RE investment property is a 3-1 SF in a B- to C-grade Cleveland area. I am trying to rehab the house and then planning to rent it out.

I would be grateful for any advice with respect to yard work! Asked the BP community for advise on the bathroom before and it was super helpful, so hoping I could get some good input for the garden as well!

Sharing images (extracted from my RE's video tour) of the yard, garden and porch attached. As a newbie, it's very tough for me to get a feeling for what amount of work I should invest in for the yard and where to draw the line. Also, would you recommend to hire this work out to professionals or to a handyman? We are talking about a ~100k property that I am hoping to rent out for ~1200$. 

I appreciate any thoughts and advise! Thank you BP community!

[Bob Stevens]

Its a c area, you are not to do anything significant in the yard, put down seed and call it a day.. I have done 1ks if reno/repairs there and am aware of exactly what should be done. Why is your PM not taking care of this ? 

[Sylvia Schumacher]

Great thanks for your advice @Bob Stevens! I don't have a PM company yet but planning to hire one once the renovation is ready.

Maybe smaller follow-up here: You also would leave the porch as is or would you stain it/ do anything else?

[Shane Kelly]

All I would really advise here is to make it easy for the next tenant to get settled into it. With a complicated state like it is in, the tenants would not get much use of it, which would kinda defeat the purpose of having a yard in the first place.

[Richard F.]

Aloha,

If "gardening" is a thing in that area, it may be beneficial to clean it up and prep it for planting...but it is more likely, in my opinion, to severely limit your market. Consider clearing and sodding, or seeding, all, fence to fence. Make any repairs needed to the deck and railing, paint the deck with deck paint; railing to match house trim, RTR! You could probably re-use all the pavers for a larger seating area away from the deck, mid-yard if desired.

[Bob Stevens]

Quote from @Sylvia Schumacher:

Great thanks for your advice @Bob Stevens! I don't have a PM company yet but planning to hire one once the renovation is ready.

Maybe smaller follow-up here: You also would leave the porch as is or would you stain it/ do anything else?

 Whos is doing your reno? Please do not tell me you are just hiring someone you found on Google.

Yes of course stain it, YOU REALLY need to get a team, this will not end well if you dont, 

[Hamp Lee III]

Choose a landscape that is low maintenance. Expect tenants NOT to care for the yard.

[Carlton B.]

Only thing you should do is treat the wood other wise in a few years you will be replacing. All rentals should be tidy less thing to trip over or for pets/kids to get into. Clean and neat not fancy. I would clear everything out and plant grass, sod is quick but seed will work.