you have it exactly right on location. for me at least, since i am will be putting my house on the market soon, having a lawn that isn't a lawn but a field will hurt its market value. i've put a lot of time and effort into the home inside and out to maximize the market value when i do sell. i don't know home markets in other spots, but down here, curb appeal plays into market value and if my house has a lousy lawn and someone else has a nice lawn, well... And i do enjoy spending the time to takes to make all my lanscaping look nice.