We moved to VA from NJ. We moved to NJ right before our first was born and lived there 4 years. We didn’t have a flat yard there. As a result, when we moved to VA, a flat yard was one of our priorities.

I will say it was kind of hard to find flat yards here as well. What we ended up doing was buying a house on a cul de sac with an overgrown backyard. We cleared out anything less than 10 in diameter and any trees that were not healthy and planted grass. Now we have a great backyard - it turned out better than I expected when we bought the place. I almost didn’t buy the house bc of the yard.

I live in a bit of a hill. My side of street have 100 percent flat yards hilly front yards and other side of street flat front yards and hilly backyards

The front yard hill is a pain shoveling, taking, trash out or getting mail. My back yard is glorious.

My older neighbors across street would hate my house as they only use rear deck and never go in yards

Only a deal breaker if there is no flat space anywhere and no park nearby.

We compromised and got a tiered back yard but we're on a court and have a flat front yard. Kids are out front all the time. We mounted swings and a climbing rope under our deck out back for kids to play with and are considering a treehouse for one of our tiers and a ninja ropes course between a couple of the trees back there.

I agree that kids will seek out common spaces...

Anonymous wrote:It depends on how steep the hill is. If the kids can play but no swing set it shouldn't even be a consideration.
We don't have a flat yard but our kids still play back there on occasion. We live pretty close to a fantastic park so we go there a lot.
My kids are at an age where they can roam the neighborhood which is fantastic. I would say that a neighborhood where they can walk to their friends house is much more important than a flat yard. It won't make a difference now but when they are ~7 it will be a huge plus.

I pretty much agree with this. Our yard has a slight slope and a swing set might be difficult but we didn't want one. I will say, though, that even with a great park (actually 2) very close by our kids play in the yard A LOT. Like every day, even when it's cold. I don't know.

Anonymous wrote:I think the yard is more important for if you want to host outdoor parties or if one of you likes to garden.

7:35 here--we don't host much, but when we do it's most likely to be an inside/outside affair spilling out onto the deck, or a dinner on the deck. Yes, younger kids run around the backyard unless it's an adults only event, but I think it would still be okay if we didn't have a yard given the deck. YMMV.

Gnats breed on level fields. You will have fewer insect problems with a sloped yard.

It depends on how steep the hill is. If the kids can play but no swing set it shouldn't even be a consideration.
We don't have a flat yard but our kids still play back there on occasion. We live pretty close to a fantastic park so we go there a lot.
My kids are at an age where they can roam the neighborhood which is fantastic. I would say that a neighborhood where they can walk to their friends house is much more important than a flat yard. It won't make a difference now but when they are ~7 it will be a huge plus.

I think the yard is more important for if you want to host outdoor parties or if one of you likes to garden.

We have a nice flat yard with a hill. The kids rarely use the yard but that hill is something else when it snows. Kids could spend all day sledding back there. It's great!

We have a nice flat backyard in our DC neighborhood of SFHs. My 7yo and dog very rarely use the backyard, unless it’s an exceptionally nice day. I rarely see any kids in our neighborhood using the backyard—instead, they prefer the playground, play dates, riding bikes/scooters around the neighborhood in the summer, and of course there’s the constant shuttling of after school activities. I’d say it’s a nice to have, but not a necessity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I disagree. We have two kids under 3. I think a flat yard big enough for a small swing set is a deal breaker. What do you think?

For the few minutes they will do this, not a dealbreaker. Do you know how many unused swingsets I see in my neighborhood? Everyone thinks their kids will use them all the time and they do it for a hot minute and then never used.

Agree— as long as there is some outside space and/or a park nearby I would never make this a “deal breaker”— unless maybe you need a way to pick between two houses that otherwise checked all your boxes (our process was more one of continually compromising but we did find a house we love, even though the back yard is lower than the front, it’s a tiny lot, etc..)

Anonymous wrote:What a weird idea.

Mmm, no. Not a weird idea. People envision swingsets, playing soccer, and so on. OP, we have a smaller flat backyard and a larger sloped front yard, and the kids almost always prefer the front yard and driveway. Plus kids can make any outdoor space work. But if you’re not having a hard time finding homes you like, hold out for a flat yard space.

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I disagree. We have two kids under 3. I think a flat yard big enough for a small swing set is a deal breaker. What do you think?

For the few minutes they will do this, not a dealbreaker. Do you know how many unused swingsets I see in my neighborhood? Everyone thinks their kids will use them all the time and they do it for a hot minute and then never used.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They won't be playing in the backyard, they just won't. You dream of this happening, but it won't. They will be seeking other kids and probably playing in a-more-common area. Or the chance that it's your backyard is very slim.

Yep, this. They run from backyard to backyard and they love hills, bushes etc. Especially when they get to the age of playing with nerf guns. A nice Hill is good for sleeding - ours is gently sloping and I have up to 10 kids in my backyard sledding for hours.

You need to buy Umbrella insurance for a few million

Anonymous wrote:They won't be playing in the backyard, they just won't. You dream of this happening, but it won't. They will be seeking other kids and probably playing in a-more-common area. Or the chance that it's your backyard is very slim.

Yep, this. They run from backyard to backyard and they love hills, bushes etc. Especially when they get to the age of playing with nerf guns. A nice Hill is good for sleeding - ours is gently sloping and I have up to 10 kids in my backyard sledding for hours.