1. vandalism- Every village has a village idiot.
2. grading- most of the garbage collected from the construction work is placed in the front in order to provide a quick clean up. When the grader comes through, he's gonna run the residue of that stuff into the ground, thus hendering the growth of grass and plants alike. The average front yard has very poor soil quality.
3. crazy neighborhood policies- your property value drops if you own a home in a neighborhood full of houses with "eyesores" in the front. This woman may one day want to move; therefore, the image of her home, and how it pertains to its value, is a significant factor.
I gave her a web site that will provide advice to her; to help her save money as well as to improve the look of her property. It's advice, not an order!