Too big; too rocky; where's just right?

I looked at two houses today in my search for someplace new for the Family G. to live. The first, this morning, was way too big for our purposes. It would be perfect for a buy, since there is a lot I would like to do to it, but as a rental, there were too many things I would rather change about it. It also had four bedrooms and three bathrooms ... again, just a bit too big for us at this stage in the game.
The house I saw this afternoon though, was almost perfect. The bad side was a backyard, a large backyard, that was covered in nothing but desert rock. Desert rock. Not a single blade of grass, or tree, or shrub. Just rock. I told the realtor that, really, the only bad thing about the entire place, my only disappointment, was the lack of landscaping in the back. (How hard is this going to be, this quest for grass for my kids?) The realtor suggested that he may ask the owner to put some grass in if we are serious about it. A good response, but I don't think that's likely.The rent there is about $100 less than our apartment, so my interest is real. I just don't think I want to do that much landscaping fixing up.
I'm looking at another place tomorrow afternoon, and am pretty excited about it, actually. Brian and I drove past it on Sunday, and really like the neighborhood and area. This looking at houses thing is pretty fun .. assuming I eventually end up with something that I like. And end up with it soon.

I think the saddest thing I read today is how Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame, won't allow any iPods or iPhones in his house. That's a serious drag on his wife and kids, I bet, since those two things are quite possibly the coolest electronic devices on the planet.