This is a situation I am reluctant to address without seeing a picture. But, reading and rereading what you wrote, especially the words..."this slope supposedly gets conveyed to us to deal with..." sends up a red flag in my mind. This developer tears into a slope and then escapes remedial action by conveying the mess onto you? Do I understand the situation correctly? And how all this is handled reflects on your pocketbook and property values? Perhaps you should have your lawyer dig into this situation a bit to determine just what the sales agreement between the former owners and the developer says. And, what is specified in the developer's approval/building permit? You could be into a very expensive project. Do some homework and refuse to accept a deeply disturbed land parcel which may need costly stabilization.

We have a flat yard that plunges down into a ravine at the rear edge of the backyard. We own the slope (though it is technically native growth protection area). Many of our neighbors have fenced a few feet inside the slope. We have opted to use a temporary fence right now to keep our young kids from falling down the hill (it is STEEP) as we figure out what to do. It sounds like the view down the hill is not going to be very picturesque (rooftops) for you, but the view out is? I would stand in the yard and at various points in the house and figure out what/where you want to screen and at what heights. A fence, even a low one, could be used if you have pets/children to keep in. Otherwise, you could just use plantings. I would consider putting some trees on the back corners to help "frame" your pleasant view and then perhaps have a mix of shrubs and small trees along the back line for interest and screening the "not so pleasant" view.

My grandmother had a similar situation to yours (houses below) and she just had a simple wooden split rail fence that ran about 75% the length of the house (behind the main living areas/patio of the house) a few feet inside the top of the slope. She planted her roses in front of it. It was quite pretty.

A fence should be a few feet inside the slope and maybe even be built so the posts aren't sunk in the ground directly, but are attached to something else that is. That way, if the ground shifts, it doesn't take your fence down with it.

Do you have any idea what the slope was cleared of? I'm guessing they did some clearing if there is hay on it? I'd suggest making sure that regardless of who ends up owning the land on the slope, that it gets planted quickly so it doesn't erode away. I'm not an expert here - but you may even want to contact a geotechnical engineer to assess the situation, especially if the soil looks especially loose or your house is within 30-40' of the slope.

Jraz,
It was a meadow that was mowed several times over the growing season. Thank you for the suggestions.

Problem is that I can't really do anything on the slope yet because the phone/electrical wires are going to go underground and our gas main still needs to be connected to the new line. There is also a rumor that our driveway won't be paved until this work is done and/or lots on either side of us are sold. So heavy equipment will move back and forth across our driveway and the lower slope.

Nandina, everyone who buys a lot is going to deal with either a slope to the rear or sides. The lot next to us looks like a caldera. Our slope is the only one in the front. We're just the highest point and it demarcates that we don't "belong" to the lower level of the development although we use the street. Apparently this was done to save the viewscapes of people who have houses on this ridge. We have some big wig movers and shakers behind us with a fair amount of money who want to protect their view. So, the hill was sculpted. Unfortunately, we're kind of stuck with the raw yardage whereas our neighbors are not.

Since we are within city limits, the whole process took many years to address objections (before our time). So, the slopes are apparently something that the city was willing to accept and thought safe enough not to require additional structural supports. Of course, sowing grass doesn't help much at all as far as erosion is concerned.

I'll try to post some pictures if I can find or take some that show what I have to work with.

Jraz,
It was a meadow that was mowed several times over the growing season. Thank you for the suggestions.

Problem is that I can't really do anything on the slope yet because the phone/electrical wires are going to go underground and our gas main still needs to be connected to the new line. There is also a rumor that our driveway won't be paved until this work is done and/or lots on either side of us are sold. So heavy equipment will move back and forth across our driveway and the lower slope.

Nandina, everyone who buys a lot is going to deal with either a slope to the rear or sides. The lot next to us looks like a caldera. Our slope is the only one in the front. We're just the highest point and it demarcates that we don't "belong" to the lower level of the development although we use the street. Apparently this was done to save the viewscapes of people who have houses on this ridge. We have some big wig movers and shakers behind us with a fair amount of money who want to protect their view. So, the hill was sculpted. Unfortunately, we're kind of stuck with the raw yardage whereas our neighbors are not.

Since we are within city limits, the whole process took many years to address objections (before our time). So, the slopes are apparently something that the city was willing to accept and thought safe enough not to require additional structural supports. Of course, sowing grass doesn't help much at all as far as erosion is concerned.

I'll try to post some pictures if I can find or take some that show what I have to work with.