First Impressions Start With The Road!
Forget curb appeal if you have to travel over "jiggle me to pieces" washboards, or "how much is it gonna cost to grade this road?" questions. I just spent 4 days traveling to about 12 out of town properties and my buyer identifies the locations with what shape the road is in! One property caused us to stop before we ever saw the home (which was beautiful), to have a conversation about how roads are cared for in our part of the country. If you're a seller, your property values take a big hit if the buyer struggles just to get to your property. I think washboards and mud holes are the worst!
Who Is Responsible For A Country Road?
Local government is responsible for most of the arterial roads in our part of the country. If you live in a subdivision, there may be a RSID (rural special improvement district) which is a method of collecting taxes that a group can use in a road improvement project. A subdivision may have an association annual dues which is collected by a secretary and then used to hire road improvements. More often, there is a subdivision section that states roads are to be maintained by the residents, but, no one follows through. In this case, neighbors try to get together and take care of the road, and some neighbors are happy to let others do the work and pay for it. 
A private road or drive is the sole responsibility of the owner or owner's of the road. I would call a bad private road "deferred maintenance" just like a worn out roof of a house.
Bottom Line!
If you're trying to sell your home in the country, curb appeal starts with the road to get there!!!
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