I would go for something that tells me about the status of a lock. Like a door open/close sensor. But I wouldn't give it any control.

I’ve also consider but don’t really have a second door I can use as backup. My first priority is always local operation but you still risk dead battery or misconfiguration. If there were two independent smart locks, they probably won’t have issues at the same time. Unfortunately other entrances are sliders where there is no external lock

Every keyless smart lock I've seen typically has a keyed version as well. My sister has a Yale lock, she says it'll warn her about a low battery months before it actually dies, so I guess there's that, but still. I'd rather just stick with a key.

I really need to get my garage door functional

My garage door opener has wifi, but it's a Chamberlain MyQ unit, and we all know how Chamberlain feels about HA users.... I rarely use that function these days. Looking into ratdgo now.