Landscaping can greatly influence your enjoyment of a property — not to mention how much time and money you will spend taking care of it.

Here are five key questions that landscape architects and real estate agents say a house shopper should ask before making an offer.

1. Where’s the water?

“Either you don’t have enough or you have too much,” said Jack Sullivan, who coordinates the University of Maryland’s landscape architecture program.

“You want the water moving away from the house, not toward it,” said Sandy Clinton, a landscape architect.

2. What’s staying?

Outdoor furnishings such as benches, tables and chairs are often important parts of a garden’s design. But they are not going to automatically convey in a sale, said Barbara Nowak, a Virginia real estate agent.

3. What kind of maintenance is required?

More land generally means more upkeep, depending on how the lot is planted.

4. What is the condition of the plants and other features?
“If you’re looking at a piece of property and you see plants that don’t look healthy,” ask why, Sullivan said. “Unhealthy plant materials can tell you a lot about the water as well as the soil condition.”

5. Are there any restrictions?

Rules about fencing, for example, are common, and some homeowners associations also have guidelines about what you can plant.

– The Washington Post