By Cary Lee Dailey
SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
August 11, 2006

As part of a larger article:

Well-designed landscaping can appeal to potential buyers as much as a fresh coat of paint on the inside of the house. The outdoor layout, color -- even landscaping accessories -- welcome or deter potential buyers who are forming their first opinion of the home.

The lines have become blurred between the inside and the outside of the house, real estate agents say. More homeowners are spending time and energy cultivating inviting outdoor spaces. Focusing on landscaping could be the key to getting a quicker contract while homes without the appeal that landscaping provides might languish on the market.

But what makes landscaping work toward a sale? It's a matter of balance.
   
"There is nothing worse than a blank foundation on the front of a house," says Liz Brent, a Realtor with Evers and Co. Real Estate in the District. Yet an overgrown or unmaintained outdoor area is just as unsightly, she says.

Ms. Brent says she often advises homeowners with mature landscaping that has outgrown its space to cut the shrubs and the boxwoods in order to showcase the house.

She says she has observed recently, however, that homeowners are getting creative and open-minded to suggestions as they craft their outdoor sanctuaries.

"What I find is that people are doing major renovations," she says.

Ms. Brent says that, in downtown Silver Spring, homeowners are putting in screened porches and decks and integrating walkways and river stones into their outside design.
 

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