Feeling lucky

[G.papa.findsalot]

My wife works for one of the top realestate agents in SW Washington. I have been given the okay to hunt any vacent properties. Now my question is I live in Vancouver Wa across from portland Or. The area has alot of old houses and I am wondering if there is a.way to tell if lots of landscaping has been done. Some of the homes do say there has been recsent landscaping that has been done . But there is none that says if any had been done years ago. Anyone with pointers with ways to tell

 

[jwebs]

The only way I know how to tell is by aging the trees that are present, and actually digging a plug. The latter is the only surefire way that I know of, as I've been really excited to see a huge old oak on a vacant lot, and it turns out that everywhere up to within a foot or so of the tree had been filled in with sand or other fill material.