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California Drought - Will It Affect Luxury Estates ?

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Realty NRDS # 146013739

 

 

Newport Beach area and golf courseWill Golf Courses be Affected?

Living in Arizona, most if not all homeowners take into consideration conserving water.  Rock and drought resistant plants are just part of the normal landscaping process along with drip systems and proper and efficient irrigation systems.  Fortunately, our drought is not as severe as California is experiencing.  Also with our long standing conservation techniques and systems we do not feel the impact in the same way... in most areas.   

So today, I saw a fabulous estate in WSJ Mansion in the Bel Air area of Southern California.  WSJ is showcasing Sela Ward's home for sale at $40 million. The pictures below may show some of what I am talking about...

See more here 

 

As I was looking through the pictures, I was amazed how the outdoor areas were made an extention of the inside.  This home and the grounds are really something. BUT a comment at the end of the article caught my eye.  The person was suspect of the lush Bel Air grounds because California is in the middle of a tremendous drought.  Most areas are under strict water restrictions yet everything is green and beautiful in the pictures.  

 

How can that be?  Is it possible that many who own these estates are paying huge penalties to keep the pools filled and the lawns, and landscape green and beautiful?

 

Don't get me wrong, I sincerely hope that the El Ninó predictions for a wet upcoming season hold true with little flooding, and I also hope that El Ninó has a dramatic impact on easing this drought. 

 

I know that many homeowners in California have already made huge changes in their landscaping to minimize the use of water.  So what will happen with the estates if there is no improvement in drought conditions?  I would think that the cost to change out the landscaping on some of these estates will be prohibitive.  Will the drought restrictions be reflected in the sales prices or will deep pockets be unaffected by these conditions? 

I have heard of companies springing up that actually dye the dead grass green (lawn painting) so that the lawn continues to look amazing. This may be a reasonable solution for small properties but will this be an alternative for large estates?  

Of course this topic only affects a small amount of the population but as a REALTOR®, I like to know what is going on in the industry and how it might affect my market as well.  

 

 

Comments (6)

Anna "Banana" Kruchten
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Sheri good points - will it effect luxury home sales and all sales for that matter. As for the green grass it's possible the photographer made it look green (if it wasn't green). More likely, my guess is these estates are getting watered.

Sep 15, 2015 06:22 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

It's no secret that keeping lawns green in California isn't often a very realistic expectation during these drought years.  However, I've lived in California all my life.  We have seen these cycles before.  I'm expecting rains of epic proportion this coming season.  That will remedy some of the situation, but not all. 

As for the drought affecting luxury estates, I suspect they too will get through this like the rest.  It has also been determined that swimming pools actually use less water to maintain, than the same amount of lawn.  I've also noticed a few apartment and condo complexes who have used the spray service to "paint" their lawns green.  A number of homes have  tore out lawns and re-landscaped to drought resistant plantings.

California property values are continuing to increase, and inventory in many areas, like Sacramento remains low!

Sep 15, 2015 07:25 AM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Anna, 

You have to wonder what luxury home owners breaking point is after paying a penalty!  

Sep 15, 2015 08:07 AM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Myri, - thanks for the California perspective!

I spent around 40 years in SoCal, I am told though, that this is one of the worst droughts ever.  I do agree that somehow innovation will help make it easier to get through. Lawn painting is a good example.  As for pools, I wrote a post on that subject a couple of months back! My husband has told me that he felt that owning a pool in a warm climate was less expensive and less maintenance than having grass. 

Sep 15, 2015 08:20 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Thankfully people are not nuts here and we have no restrictions on watering if we have a private well or water from the lakes or rivers.  That has kept my lawn beautiful and green through our dry summer.  My mother in law however actually has dead grass in southern california.  I guess she's changing to a rock lawn.

Sep 15, 2015 11:28 AM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Tammy,  A lot of folks don't realize that SoCal is actually a desert.  It gets water from North Cal and the Colorado River.  With this drought, it is harder for NoCal to supply SoCal and SoCal has restrictions to how much water can be pulled from the Colorado River.  Some communities do tap into water tables supplied from the local mountains but the water table is also declining. Most of my family lives in SoCal and it is not a pretty situation.  

Sep 16, 2015 12:06 AM