Will 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...
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.
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