Brown Grass, Good Neighbor?

One of the most controversial issues around the Livermore valley this summer is the prevalence of brown front lawns. Traditionally a dying lawn has been a sign that the home owner doesn't have any “pride of ownership” and furthermore a brown lawn would be of huge concern to surrounding neighbors because of the possible negative sentiment caused to the neighborhood as a whole. In fact popular belief in the past has been, if there is enough dead lawns in a neighborhood then the resale value of all the homes in that area could be decreased. But with one of the worst droughts in California’s history showing no signs of slowing up, that ideology is meeting resistance among some local home owners and Real Estate professionals.


This summer it seems that popular opinion in Livermore is splitting into two camps. 1) The traditional pride of ownership group and 2) the new water conservation group. The new thinking is that a brown lawn signals that the homeowner is willing to sacrifice “pride of ownership” for the good of the whole community. In fact, signs have been popping up in front yards that read “Brown is the new Green, browning the lawn to green the farm.” This advances the idea that it is the responsibility of the metropolitan areas to save water so that the agricultural sector out in the central valley will have more water for their crops.


This growing shift in social norms has many implications for home owners and Real Estate Professionals. New Home owners or seasoned ones who for years or maybe even decades have kept their lawns green now are faced with the dilemma of whether to water, or let wither. Either option will lead to strong opinions from the neighbors:


Jason and Kristen, home owners from Livermore, do not appreciate it when they see that a neighbor excessively waters their golf course green lawn. “When are they going to get a fine?” Asks Kristen when she sees such a neighbor.


On the other hand Joey who is a home owner in South Livermore has the more traditional viewpoint. “(Dang), look at that dead brown lawn!” is his reaction when he sees a neighbor’s dead grass for the first time.


Now I would be remiss if not to point out that there is a middle ground of understanding to be found between the two views. Many home owners in Livermore have elected to forego grass all together. Many have elected to water there grass very little. Jose in Springtown only waters his front lawn for six minutes three times a week. Many people who I talked to for this story pointed out that there is a big difference between having a browning well-kept lawn and a dead lawn that has not been mowed and edged in weeks and is inundated with weeds. So perhaps harmony can be attained between the two ideals of Aesthetic and Efficient (Environmental) acceptability.


These days Real Estate professionals who represent Buyers and sellers in Livermore residential transactions must now walk a fine line when it comes to the subject of lawns. As mentioned earlier brown lawns generally mean lower home values, so traditionally when agents list homes they make sure that the front lawn is green and healthy. This has always one of the most sure fire ways to improve “curb appeal” (initial visual judgment of the home from the curb.) Today with the drought in full force and water restrictions in force, greening the lawn is not such a clear cut issue for professionals. I asked a few local agents what their initial reaction is when they see a brown lawn:


“Does not provide a favorable impression. Curb appeal is the very first impression for a potential buyer and a dead lawn suggest that there may be other differed maintenance items in the property.” -Alex Watson, Realtor


“If it is in Livermore I'd think the occupants are following the water saving guidelines. I would prefer a green lawn but (I) understand.”-Debbie Burness, Realtor


“Initially (dead lawns) reminded me of the foreclosure market. Neglected neighborhoods. However once I started seeing more of the lawn signs about conserving water and learned more about the drought it was a lot more understandable.” Anna Pacheco, Realtor


So moving forward, how are you going to approach the watering and care of your front lawn? Email (max@maxmanatt.com) or post an opinion to join the conversation.