California Drought Making Home Buyers Think Twice About Properties

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The drought is presenting potential home buyers with a list of concerns they haven't had to real with before.

When you buy a home, there may be questions about schools, crime, and access to parks. But Realtors are now hearing a new question—what about the water?

Bob McKiernan checked on the carpet, and the new paint in a home he's planning to sell. But something new is coming up.

"I think it's really risen to the top, it's in the Top 5 in concerns about a buyer and a house," he said.

He says more and more, home buyers want to know all about the water, including how much they can use, what are the watering rules, where the water is coming from and how stable that source is.

Buyers have passed on potential homes, he says, because the yard was too big and too expensive to maintain during the drought under mandatory water cuts.

"That's a really important thing for people if they are attuned to it, investigate it," he said. Some people don't have that on their radar. We always bring it up."

Brokers now give out a drought advisory sheet to homeowners.

"We want you to be concerned about this, and we want you to check it out. It puts them in the right direction to get a hold of the local water district so they can see what their concerns are," he said.

Crystal Rista says water is a big part of her new home research. She doesn't want to move somewhere that may be asked to make drastic cuts because supplies are limited.

"That you are also able to live comfortably where we're not having to resort too far back where everyone was sharing the same bath," she said.

McKiernan welcomes the new water dialogue, saying there is no such thing as a dumb question when making such a huge purchase.