Short of hiring city landscapers and water trucks to drive down the streets and hose those lawns off I don’t see how you’re going to compel people to care for their landscaping. The HOAs can do it to a limited extent, but really, the effects of a $50/month fine can largely be ignored by an offsite owner.

Probably better if the neighbors get together and put some effort into their neighborhood.

There is a house near my kids school where the lender painted the brown lawn green during the foreclosure process, I should take a picture of it, it’s hillarious becuase it’s the wrong color green, like seeing a 90 year old guy with a jet black wig.

From a buyers perspective, the brown lawns are a good thing, gives you more insight and it makes the future repos easier to spot. I actually went through the neighborhood I want to buy in yesterday and made a note of the brown lawners, then compared them to the internet, sort of a “coming attractions” if you will.

I would really, really like to see some aerial photos of Temecula over the past (and into the next) year. Would be neat to make an animation of it.

Would look like a brown alien was eating SoCal!

The brown lawn syndrome is just going to have to play itself out. Eventually, someone will buy all those empty houses. The price they pay and the type of buyers they are remains to be seen.

I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far as far as brown lawns/vacant houses. There are going to be a LOT of ARM’s resetting in Temecula and not much in the way of wages to pay the increased payments.

As a side note, the fact that a lawn can go completely dead in a couple weeks shows you how DRY it is in the Inland Empire. What happens if the drought continues for decades as many scientists are now predicing and watering lawns is no longer an option?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17967097/

Here’s an idea. Have the city put a massive tax on houses that have been vacant for more than X number of months. Something really hardcore, like 1% per month. That way the title holder must lower the price to sell or rent the place out quickly.

BTW, this could also have the secondary effect of driving prices down more quickly by forcing inventory to be liquidated.

How about going with climate appropriate landscaping? Drought resistant landscaping sans the lawn is very beautiful. It takes a little more creativity to design an attractive landscape.

That would save water and lower maintenance. The lawn is such a paradox in a semi-desert climate such as Temecula. To me, it’s such a sign of waste.

Perry, I actually agree with you 100%. Big grassy areas suck up tons of water in the desert. Desert landscaping can be very beautiful.