Another "comp" came on the market and............

[skyking1]

Washington state made it easier to build an ADU and based on how the values are going, we will be doing that.

 

[CO-guy]

If we had relocated from the East Coast to the Denver area, we wouldn't still be living in Colorado.

For us there's been a huge difference between being near the mountains and living in the mountains.

 

[Texas Proud]

There are over a dozen diversions out of the Colorado River basin to the east side of the divide.

The water situation in western CO is dire for many. Ask about getting any kind of irrigation water out of any source if you don't have very, very senior water rights. Ask the owners of the Vinelands Power Plant in Palisade how they are doing. Grand Junction and Montrose have pretty solid drinking water supplies, but many of the smaller towns and districts do not and already have water restrictions. It is only May. If we don't get a really strong monsoon, there will be mandatory restrictions across the western slope, as have already been implemented on the Front Range.

Then, there is the wild card of what the Feds could order as mandatory cuts to prop up the Colorado River. They are focusing on the lower basin right now, but that can change and probably will. The Federal government dictating state's water usage in the upper basin would be unprecedented, but we are in the worst year of runoff for the Colorado River since records have been kept.

Water is going to be the big fight in the next two decades..

The people with their 100+YO water rights do not think anything should change... but it has... the question is should they get a huge financial windfall for something that was given to them so long ago when nobody needed the water? I think not...

I equate this to the cab medallions in NYC which used to see for over $1 million... now $90K to $200K... changes in the economy made them worth less...

 

[COcheesehead]

The water rights where I live in Colorado stay with the property and can’t be sold. I don’t see it as a windfall, it’s part of the property.

 

[Texas Proud]

The water rights where I live in Colorado stay with the property and can’t be sold. I don’t see it as a windfall, it’s part of the property.

Interesting... I did not know... is that with all farmland?

Water is becoming an expensive commodity.. I cannot find it now but the estimate for water needs in Texas is growing much faster than what is available..

Another that I cannot find is that New Mexico was thinking about building a desalination plant along the Gulf and piping it to New Mexico!! Think how much that will cost...

 

[COcheesehead]

Interesting... I did not know... is that with all farmland?

Water is becoming an expensive commodity.. I cannot find it now but the estimate for water needs in Texas is growing much faster than what is available..

Another that I cannot find is that New Mexico was thinking about building a desalination plant along the Gulf and piping it to New Mexico!! Think how much that will cost...

It’s farmland, residential however it’s zoned, but the water stays with the property

 

[flyoverstate]

It’s farmland, residential however it’s zoned, but the water stays with the property

It is very easy to move direct water rights from one property to another, it just requires going to water court, that is why many farms on the Eastern Plains of Colorado are now patches of dust and weeds. Also, in many areas of the Western Slope, individual farmers don’t directly own water rights, they own shares in an irrigation company that owns the rights. The shares can be sold to other landowners as long as that landowner can get a ditch company to carry the water. Some ditches carry water from both individual rights, and from numerous irrigation companies.

Here is an article from today touching on the subject:

Revegetation bill will shape how Colorado cities buy-and-dry farm water

Colorado lawmakers pass a bill requiring cities buying up rural farm water to revegetate and reclaim the dried-up land.

coloradosun.com

 

[COcheesehead]

It is very easy to move direct water rights from one property to another, it just requires going to water court, that is why many farms on the Eastern Plains of Colorado are now patches of dust and weeds. Also, in many areas of the Western Slope, individual farmers don’t directly own water rights, they own shares in an irrigation company that owns the rights. The shares can be sold to other landowners as long as that landowner can get a ditch company to carry the water. Some ditches carry water from both individual rights, and from numerous irrigation companies.

Here is an article from today touching on the subject:

https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/19/colorado-revegetation-bill-buy-and-dry-arkansas-valley/[/URL

Where I live the rights are 100% non transferable. I just bought property. I understand it. I have realtor friends they understand it. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your narrative.

 

[RetiredHappy]

There is a third outlet that has been built and when Lake Mead goes into the dead pool level, Las Vegas gets all the water from this third outflow and it will last another 150 years.

 

[flyoverstate]

Where I live the rights are 100% non transferable. I just bought property. I understand it. I have realtor friends they understand it. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your narrative.

There are no state decreed water rights in CO that are restricted from be severed from the property. There may be downstream decrees that would be impacted by the severance for which the impact would have to be mitigated.

There may be irrigation companies that place restrictions on water moving around, but those are not water rights, those are water right owners managing their water.

Water Law in Real Estate: Part Two - With LTGC | Since 1968

Gain valuable insights into water law's crucial role in real estate with Land Title Guarantee Company's comprehensive Part Two guide. Learn more today

www.ltgc.com

 

[COcheesehead]

There are no state decreed water rights in CO that are restricted from be severed from the property. There may be downstream decrees that would be impacted by the severance for which the impact would have to be mitigated.

There may be irrigation companies that place restrictions on water moving around, but those are not water rights, those are water right owners managing their water.

Water Law in Real Estate: Part Two - With LTGC | Since 1968

Gain valuable insights into water law's crucial role in real estate with Land Title Guarantee Company's comprehensive Part Two guide. Learn more today

www.ltgc.com

You’re wrong. Sorry. It is impossible for me to separate my water rights from my property.

 

[flyoverstate]

You’re wrong. Sorry. It is impossible for me to separate my water rights from my property.

I’m here to tell you, in no uncertain terms, that if you actually own a state decreed surface water right, there is nothing in Colorado water law that prevents that right from being transferred to a different property in the same drainage, subject to your district commissioner determining what other water rights could be negatively impacted, and determining mitigation for those impacts. They can even sometimes be transferred to a different basin. That is how Colorado River water legally ends up in Denver.

Do you own an actual state decree for surface water? Wells and springs are handled differently. Shares in a water company are different, those water rights are controlled by the board of directors for the company. I know dozens of farmers, and exactly zero actually own a state surface decree. They all own shares in a water company, or have irrigation wells, or springs for domestic and irrigation. Those are tied to the property, generally.

Water flows uphill to money. When the development pressure on the Western Slope starts exceeding the current non-ag supplies, there will be buy and dry on the Western Slope just like on the Front Range.

 

[COcheesehead]

I’m here to tell you, in no uncertain terms, that if you actually own a state decreed surface water right, there is nothing in Colorado water law that prevents that right from being transferred to a different property in the same drainage, subject to your district commissioner determining what other water rights could be negatively impacted, and determining mitigation for those impacts. They can even sometimes be transferred to a different basin. That is how Colorado River water legally ends up in Denver.

Do you own an actual state decree for surface water? Wells and springs are handled differently. Shares in a water company are different, those water rights are controlled by the board of directors for the company. I know dozens of farmers, and exactly zero actually own a state surface decree. They all own shares in a water company, or have irrigation wells, or springs for domestic and irrigation. Those are tied to the property, generally.

Water flows uphill to money. When the development pressure on the Western Slope starts exceeding the current non-ag supplies, there will be buy and dry on the Western Slope just like on the Front Range.

Sorry buddy. You got it wrong. I can’t break out the water right. 100% Impossible. Many sources back me up. Got the docs in hand.

 

[folivier]

Here's how it all plays out in my mind: Do you want to eat or wash your car/play golf?
Farmers should have first refusal on water.
I've learned a lot since owning my cabin in CO. Being from Louisiana it's so different. In Louisiana the biggest problem is getting rid of water. Sure it might be possible to pipe it to CO but do you think Texas would allow that without getting their (large) share?

 

[flyoverstate]

Sorry buddy. You got it wrong. I can’t break out the water right. 100% Impossible. Many sources back me up. Got the docs in hand.

OK, so you do *not* have a state water right decree, you own shares in a company, or have a well or spring.

 

[NXR7]

Here in NH, my house seemed to barely move in the last 25 years or more. It pretty much might have gained 1 or 2 % per year. Then Covid hit and the work from home mania caused the local property market to explode. My house value has more than doubled in the last 4 years or so. It's nice but I'm not going anywhere.

Finally, someone who understands.

Our home in northern Ohio is now, after the COVID run-up, worth $50K more in "today" dollars than what we paid in 1988 (so inflation-adjusted). Or if we had paid $18K more in 1988 we'd be at a loss.

 

[Buckeye]

Here in NH, my house seemed to barely move in the last 25 years or more. It pretty much might have gained 1 or 2 % per year. Then Covid hit and the work from home mania caused the local property market to explode. My house value has more than doubled in the last 4 years or so. It's nice but I'm not going anywhere.

Hopefully your property taxes aren't closely tied to your property taxes.

 

[NXR7]

Hopefully your property taxes aren't closely tied to your property taxes.

Very much so in Ohio. Our property taxes on a 50 year-old home appraised at $277K are $4,600.

The kid's $600,000 appraised two year-old home in a suburb of Nashville, TN pays $3,100.

A friend in California who bought his home in 1986 for $400,000 now has a home worth $4,500,000. Due to Proposition 13 of 1978, which prohibited reappraisal tax increases until the property is sold, had him paying $2,300 a year in property taxes last year.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Hopefully your property taxes aren't closely tied to your property taxes.

In my case, my property taxes are 1-to-1 tied to my property taxes. Correlation coefficient of 1.00, every year.

 

[Koolau]

In my case, my property taxes are 1-to-1 tied to my property taxes. Correlation coefficient of 1.00, every year.

Yeah, that's the way ours w*rk. Our RE taxes even went down once! Last market downturn, they assessed us a few thousand less in line with the market. Taxes dropped a bit. Who knew? Of course, one of the few perks of living in our state is that our RE taxes (per assessed value) are lowest in the nation. For our $600K++ we pay less than $2K/year.

Of course, our property values (SFH and Condos) have been in the doldrums for a few years now.

 

[COcheesehead]

I think the poster meant property taxes not tied to property value.

 

[COcheesehead]

OK, so you do *not* have a state water right decree, you own shares in a company, or have a well or spring.

No, none of those. It’s part of the deed. I can’t break it out. Can’t sell it without selling the property.

 

[surprising]

I was in Arizona recently looking to buy a winter home. Spent time in NW Phoenix area around Sun City West and north Tucson. There is so much housing development and growth going on there. It looks like entire cities are popping up with ton of housing and commercial, all brand new buildings, roads, parks, etc. Sure hope they've figured out how to provide water for all this new development.

 

[flyoverstate]

No, none of those. It’s part of the deed. I can’t break it out. Can’t sell it without selling the property.

Every drop of water in Colorado can be tied back to a state decree. The moment a raindrop hits the ground, it is owned by someone. If you have a "water right" tied to a property deed, that restriction is outside of the state water rights system unless it is coming from a well or a spring. For whatever "water right" you have, *some* entity owns an actual state decreed water right that allows your water to be diverted out of a stream or pumped out of the ground or gathered from a spring.

You should figure out what actual water right backs up your "water right", since at some point, that could be very important. If the water rights are junior surface water, you could be at risk for losing access to that water in a dry year, and you should know the likelihood of that happening.

 

[COcheesehead]

Every drop of water in Colorado can be tied back to a state decree. The moment a raindrop hits the ground, it is owned by someone. If you have a "water right" tied to a property deed, that restriction is outside of the state water rights system unless it is coming from a well or a spring. For whatever "water right" you have, *some* entity owns an actual state decreed water right that allows your water to be diverted out of a stream or pumped out of the ground or gathered from a spring.

You should figure out what actual water right backs up your "water right", since at some point, that could be very important. If the water rights are junior surface water, you could be at risk for losing access to that water in a dry year, and you should know the likelihood of that happening.

I don’t use the water though so it’s not important to me. We use city water for in house use and our drip system.