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Practice Of Real EstateState_specificHARD

Derek, a licensed Idaho salesperson, is representing a buyer purchasing a 200-acre irrigated farm in Elmore County. The purchase contract identifies the real property but makes no mention of the existing water rights that the seller has used for irrigation for 30 years. The seller claims the water rights will transfer automatically with the land. Which of the following most accurately describes the legal situation and Derek's professional responsibility?

Correct Answer

B) The seller is incorrect; Derek should advise the buyer that water rights are a separate property interest in Idaho and must be explicitly addressed in the purchase contract and deed.

Under Idaho Code Title 42, water rights are a separate and distinct property interest from real property. They do not automatically transfer with a deed unless they are explicitly identified and conveyed. In this scenario, the purchase contract's silence on water rights creates a significant risk that the buyer will acquire the land without the irrigation water rights needed to farm it. Derek, as the buyer's representative, has a professional and fiduciary duty to identify this issue, advise the buyer, and ensure the water rights are properly addressed in the contract and conveyance documents. Failing to do so could expose the buyer to serious financial harm and Derek to disciplinary action.

Answer Options
A
The seller is correct; water rights appurtenant to agricultural land transfer automatically by operation of law when the deed is recorded in Idaho.
B
The seller is incorrect; Derek should advise the buyer that water rights are a separate property interest in Idaho and must be explicitly addressed in the purchase contract and deed.
C
The seller is correct; under Idaho's prior appropriation doctrine, water rights follow the land as long as the property has been continuously irrigated for more than 20 years.
D
The seller is incorrect, but Derek has no professional obligation to address water rights because they fall outside the scope of a real estate licensee's duties in Idaho.

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

prior_appropriationwater_rightsfiduciary_dutypurchase_contractagricultural_propertyseparate_conveyance

Related Concepts

Market allocation is an illegal antitrust practice in which competing real estate brokerages agree to divide markets among themselves by geographic area, property type, or price range, thereby eliminating competition.

Price fixing is an illegal antitrust practice in which competing real estate brokerages agree to charge the same commission rates, fees, or other pricing for their services. It is a per se violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

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