How Rain Affects Real Estate Sales

Lately, I’ve been consulting weather.com three or four times a day.

I watch the 5-day forecast, 10-day forecast and hour-by-hour, to schedule open houses, photo shoots and showings.

Wet weather, marketing, inspecting and selling homes just do not mix.

The rain can change my whole marketing plan for selling a home.

Thursday was tour day for Alamo and Danville—and, as you probably noticed, it was pouring all day long.

The day a home goes on Broker’s Tour for the first time is the most important day in the marketing cycle in many ways. A day like Thursday is bad luck: It’s no fun to go on tour in the rain, and many realtors will skip it or shorten their day.

I had a house on tour last Thursday (we had a spot of sunshine, I was thrilled), and I’ll have one next Thursday (10-day forecast says the sun will be out). As for Thursday this week, I was happy to be spending the day looking at other homes on tour instead of hosting one.

Nice weather is also essential for photo shoots. The photo shoot is a prerequisite to putting the house on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), so weather can actually delay the whole process.

Sunday open houses are also far more successful in good weather. More people are out looking, and they are more likely to appreciate the homes they see when there is sun. In the rain, homes are darker and less inviting. A home with a view may not have a view at all on a stormy day—and the view is a huge factor in selling the home.

While marketing a home in this weather is tricky, the next concern will be once the home gets an offer. That’s when the inspection period begins. The termite inspector and the home inspector will both explore under the house.  It’s a rare crawl space that is completely dry during a week of rain.

It’s important not to have water under the house—it can be bad for the foundation. Solutions to a wet crawl spaces can be expensive, and range from a sump pump to French drains.

There’s been a lot of wet weather lately and we’re all ready for some sunshine. But remember, spring rains bring May flowers, so the homes coming on the market after the April showers will shine with blossoms!