Intro and house hunting in the rain

This is my first blog posting about the real estate market in the Olympia, WA area. I work as a real estate agent in the residential market and love the opportunity to be a resource person for people who are unfamiliar with the process of buying or selling homes, who need recommendations for other associated professionals, and who want to know about the local community and trends in the market. I have lived here since the mid 1970's and am astonished at the growth that has and is occurring. It is fascinating to me to watch the trends move from seller's markets to buyers' markets and back again - and to try to spot the factors that will move the market in the next direction.

Right now we have had lots and lots of rainy and breezy days - which is actually one of the very best times to go house hunting! We might get a little damp between car and homes, but it is excellent weather to spot a number of things about a home and property. You can easily tell if there are drainage problems on the lot (if you cannot get from the driveway to the front door without jumping huge puddles this is not good!). You can tell if there are roof leaks, and you can see if the house seems bright enough or if you have an uncontrollable urge to turn on all the light switches even though it is midday. If a house looks good on a rainy, dismal day it will look fabulous when the sun shines! You can also get a look at the landscaping at its (probable) least attractive time, and tell whether all of the privacy from the neighbor disappears when the tree leaves fall. Might be OK, but it's at least nice to know!