Buying A Home - Rain, Sun and Weather Issues
When buying a home, it can be easy to overlook year-around
weather issues. You may think you are purchasing a home in a
sunny area, but come to find there is always a heavy cloud
cover. This is just one of a number of weather issues to
consider when selecting your dream home.
Clouds...Rain...Floods
If you must have a sun deck as part of your new home, you better
make sure it is going to be sunny! Just because a general
geographic area has a lot of sun doesn't mean your home will.
Things to look for include fog and heavy cloud cover for a home
in a valley. If the home is located on the side of a hill or
valley, make sure you know when it will get sun and shade.
Temperatures can be radically different depending upon the
amount of sun you get.
When it rains, it really pours! One potential nasty surprise for
new homeowners can be the condition of a neighborhood after it
rains. In San Diego, for instance, the total rainfall averages
roughly 12 inches a year. Despite this low total, there are
certain beach communities that grind to a halt because of
flooding issues. Even an inch of rain can flood streets to the
point that you can't drive at all. Make sure you stop by a gas
station or local store to ask about flooding problems in the
area.
I have been known to enjoy a good boating trip and perhaps you
have as well. I am pretty sure neither of us would enjoy it in
our house. Still, millions of people a year buy homes in flood
plains without even knowing it. Eventually, this can lead to a
disaster when heavy rains come and you find out the reason they
call it a flood plain.
Unlike streets with bad drainage, floods are much more damaging.
When a river overflows, flood levels are typically measured in
feet. Can you image the effect on your home of a flood that
reaches five feet in depth? Well, you probably always wanted to
renovate the first floor of your home.
Mother nature has a way of doing whatever she wants. Make sure
you avoid her grumpy spells by looking into the effect of
weather on your prospective dream home.