There is nothing quite like opening the door to a vacant listing and hearing the rush of water and noticing icicles hanging from the ceilings. Agents who live in parts of the country where snow and frigid weather are part of the scene may be more likely to have their vacant listings winterized than those of us who live in places like Washington, DC, where freezing temperatures and freezing pipes are not as common.
Tonight's weather forecast? Well, it's not making me too excited about all of my appointments for tomorrow and the weekend. And it's making me glad that my clients right now are all buyers. The high temperature is predicted to be way below freezing, and so many of the homes we show have the heat turned down to the 55-ish degree range.
Sellers may feel like they don't want to pay to heat a vacant house, but if the house isn't winterized, this could be a false economy. Even houses with the thermostat set in the 70's get cold enough for basement pipes to freeze and burst. And I'd rather pay Washington Gas a little more that have to call a plumber and deal with the mess of water in my basement.
So if you're in the way of the polar vortex, it might be prudent to check on your non-winterized listings and make sure the heat in on. The pipes will appreciate it. So will the shivering agents who are on the streets showing property on Saturday and Sunday! And their buyers will want to stick around longer, too.
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