A few years ago, one of my clients contracted to purchase an older home in her idea of the "perfect neighborhood." She had rented in this neighborhood for many years and was absolutely in love with the area.
We found a fantastic looking home that was everything she was hoping to find in her price range. On the surface (pay attention, this will be important later!), this home was perfect - original woodwork in great condition, just the right updating while keeping the character and charm of the home intact, and a beautifully manicured lot!
A week after we contracted, we met the inspector to go through the home. It was a gorgeous summer day - blue skies, warm temperatures, not a cloud in sight! About an hour into the inspection we all noticed the sky was getting darker and it looked as though a storm was rolling in over the mountains (we actually get to watch this in Colorado Springs, how lucky are we?!).
Within 15 minutes, the sky opened up and it began to rain. Not a few drops...I'm talking the cat and dog variety of rain. As the rain continued, we went into the basement to continue the inspection. As soon as we got down there, we noticed it. IT was rain seeping down the walls of the basement. It wasn't flooding the basement, but it looked as though it was headed that way if the rain were to continue.
While the inspector tried to find out where the foundation was letting water in, my client sat with a look of horror on her face. A little info about her might help here - she's single, works a TON of hours, and doesn't have a bunch of extra money or time to work on the house.
I decided to turn the situation around. Instead of being disappointed about the house, I told her that we should be thankful that it rained while we were here. There were no telltale signs of water problems in the basement and the seller hadn't disclosed any problems. Better to find out now than to find out a month after closing during the next big rain storm. I told her that while it was totally up to her, my advice would be to run far, far away, very, very quickly. She told me months later that she really appreciated that I wasn't just trying to get her to buy something...anything.
Within 24 hours, she was out of the contract to purchase that home and we were out looking again. She ended up in a totally different neighborhood in a much newer home and is absolutely tickled pink with her new home.
And THAT my friends, is why I LOVE rain on inspection days! =)
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