I don’t know about you, but we got 19 inches of snow in Hartford last Wednesday. I chronicled it here and here and here. It was a nice day to kind of lay low and then shovel out.
Since then we’ve had a few more inches of snow added and we are apparently supposed to get 3″-6″ more on Friday. Sheesh, that’s a lot of shoveling. We’re at the point at our house where we’re running out of places to put the snow when cleaning out our driveway.
And what exactly is all of this snow doing to the real estate market? Slowing it down, for one thing. Some sellers are hesitant to list their houses with the three foot snow banks in front. Not exactly welcoming right? And buyers have a very hard time seeing the landscape right now. Where does the driveway end and the yard begin? What does the greenery look like? You can’t even distinguish garden beds from grass with all of the white stuff. Hopefully savvy sellers have pictures displayed online or at the house showing the yard in warmer times.
I was showing a house the other evening during the sleet storm and the power went out on the street. My buyer and I found ourselves in a large, dark house that we didn’t know. Talk about tripping hazards. At least it was empty.
All of this snow is potentially going to cause a delay for some sellers who wanted to have exterior work done in the spring before putting their houses on the market. If the snow sticks around longer than normal, exterior paint jobs and landscaping work is going to be put on hold.
What’s the positive in all of this? If you’re a seller and ready to go, there isn’t really a lot of “new” competition right now. Much of what is on the market is leftover from last year. The buyers that are out there right now are serious, whether they are relocating or already live here and just want to buy.
Make sure you have your milk, eggs and bread for Friday and remember, we’re originally from Vermont and know how to deal with the snowflakes. We’re happy to show you houses if you’d like to venture out.