Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I see it on Facebook a tad before nine on Thursday night. I read it once, and I read it twice, I may even say what my kids do in these situations: “What the flip!” as I move to the school district website to verify the news Facebook had just delivered. It true, there’s a two-hour delay on Friday morning, and for us, working parents another morning to juggle. We had a full five days of school the first week of January. Then there was snow. The following week we had MLK Jr day and then the conference week with three half days. This week it was flooding. Next week… mid-winter break.

These floods are a very real issue, and I’m totally not calling the district on making this decision. The day prior, Mia told me that half of here teachers had not been able to get to the school due to road closures, land slides and water everywhere. So, the problem is very real. There are countless road closures and hundreds of thousands of people affected by this weather – one way or another.

Past days, I have started my days by checking on the King County road closures. I have clients that are stranded or have to drive in absolutely crazy traffic in order to get to work. Their commutes have gone from 30 minutes to several painful hours in traffic.

This morning I’m sitting by my computer in my PJs, looking at the day ahead touring homes with a client, and I do it with KC website, to plan for the route. Avondale Road was closed last night, just north of Bear Creek Road, meaning we’ll have to approach Cottage Lake through Woodinville. It has never been like this. This is not how its supposed to be. This is not normal, or is this indeed the new normal, and from here on we will be dealing with excessive flooding every winter? Can I tell my client that this should not be an annual problem to take into account when choosing the home to purchase?

I’m planning for the day. Looking at the listings we will be touring. Looking at all the comparable homes to be able to tell my client whether the home has been priced adequately and what price I think it will sell for. Yesterday, I had my Team driving around the flooded roads, checking on new listings, previewing to help my clients decide whether a home was truly worth seeing or not. This is the background work most people don’t see. The prep for the weekend ahead. This week with the added preparation and route planning with the constantly changing road conditions.

Our homes are being tested right now, and by now you know if your roof is in good condition or not. On Thursday I previewed a home that was pulled off market right after, as it had puddles in the living room. If your driveway isn’t flooding now, I don’t think it ever will, and if you don’t have pooling water in your yard, you’re pretty well off.

Stay dry! King County has several sandbag pickup stations, if you are in need.