Lessons for a Buyer From Olympia's Snow & Ice Storm

Many of you know that the Olympia area is finally digging out from a major snowstorm, which was followed by an ice storm - and trees and branches down, power outages galore...Not exactly our usual weather pattern.

But a storm like this points out some great things for buyers to consider as they hunt for an Olympia area home:

Does the home have a heat source that does not depend on having electricity?? Woodstoves obviously can keep you warm when the power is out, but even a gas fireplace will operate and put out some heat, though the fan will not operate without power.

Is the house surrounded by large trees? You just might want to get a chain saw to take care of falling limbs. And you might even want an experienced tree service person to check out the health of your trees if they are close enough to fall on your house. The crack and whoomp noise of falling trees and branches is NOT my favorite noise to hear during the night.

Is the home on a well and or septic system? Did you know that neither of these will work if the power is out?? Being without lights is not too hard to deal with, but being without water gets old pretty quickly! You may want to consider having a generator (make sure it is properly installed by someone who knows what they are doing).

Is the home in an area that loses power first and regains it last every time there is a storm? Talk to the neighbors - they will have all the war stories of the times that they were without power for 7 days, 10 days, maybe more. Storm damage can be unpredictable, but there are some areas that pretty regularly do lose power and for longer than average.

Is it a home with neighbors nearby? Many times buyers think living in total seclusion and privacy is their desire - but in any type of weather emergency, there are distinct advantages to having neighbors. Neighbors can check on each other's welfare after a storm. Neighbors can share resources, whether it's a chain saw, some extra candles, or a battery powered radio.

Is it a home on a secondary and/or dead end road? Because the Olympia area doesn't get storms like this every year, the snow clearing equipment is much more limited than in other places in the country that have lots of snow each year. This means main roads are the priority - and secondary or neighborhood streets won't get plowed soon, if at all. And after seeing all the trees down blocking roads this time around, it doesn't hurt to give some thought to whether there is more than one route to your house in case a road is blocked by downed trees and power lines.

And snow storms like this are truly the exception not the norm for Olympia - thank goodness!