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There is nothing better than a property showing in the rain. Why?
When it rains in Costa Rica, it generally pours! We have never had so many floods as we have now, in the 45 years that I’ve lived in this beautiful country. Who says climate change doesn’t exist? Well, it does exist in our beautiful country! During the green season (or the rainy season, depending on how you want to call it), it rains most afternoons, or even all day long. One of the great aspects of rain is that everything stays green, beautifully so. But do you want to battle flooding, blocked gutters, and water run-offs? Probably not.
Some sellers don’t really want realtors to organize a property showing when it rains for several reasons:
- The house won’t show at its best.
- Visiting buyers don’t see the curb appeal, if there is one.
- It makes the house seem dark, even though most agents turn the light on, even if it doesn’t rain.
- Clients often arrive with wet and sometimes dirty shoes, which can create a mess in the house.
- If there is a view from the house, it can only be seen when it’s not raining.
Setting Up a Showing Appointment
It’s important to understand that in Costa Rica, real estate agents do NOT have lockboxes. We must schedule appointments for each property to be shown individually. A property showing must fit the four agendas:
- The seller’s, because that’s the one with the key,
- The listing agent who wants to be there,
- The buyer’s agent, whom the buyer wants to be there,
- And the most important one: the buyer’s agenda.
Sometimes we find out that the last one on the list cannot make it at that time. Then we have to reschedule all the appointments again.
When the buyer runs late, and the agent has made several showing appointments, it is hell. It’s impossible to get back on schedule or juggle all these sellers across the board. They all have better things to do than wait for the agent to show their property, even if they come prepared with the right keys.
Showing on a Rainy Day?
Allow me to tell you what can happen with a property showing during a rainy day:
Another colleague calls and wants to make an appointment for a property showing of a listing in the afternoon. The reason is that the client can’t make it in the morning. Should we schedule a property showing or cancel? Often, foreign clients fly in for just a week to view houses. Local buyers are usually only available on weekends.
So, I had made an appointment to show the listing to my client, the buyer. When we arrived, the poor listing agent was ringing the bell, getting wet under a tiny little umbrella. It was pouring, the wind blowing from everywhere while he was standing in front of the gate. Imagine him holding an umbrella and a cell phone, in a suit and tie, trying to make the seller aware he was standing outside the gate.
The poor guy thought something had happened to the sellers. The sellers, though they had agreed to the property showing, just decided not to open the gate because it was raining. The property was not shown, and we went to the next appointment. My client loved the property, made an offer a couple of days later, which was accepted.
Please do NOT show my property
The same evening, the agent received an email from the seller with the following comment: “If you are a serious realtor, you should not show my property when it rains” (the actual email was much longer than that). Like the agent is in charge of when it starts and stops raining, I know what I’d tell that seller… Perhaps we should close our real estate business and take a vacation during the rainy season?
This gave me the idea to write this blog. Allow me to provide you with some more information about property showings in Costa Rica.
At what time?
If the seller is a retired gringo, it’s so much easier to organize a property showing that with a local seller. Many local sellers will tell their agent that showings are only possible on Saturdays between 10:00 and 12:00. All sellers, as well as the real estate agent, would love to hold a property showing under the best circumstances:
- With the best possible weather (hopefully with a lot of sunshine).
- At the time that suits the seller.
- The day after the gardener comes.
- And the day after the maid had cleaned the whole house.
- Not during lunchtime.
- Nor during nap time.
- and not during martini time.
- Oh, and after 10 am, please.
Why I love showing property in the rain
From June to August, it rains frequently on many afternoons, sometimes for just 10 minutes and sometimes for hours. It rains heavily in Costa Rica from September through November, so it’s essential that a buyer gets a good sense of the house where they will be living during the rainy season. Unless they have special powers to turn off the rain like this seller expected her agent to have.
Therefore, here a a few reasons why I love rainy season showings:
Flooding: If water runoffs are blocked or nonexistent, you don’t have to be an expert to notice the problems. Can the house wash down the mountain?
Roof leaks: It’s challenging for a home inspector to determine if the roof leaks or not. A hose won’t work; we’ve been there, done that. There is no better test than being in a house you’re interested in during a rainstorm.
A dark house: Is the house dark or light? Do I have to turn on the lights at 4:30 pm every day or when it rains?
It clicks or it doesn’t: If a house doesn’t look nice when it rains, why buy it? A home should look great at any time and any weather, when it rains and when it doesn’t. The home for sale has to click, so it doesn’t matter if it rains or not.
A second visit
Most of the time, the buyer wants a second visit before making such a huge investment. Now is the time to choose a better time of day for another property showing, such as when it doesn’t rain or even at night, to take in the views, for example.
Contact us now to arrange a property showing, even if it’s raining.
