This week as my husband responded to the heavy rains in south Texas and as the children and I tried to stay afloat at home in more ways than one, I was reminded how inclement weather is still a fine time to view houses. What dooes Dorothy learn on a bad hair day when viewing homes? A lot.

1. Does the roof leak? Only in the rain can you tell first hand if water is coming in the roof anywhere. Now is a fine time to crawl in the attic and shine your flashlight towards all the seams. Look at the beams that go up to the tallest parts. If there is water coming in somewhere, it won't always drip, it might crawl down a beam to an area of the house really far from the source of the leak. It's tricky inestigating.

 2. Does the chimney area leak? Some of the most common places for even a brand new roof to defect are at the areas like the chimney or vents. Those areas must get a good seal to prevent leaks. I know more than one person who had a brand spakin' new roof leaky in these areas. But sometimes it's the mortar between bricks that has aged. When the rain comes in so hard from one particular direction, maybe that's the only time it will leak. I had a roof in one house that would only leak when the storm blew in hard and heavy from the west. It helped us know where to look up there to correct it. Mother nature can be harsh on a house.

3. Do the windows leak? When it's raining you can get a really good idea if that window area is damaged because Dorothy forgot to close it or because it's leaky. Does the jam need to be repalced? Is the structure fine or is the rot you see superficial?

4. Do the windows have broken seals? In double pane thermal windows you can really see the condensation between them when the temperature changes.

5. How is the drainage? Where does water enter and exit the property? Where will water pool? Where should you plant vegetation to help, add French drains or pumps? A house with a courtyard in the center -- beware! They have to drain properly! They may need pumps, backup pumps, and back up back up pumps. Check it out thoroughly.

6. How are the thresholds and weather stripping on the doors? If water will seem in, today is the day. Another trick even on fair weather days is take something lightweight like a feather and hold it near the edges of doors and windows. If the feather has a lot of movement, you need to tighten the seal.

7. Do the gutters, drains, and pumps work?

What do you learn from inclement weather? Besides how to pull the neighbors very heavy garbage sacks out of the storm drains 5 houses down so the street doesn't flood without being taken down in the process, I learned a lot about a few houses this week, too.