Yup, it’s  a rainy  day here in Southeast MI. My “shared wall” condo neighbor’s sump pump is working  overtime, sending  water outside via PVC pipe every  few minutes.  We live on a slightly  higher  elevation  than  her, so our sump pump rarely kicks  in  at all.  Our sump pump essentially serves as a backup for hers! Reminder, I need to go to the basement and dump the dehumidifier  water  so  THAT can  turn  on!

When we were house  hunting  in  2010, our Realtor said she LOVED showing  homes during  heavy rains, because  that was when they were  put  to  the ultimate test.

Thankfully, we haven’t  had  any flooding problems  with  our  basement. That certainly  wasn’t  the  case  while  I was growing  up in a “split level” house, which originally  came with a fully finished, fully shag carpeted  basement. When we learned how…damp things got down there  in  heavy rains, my folks decided  that the red shag carpet had to go. It was replaced  with more  “forgiving” vinyl  flooring.

I remember  a split- level home in our price range being up for sale on a street  called “Heather Lane.” As tempting as it was to check  out  a house  on a street sharing my  name, I knew better! Plus, I thought  it was…weird that the homeowner  decided  to convert a perfectly  good attached garage into (gasp) living space.  My husband  and  I  both wanted  our  home  to  have a “carhole,” aka garage.

Moral of the story  – just because a house is on a street  sharing  your name, it doesn’t  mean it’s  the house for you!