Atlanta Real Estate | Atlanta Housing News for Real Estate

I tell I my buying clients to dress for the heat....don't dress to impress!  I urge clients to wear comfortable, cool clothes - that there is no need to impress me or the sellers.  "If we are going to spend the day in and out of the car" - I pack a cooler with drinks and snacks.  I started doing that just for myself, but my clients really love it!

Jim, I was showing 4 properties this weekend and by the time I got to the last one I was soaked! The clients were wearing comfortable shorts and short sleaves while I was in my long sleaved shirt and tie. Luckily, here in So Cal we don't run into that problem too often but I decided that I should probably wear a sports coat next time ... or shorts!

 

Try new construction - it is hotter inside the uncompleted house as opposed to outside. Sometimes we have to go home and shower and change during the day due to the extreme heat as you are soaking wet after showings.

I keep water everywhere to keep everyone hydrated. 

I do the same thing Christine suggested.  I also ask my buyers if it is okay if I dress down a bit -- I still look professional -- no shorts -- but I do wear clothes that will breath -- no jackets --and some sandles.  I plan for a couple of cool breaks -- we can go over listings and have a cold drink every 2-3 showings -- It works well.  If there are heat sensitive kids or elderly parents -- I ask them if they think early evening would be better even if we go see a couple of homes per night. Boy is it HOT!  -- but it beats the 2 foot+ snow storms -- those are worse.

I also tell clients to dress for the heat...I refuse to show any more than 8-10 listings max per day, we'll go out the next day if we have to.  I will dress down a little...long, short sleeve dresses are ideal for summer in Vegas. I also start at 9am, or earlier if clients are willing.  I show vacant houses first (about half the houses in Vegas are vacant anyway)...and then show the others between 10 and noon...I leave the afternoon to write a contract in a nice cool restaurant.   The temps get in the hundred and teens here.

I've learned to wear dressy casual, wash and wear type clothes during the summer here in south central Texas -- I tell my clients to dress cool too!  Of course, the cooler of water and sodas and a few snacks are a necessity here. 

Jim, no matter what I do, I can't seem to beat the heat.  It has been soooooooooo hot here too.  I do have water with me all day long.  It keeps me hydrated.

Jim,

101....oh my .....it has been over 120 on the Colorado River.....we show early, and late.....keep the air on in the office, and if we have to show we dress for the river, carry water, and don't kill ourselves by overdoing it. Shade helps a tich, but not much.....we show some properties by boat and this helps keep everyone cooler :)

Christine  Thanks! "don't dress to impress!  I urge clients to wear comfortable, cool clothes - that there is no need to impress me or the sellers.  "If we are going to spend the day in and out of the car" - I pack a cooler with drinks and snacks."  I like that!

Brian thanks!  Causual is so much better!

Judy..."new construction - it is hotter inside the uncompleted house as opposed to outside."  I forgot about that!  I hate when they are painting inside on a day like today!

Joan very smart!  'I also ask my buyers if it is okay if I dress down a bit -- I still look professional -- no shorts -- but I do wear clothes that will breath -- no jackets --and some sandals.  I plan for a couple of cool breaks -- we can go over listings and have a cold drink every 2-3 showings -- It works well.  If there are heat sensitive kids or elderly parents -- I ask them if they think early evening would be better even if we go see a couple of homes per night."  Thinking practical is smart!

Mary ouch!!!! The temps get in the hundred and teens here.I get hot thinking about it! Mornings are best, a dfew listings a day is very smart!

Judi!  In this weather I can now see the use of a canteen!  Wow can it get to you!

Daine I could not live without water!  I do drink lots of fluids, but some days can be worse than others.

Kathy  Wow that is hot!!!!  Wow if I were workign forsomeone, I'd call in sick!

Jim - in Miami everything is HOT - summer is our winter - clothes stick to you like crazy and showing property with the in and out of the car is murder!  Somehow the market distracts us from talking about the insufferable heat and humidity - so we stay inside as much as possible, wear as few clothes as possible, drink lots of water and hope the hurricane forecasters are wrong!

We have the compounded problem here of our stores being ice cold.  I try to wear cool clothes but then always have something with sleeves in my car to throw on when I go inside just about anywhere.

Jim - After living in Phoenix for 14 years, a little humidity doesn't phase me. Heat is heat! I keep reminding myself, my skin looks better in the humid weather! :)

It was so hot today here in Alabama that when I got back from showing property I got a headache and a half. i actually still have the headache. i am going to take two more asprin and go to bed.

Beth I don't know how you do it!  Your hot periods with high humidity are much more prolonged than Atlanta.

Marchel Similar to here.  You can get out of the heat for lunch, and it is ice cold! 

Paula heat is heat!  Too funny!

Vicki I forgot the headaches!  I never get them, but in the summer heat I do!  It feelss like a stroke coming on!

Good insights, Jim. Thanks.

If I'm taking buyers out to show several homes I bring  cold bottles of water for the family & mini snacks for the kids in case they get restless. I also dress in crispy cool colors rather than warm colors that emphasize heat such as yellow, orange, etc. It sounds silly, but I don't have any complaints & if they really want to find a house they tag along. Joan Congilose RE/MAX Central

If I'm taking buyers out to show several homes I bring  cold bottles of water for the family & mini snacks for the kids in case they get restless. I also dress in crispy cool colors rather than warm colors that emphasize heat such as yellow, orange, etc. It sounds silly, but I don't have any complaints & if they really want to find a house they tag along. Joan Congilose RE/MAX Central

Try living in Phoenix!  Talk about hot... but at least it's dry so we aren't soaked by the end of the day.  Since we're usually a more casual city anyway, I wear professional clothes that are light weight and light colors.  For guys, I recommend golf attire as it still presents a nice image but is short sleeves and usually breathable material.  Just make sure to communicate with your clients that you'll be dressing down.  I also freeze bottles of water so they melt as we are out and continue to stay cold even in the car.  Another trick is to leave the car running but lock the doors with a key fob if you have it and that way the car doesn't heat up.  Unfortunately, it wastes a lot of gas but at least you're not stuck inside an oven waiting for the A/C to work fast enough!

Ann thanks!

Joan you are right!  It is also thinking in cool that helps!

Christy I like the idea of freezing the water!  I also have a remote start for SUV that turn AC on in high mode until I actually put key in ignition!! That helps a lot!

Jim, I am right down the road from you in Rome, GA. Yes it is very hot and humid,  I also dress casual and cool.  I like to show houses in the eary morning or late afternoon. and drink plenty of water.  Good post!!!

Darlene thank you!  It seems this weather can also sap you of ambition to do the simplest tasks.  Atlanta is also suffering from a very bad air quality index.

I took a bottle of water with me to a new listing that I was photographing.  Left it in the car after I returned to the office.  Coming home I realized the bottle was so warm I couldn't hold it for long.  It is definitely too hot to be outside for long.  One of my builder clients stayed home because he overheated yesterday.

Kay it was a brutal day in Atlanta!

I try to show houses in the morning and early afternoon and stay at the office at the hottest part of the day, and catch up on paperwork.

Gita that makes a lot of sense. It is easier and smarter to do your work in the cooler parts of the day.  A few degrees cooler makes a big difference.

All great advice for this very hot and humid summer. One little bit of warning.

Don't drink a plastic bottle of water after it has been sitting in the car, even if you put it in the fridge to get cold. The plastic releases toxins into the water after it has been heated up in the car.

It was on the news down here some time ago.

Jaqueline  Thanks for  the news.  Yesterday was so hot in Atlanta that all I did was seek refuge.  The outside thermometer reached 110!!!!!  I've never seen a reading that high, and it was also high humidity!

99 here and climbing so you call it hot and I think it is one step hotter than hot!  Wanna cool off????? Instead of door knocking in the heat, take a dive! 

Rosemarie I need that!  It is unyeilding in Atlanta!