The 45 minute monsoon walkaround
Start at the street. Follow the water. Look for the place one hard storm can turn into one expensive decision.
Start where the water enters
The first question is not whether the yard looks clean. The question is where water enters the property, where it is supposed to go, and what stands between those two points.
Look from safe ground. Note street grade, curb cuts, dip crossings, visible channels, culverts, walls, gates, and low areas. A stain line or a pile of fine debris can tell you where water has already been.
Then read the house
Stay off the roof. From the ground, look for blocked scuppers, damaged leaders, discharge aimed at walls, ponding near the foundation, loose material, and trees that can reach the structure. A qualified roofer, drainage professional, engineer, arborist, or contractor can inspect the parts you cannot safely judge.
- Photograph the property before and after a material storm.
- Keep drains and visible flow paths clear without changing where water legally belongs.
- Do not place a wall, fence, soil, or debris where it can block a wash or push water toward another property.
- Know the safe route out before a road crossing is under water.
The standard
Water does not care what the listing said. Read the parcel. Verify the risk. Fix the cause with the right person, not the first person holding a shovel.
Turn the 45 minute monsoon walkaround into one property decision.
Read the place. Verify the property. Choose the next move from the evidence.
- 01Read the placeStart with the street, terrain, exposure, access, and local context.
- 02Verify the propertySeparate observed condition from records, specialist findings, and assumptions.
- 03Choose the next moveConnect the evidence to timing, preparation, and the owner decision.
This field guide organizes public safety guidance into a homeowner walkaround. It is not an inspection, engineering opinion, flood determination, or instruction to alter drainage.
Put this house into a private review.
Confirm the address. The review can separate visible condition, public record, current competition, and the questions that need the right specialist.
Check this address Three questions · no instant estimate · no obligation