CYNDA ROHMER
No sales slowdown

While the snowstorms that blasted through the Bay State in recent weeks caused headaches for snow plowers and workers who had to navigate icy roads and trudge to their jobs in frigid temperatures, it also meant a slew of canceled open houses and appointments and slower business for many real estate brokers.

Dozens of open houses were canceled or postponed during the blizzard that dumped up to 3 feet of snow in some parts of Massachusetts last month, and the cold frigid temperatures that followed kept many home searchers indoors. Real estate agents also were bracing for a predicted storm last Thursday but were thankful when the storm fizzled out and forecasters called for clear skies over the weekend.

Industry watchers say inclement weather can slow business. Many real estate agents reschedule open houses when there is a lot of snow or ice on the ground because they know foot traffic will be light. Others are concerned about the safety of consumers who come to see the homes. They don’t want prospective buyers falling on sidewalks that haven’t been shoveled or sanded.

But some local Realtors insist that the weather just stalls activity and leads to busier days once the cold and snowy weather disappears.

“It’s just delaying things. It’s not going to affect the bottom line,” said Ralph Miller, broker-owner of Hughes & Hughes Real Estate Co. in Natick.

Miller acknowledged that the month of January was a “very quiet month” for the company because of the weather. However, he anticipates that activity will pick up when the weather improves because interest rates are still low and the inventory of for-sale homes in the MetroWest communities that he serves is still slim.

The weather doesn’t appear to have cut into sales activity at some local real estate offices. Cynda Rohmer, branch executive of the Woburn office of Carlson GMAC Real Estate, said the office had six or seven transactions in January, representing about 80 percent of the office’s inventory.

“We exceeded last January’s [sales] numbers,” Rohmer said. While the office had to cancel open houses that had been advertised and scheduled during the weekend of the blizzard and traffic was light at open houses that took place during a storm earlier in January, Rohmer said she hasn’t seen a slowdown in sales.

“You can’t gauge what’s going to happen,” Rohmer said.

A ‘Double Whammy’

A major storm that has a regional impact – whether it’s a hurricane, earthquake or blizzard – can cause a temporary disruption and dip in sales in a specific region in a particular month, but sales have historically bounced back and are usually more brisk in subsequent months, according to Walter Molony, a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors.

“All it does is postpone activity,” Molony said.

The New England region was hit with a “double whammy” during the weekend of last month’s blizzard because the Patriots were also facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game, explained Randolph real estate broker Todd A. Sandler.

“Big-time sports events can have a serious impact [on business],” said Sandler, who owns Todd A. Sandler Realtors in Randolph.

Sandler said his company had to cancel six open houses that weekend. Agents in his office spent the days after the storm answering their phones as home sellers dug out to get their homes ready for the following weekend’s open houses.

“It threw us for a loop for at least four or five days,” he said. However, Sandler said buyers emerged again, especially with arrival of unseasonably warm weather, and like Miller, he expects the real estate market to forge ahead.

“I would anticipate that with interest rates still low and inventory not all that high, you’ll still see strong prices and competition for properly priced homes,” Sandler said.

Diane Furness, manager of the Quincy office of Jack Conway & Co., said the piles of snow and lack of parking did not dissuade customers from coming to open houses just days after the blizzard. The office held an open house for a property in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, and despite the snow-blocked roadways and limited parking, quite a few people showed up, according to Furness.

“I guess if people are looking in the bad weather, they’re serious buyers,” she said.

Furness said she does not have an office-wide weather policy regarding canceling open houses, and leaves it up to the seller and listing agent to make the decision about whether to postpone.

Steven Reilly, a real estate agent who works with Furness, said he had an open house in Braintree scheduled the Sunday of the blizzard and contemplated rescheduling it. But he decided to go through with it and was surprised when “a good amount of people” showed up.

“It’s New England. People get out. They don’t worry about the snow,” he said.

While Furness believes that weather affects sales, she said companywide sales for January are up. “I think we’re off to a good start this year,” she said.

Aglaia Pikounis may be reached at apikounis@thewarrengroup.com.