Utilities costs....

[JHZR2]

The last few months our utility bills have been in the $85 range for gas and electric. Granted these have been mild months, so really only nighttime heat if any, and no AC. But what it gives is a baseline for a family of four for showers, lights, clothes washing (we do cloth diapers and baby clothes so might be a bit higher), etc.

We have as efficient a means of water and home heating as is available.

Our utility posts rates so if your utility does as well you might compare.

https://www.pseg.com/family/pseandg/price_compare/index.jsp

Once heating or cooling is considered, things change. Generally we see $135-185 most months, but ive seen a few excursions over $200.

This is conditioning between 1600-2300 sq ft, depending on how we configure things.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
When we were house shopping,we only looked at houses with brand new HVAC,roofs,and appliances.


Wrong focus. Hvac, roofs and appliances can be replaced. Bad location, wrong layout or flow in the house can't be so easily corrected. Price of the house also reflects the condition of those items.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
When we were house shopping,we only looked at houses with brand new HVAC,roofs,and appliances.


Wrong focus. Hvac, roofs and appliances can be replaced. Bad location, wrong layout or flow in the house can't be so easily corrected. Price of the house also reflects the condition of those items.


Appliances are easy to replace, new roof is a deal breaker for 90+ % of buyers.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Your estimates seem about right but could go much higher in a hurry if you weren't alone
extreemly low compared to here.

Power $300
Water $500
Trash $73
Internet $90


You pay $500 a month for water?
people on rancho water do.

 

[JTK]

Greg, like said, info on what the previous property owner paid should be easily available to you. Everyone's numbers are going to vary pretty widely. For me per month for my ~2900sq/ft 6 people home:

100 electric
40-180 gas depending on outside temp
12 water
~10 trash (paid yearly w/ taxes)
160 internet/TV/phone

Mortgage, cars and insurance is ~2000.. ugh..

 

[NJ_Car_Owner]

The 3 most important factors in real estate are location, neighborhood and schools. Everthing else can be a deal breaker or negotiated at the time of purchase. Having a freeway outside your front door is a bad location, a lot of crime in the area is a bad neighborhood and if schools aren't good people don't want to buy the house.

Buying the worst house in the best neighborhood is better than buying the best house in the worst neighborhood.

 

[Eddie]

Cape Coral FL here and I live alone. Per month Electric $60 to $120 Winter to summer, Garbage is included in my real estate tax bill which is ~ $1,400. Comcast Xfinity~ $135-includes TV, Phone & Computers. Water ~ $55. NO gas in Cape Coral. Ed

 

[Dave Sherman]

I think your electric might be a little inflated, unless electricity in FL is high. My electric is only about $60/month, about the same as my last house. Electric in summer was about $90.

Watch out for HOA fees, my last house had an HOA and in the 8 years I lived there the fees went from $149/month to $267/month. Glad to be out of there!

Do factor in replacement costs for things, and get a good home inspection. My inspection turned up a questionable electric panel, and a few months after moving in I'm already spending $$$$ to have the electric panel replaced on a house built in 1974.

 

[eljefino]

$60-90/mo electricity, includes well water
$2000/winter for heating oil
$2900/year for taxes and insurance
$32 landline phone, $35 internet

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
When we were house shopping,we only looked at houses with brand new HVAC,roofs,and appliances.


Wrong focus. Hvac, roofs and appliances can be replaced. Bad location, wrong layout or flow in the house can't be so easily corrected. Price of the house also reflects the condition of those items.


Trust me,here in Texas,an old or outdated HVAC will make or break a deal.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
When we were house shopping,we only looked at houses with brand new HVAC,roofs,and appliances.


Wrong focus. Hvac, roofs and appliances can be replaced. Bad location, wrong layout or flow in the house can't be so easily corrected. Price of the house also reflects the condition of those items.


Appliances are easy to replace, new roof is a deal breaker for 90+ % of buyers.


Yep. An old or bad condition roof is always a deal breaker. A new roof is very expensive,and an old decaying roof can be hiding lots of expensive problems underneath.

 

[Astro14]

Yeah..the three things you can't fix on a house:

Location

Location

Location.

Roof is only a deal breaker because you've got to write a bigger check than for appliances, and you can't get a home equity loan for a roof repair, but you can for remodel, or a kitchen and/or bath upgrade. So, financing is available for appliances, remodeling and I,provemwnts, but not for repairs, so big repairs: foundation, roof, etc, simply stop most buyers in their tracks.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Of course location and the quality of the nearby neighbors is the absolute top priority. You definitely don't want a royal castle with section 8 projects bordering your back yard.

 

[Anduril]

Electric: $250 (winter) / $50 (summer; we have solar)
Water: $30 (winter) / $70 (summer)
Gas: $100 (winter) / $20 (summer)
Trash: $75 every 3 months
Internet: $60

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Anduril
Electric: $250 (winter) / $50 (summer; we have solar)
Water: $30 (winter) / $70 (summer)
Gas: $100 (winter) / $20 (summer)
Trash: $75 every 3 months
Internet: $60
Solar only works in the summer?

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
When we were house shopping,we only looked at houses with brand new HVAC,roofs,and appliances.


Wrong focus. Hvac, roofs and appliances can be replaced. Bad location, wrong layout or flow in the house can't be so easily corrected. Price of the house also reflects the condition of those items.


Trust me,here in Texas,an old or outdated HVAC will make or break a deal.


Well that's pretty easy to fix, you just discount the house to reflect the needed a/c.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yeah..the three things you can't fix on a house:

Location

Location

Location.

Roof is only a deal breaker because you've got to write a bigger check than for appliances, and you can't get a home equity loan for a roof repair, but you can for remodel, or a kitchen and/or bath upgrade. So, financing is available for appliances, remodeling and I,provemwnts, but not for repairs, so big repairs: foundation, roof, etc, simply stop most buyers in their tracks.


Most banks don't care what you do with a home equity line, it's just that if it's housing related the interest can be deducted. Some even use them as cash when buying other properties. Also some big roofing companies also offer financing. And Home Depot always has some 0% financing on their credit card if you're going to DIY your own roof. I've just bought materials in the past and hired a crew directly. Foundations are bad repairs though, they're not really supposed to wear out and would be a good reason to walk depending on how bad it is. You'd spend a lot fixing it, but it doesn't really add any value to a house.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Contact the utility company and find out what the averages are in the area where you're purchasing. You can also find out the history of usage from the current owners. Then you'll know for certain rather than guessing.
Originally Posted By: gregk24

I am estimating:
(per month)

$200 electric
$50 gas
$50 water
$25 trash
$25 sewer
$50 internet


Some of those seem extremely high. Unless it's a huge house or very poorly insulated, $200 in electric is very high. In the summer, when the air conditioning is running almost constantly we're 1/2 that to keep around 4,400 square feet cool (April's bill was $47). Same with gas-we use propane to heat the house and shop in the winter, along with cooking, grilling and clothes drying; if you were to amortize it out over 12 months it is less than $50/month. Water is around $30/month (septic tank so no monthly sewer costs).


Utility rates vastly differ state to state. Meaningless to compare costs unless local better to compare consumption.