(You don't have to answer this question if you don't want to. ) I'm considering buying a house within the next several years, and am wondering how much you pay per month for water and sewer expenses. I know that this sounds like a question, but before I buy this house, I need to get an idea of exactly what I'm getting into, since I don't want to be in dire straits month after month.
[Edited 12/28/06 6:40am]

psychodelicide said:

A lot of it depends on where you live, how big your house is, how old your house is, how many people will be living in the house, etc.....

I live in the SF Bay Area and I pay about $100 every two months for water (somewhere around 400 gallons a month). Sewer expenses (along with things like mosquito abatement and other various fees) are paid through property taxes twice a year, half due in November and the other half due in February so I do not get a bill every month. Does that help at all (probably not)?

But I include the property taxes in escrow with my monthly mortgage payments so the twice yearly taxes are paid automatically out of the escrow account by the mortgage company.





.
[Edited 12/28/06 7:34am]

Just do it Nancy.... here in Ohio...it's definately a buyers market. Don't sweat the incidentals like water and sewer...it's usually minimal like maybe 75 dollars a month or less.

The larger utilities are electric and especially gas..... gas alone can be over 150 a month..... depending on what appliances are using gas and how energy efficient your home is....

For tax reasons...owning a home is a MUST....

Mountians of NC here

no monthly water bill... we have a spring

no monthly sewer ... we have our own field

when you go to buy a house , you request that info, what the bills have been for the past 2 years for water sewage gas electricity etc. Its standard. I guess you better look into what it takes to buy a home if you dont know this least amount of information. There are usually courses or lectures on home buying sponsered by lender etc. held at colleges and other places on a regular basis.
Attending one of those should help you a great deal. And usually free.

My water bill ranges from $40.00 - $60.00 per month. It depends on how much you use and where you live.

Aslo here are two tips: Showers are more cost effective than baths and do larger loads of laundry all at once to save on water.

SWIPE said:

Very good advice!!

CarrieMpls said:

I agree, my water and sewage bill is around $25 dollars a month but it's just me, I have a friend who lives in another state and it's her and her two kids she pays around $80 dollars a month.

Sowhat said:

Yes, what you told me was a big help, thanks for your input.

pardonme4livin said:

Hi there! Yes, it definitely is a buyer's market here in Ohio right now. What's funny is that I mentioned buying a house to one of my brothers over Christmas, and he told me the same thing. He also told me that it would be a good idea to start looking now instead of waiting. But I would like to get more of a nest egg before I do that, since I only have a couple thousand dollars in the bank right now. We all know what it's like when you buy a new place: there are things you want to paint, fix, replace, etc. etc. I don't want to sign papers on a new house too soon and then be like, "Oh shit, what the hell did I just do?" I'm going to have to get all my facts and figures together (probably talk to a real estate agent and/or a financial planner) to find out about how much my mortgage payments would be each month. When I sell my condo, of course I will use that money for a down payment (which will be a huge chunk of money off). Hopefully, that would make the mortgage payments doable, but that is something I need to get clarification on.

Mach said:

Wow, gotta love that arrangement! That sounds ideal!

SWIPE said:

Thanks for the info, it is MUCH appreciated. I didn't know there were lectures on home buying. I need to definitely look into that, as well as get the utility bills for the past 2 years, as you suggested. Excellent advice there!

1sexymf said:

Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it! I would love to have my own washer and dryer, and not have to use the machines downstairs. With the money that I have put into those machines over the past 17 years, I could have bought several washers and dryers, honestly.

CarrieMpls said:

NAnomaly said:

$25 is downright cheap!

my water bill, for a family of one man, one woman and 2 girls ages 7 and 11
is about $150 per quarter. sewer i don't pay cause i have septic

Mach said:

rural NH here
and we're nearly the same,
we have a well
and a septic/leech field but I guess we do have to have the septic pumped every 5 or so years I think that runs around 300 bucks or so.

You are smart to ask, and will benefit from researching this issue in whatever locality you choose to love in.

Every State, every County, every Village can be different.

My Village has its own electric plant, so my electric bill is much lower than the neighboring towns that buy from the "grid".

Another big factor to consider is SCHOOL TAXES. That might be your BIGGEST bill.

PurpleJedi said:[quote]You are smart to ask, and will benefit from researching this issue in whatever locality you choose to love in.

Every State, every County, every Village can be different.

My Village has its own electric plant, so my electric bill is much lower than the neighboring towns that buy from the "grid".

Another big factor to consider is SCHOOL TAXES. That might be your BIGGEST bill.[/quote]


YES!! followed by your heating and cooling, where I am during the summer months the electric bills can and do triple for some people, I'm talking upwards of $600/700 a month.

psychodelicide said:

its like $150 per quarter

My water costs me an between 15 - 30 dollars a month depending on the usage. My Refuse (garbage) bill is always $33.15

I've been a home owner for almost 13 years. The sewer and water bills are the lowest of my utility bills. $60/mo for sewer and about $120 every three months for water.

The worst ones are the gas and electric. I have gas heat, but electric everything else. With a family of five, I do laundry like every day. Because of my electric dryer, my electric bills are through the roof.

I just heard the other day that our roads are going to get repaved (I live in a private subdivision), so my taxes are getting ready to go up too.

purplerein said:

That's not bad.

Shorty said:

$300 bucks is a lot!

PurpleJedi said:

You're right about school taxes, they are very high where I live. Also property taxes are high too. I pay around $1,500.00 in property taxes per year for a little itty bitty square of land (I live in a condo) that is not even mine. Big, big rip off, if you ask me. :crazy:

NAnomaly said:[quote]

PurpleJedi said:

Yikes!!

shausler said:

Not bad at all. I'm starting to rethink my stance about water and sewer bills being outlandishly high. They don't seem to be, as long as you don't keep your water running for lengthy periods of time.

karmatornado said:

You get charged $33.15 for garbage removal? That sux.

psychodelicide said:

California is expensive!

dustysgirl said:

Ugh, they sure get people with those taxes, don't they?