[conn8757]

We looked at an open house today that we really liked (by owner). I was surprised that the water bill average per month was over $97.00. That seems high with no pool. This was North Sumter utility and does include trash. My trash in Orlando is on our property tax bill, but the water is higher than my over 2400 square feet home with a pool and my sprinker system on city water. I run the dishwasher at least every other day and wash almost every day. Does that seem average to you?

[noleguy]

Sounds a bit high. May be that they irrigate their lawn more frequently than necessary.

[villages07]

conn...the 'water' bill has 3 parts to it....trash pickup (about 15-16/month); potable/drinking water and sewer (relates to size of the household)....ours, for 2 people is about 3,000 gal per month and costs about $35/month. So, this constant part of our bill is approx $50/month.

The biggest variable will be the irrigation water....which depends on the size of the lawn and frequency and duration of watering. For us, it has ranged from $10/month to $40/month.

Do you know the size of the lot of this house? For a 10,000 sq ft lot with moderate once a week watering, monthly utilization could be about 11,000 gal/month would be about $25/month. These are gross approximations, but, hopefully, will provide you a barometer.

So, in short, that figure could be high...check out the lot size and ask the owner how much they irrigate.

Good Luck.

[Duffer]

If the home was North of 466 then ALL water used was also charged on the sewer part of the bill. I called the water co and tried to get an explanation as to why I was being charged sewer rate for water that would not go through water treatment prior to getting back into the aquifier. I was told that I didn't see the big picture and that I should be glad they didn't charge more. This was several years ago and guess what THE RATES ARE GOING UP.

[villages07]

good point duffer....the figures I quoted above are for a property south of 466. So, that's another factor to consider...North or South of 466 and whether the home has separate meters for potable and irrigation water.

[conn8757]

Thanks - in thinking about your points, they did have a big pie shaped lot.