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How Much is Your Water Bill?

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Real Estate Agent with Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com 0480809

We just received a water bill for the billing period of April 9 - April 27.  First, that's only 3 weeks.  Second, we actually moved out April 23, so the bill is actually only 2 weeks.  Third, for the 2 actual weeks of the bill, it was only me and a baby living in the house.

How much water do you think one person plus a baby could use??

Since my husband likes to use Quicken, he's in charge of the bills. I don't look at them anymore, except my credit card, because I pay that one myself and itemize the expenses...

Anyway, my husband comes to me this afternoon as wants to play a guessing game.  Guess how much the water bill was?  I'm like, "$35".  He laughs.  I'm like, "$15?"

He says, "$220.26".  WHAT??!!  How in the world do people use enough water for $220.26. 

I asked him if he's going to call and question it.  He says, "Well, there was that drip from the hose that one day."  I said, "The hose dripped for maybe 12 hours, from 9pm one night when I watered the new flowers, until around 9am the next morning when I watered the flowers again."  A "drip" doesn't cause a $220.26.  I told him that I would call and handle it.

Wanna guess how many gallons this is??

It's 62,000 gallons!!  Do you know how many pools you have to fill to use 62,000 gallons? Beats me, I don't own a pool, but probably 3?

   

I called the city, and they called me back after reviewing some information.  The numbers got keyed in wrong, and the usage was actually 3000 gallons and not 62,000 gallons.  That should be around $20, not $220.26, yet my husband wasn't going to call and ask!

I couldn't believe it!  We always question inconsistancies like that, and the one time he didn't want to call and check, he could have cost us about $200!!

I'm thinking all bills need to go through my hands first from now on!!

READ YOUR BILLS, DON'T JUST PAY THEM OUT OF HABIT!

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

Vickie Nagy
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate - Palm Springs, CA
Vickie Jean the Palm Springs Condo Queen

Great reminder. I guess you should be in charge of the bills from now on. Instances like these can really add up.

May 08, 2009 03:04 PM
Russell Lewis
Realty Austin, Austin Texas Real Estate - Austin, TX
Broker,CLHMS,GRI

WOW!! Here is another that might surprise you! I have client in Tarrytown who had a more than regular watering schedule on the auto sprinkler system that was running an extra $600 a month...*OUCH*

May 08, 2009 03:11 PM
Bob Foster
Century 21 Lanthorn R. E. Ltd. Belleville, Ontario - Belleville, ON

I think he should give you the $200 out of the family budget and call it even. Then be nice and take him to dinner with it.

May 08, 2009 03:20 PM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

It is always good to take a look at and question bills.  I see mistakes all the time!  It is always a challenge finding a "real" human being you can talk to in order to remedy the situation.  Sometimes, I give up because I just can't get through.

May 08, 2009 03:26 PM
Rosalinda Morgan
Brookville, NY
"The Rose Lady"

Donna - 62,000 gallons!  That seems like a lot.  I would question the inconsistency too.  You have to check your bill once in a while.  You never know when errors occur. 

May 08, 2009 03:47 PM
Matt Grohe
RE/MAX Concepts - Des Moines, IA
Serving the metro since 2003

Donna: A home I have listed now with the water turned off at the meter received a $300 bill in March. The municipality fought tooth and nail.

May 08, 2009 04:20 PM
Teresa Harris
Lake Real Estate, LLC - Denver, NC
Denver . Lake Norman . Charlotte

Hey Donna, Yep a shift in responsibilities may be in order here...I could see my husband doing the same thing too; but he can't!

May 08, 2009 05:29 PM
Steve Shatsky
Dallas, TX

Hi Donna... wow... it must be awfully hot in Austin to be THAT thirsty!  LOL  Good thing that you called!

May 08, 2009 05:42 PM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

Donna,

Good catch to keep 200 bucks in your pocket. 

I was outside the other day when an employee of the gas company came by to read me meter.  Since the meter was on the other side of an iron gate I asked him if he wanted me to open the gate, he replied no that is ok.  He used a pair of binoculars to read the meter.  I will be closely watching that bill in the future. 

May 09, 2009 02:26 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Gary, And it wasn't even a meter-reading problem because the guy called me.  His staff typo'd the numbers wrong on the invoice.

Joseph, He's got a brand new 4 car garage... does that count?

Vickie, No joke!

Russell, Does this person not understand the water restrictions that are in place?  Yikes!  I hope the grass is a nice shade of green for $600!

Bob, What a fabulous idea, except the taking him to dinner part!!  ;)

Joan, The good thing about smaller companies is you can usually get a human quickly.

May 09, 2009 02:42 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Rosalinda, I'm  just curious as to how many other bills he's slipped by.

Matt, Turned OFF and it's $300?  YIKES!

Teresa, Good idea...

Steve, It was the last 2 weeks of the Richardson bill... and there was tons of rain during those weeks, so it wasn't watering the yard.

Richard, Now that's priceless... binoculars??!!  Too funny!

May 09, 2009 02:45 AM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Ha, your husband sounds like mine. I always really look at the bills. It is amazing an error like that occured.

I had a closing once, the listing agent was out of town and she sent her broker. There was a 2000.00 water bill and I guestioned it.

They stopped the closing and called the Water Dept.

Yes there was an error it was 20.00

I saved the seller money and he was not my client.

Gee....that was fun. Oh yea the home had been vacant for months.

May 09, 2009 02:55 AM
Greg Nino
RE/MAX Compass - Houston, TX
Houston, Texas

i wish i was surprised. the electric company tries to pull that here all the time.

May 09, 2009 03:55 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Missy, The sellers didn't even catch the $2k amount?  Dang!  That's a lot of water!

Greg, I've never had that with an electric company... though I've been trying to get a letter of "good standing" from them to waive my deposits in Austin, and they keep telling me they faxed AND mailed it, but it's been 3 weeks!!!  Idiots!  I hate babysitting them!

May 09, 2009 07:42 AM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Donna,

That was a good finding on your part..amazing what they will try and get away with..not using common sense!

May 09, 2009 10:33 AM
Kathy Toth
Ann Arbor Market Center Keller Williams - Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor Real Estate Experts - Kathy Toth Team

When I switched to a Treo a couple of years ago and had email on my phone for the first time...my first bill was for $7,000. Imagine my shock.

May 09, 2009 03:10 PM
Jim Crawford
Long & Foster - Fredericksburg, VA
Jim Crawford Broker Associate Fredericksburg VA

You were fortunate.  In the Atlanta area the last home I owned the water bills were very high all the time!  There was no adjustments of bills priced like that.  By the way you were correct the average pool does hold about 25000-35000 gallons.

May 09, 2009 04:49 PM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Dorie, No joke!

Kathy, All I can say is WOW!

Jim, It's gotta be expensive to drain a pool and refill it, dang!

May 10, 2009 05:28 AM
Lindsey Hasford
Edina Realty - Elk River, MN
Bringing you home...

This is really funny! I enjoyed the comments to your post as well. In our area - the water company would question the usage and likely turn off the water to the home!

May 12, 2009 07:14 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

Lindsey, I was told there would have been a note in my account if the reader thought something was off. There was no note, so they found out that the reading was correct,  but the data-entry people typo'd it in the bill wrong... checks and balances were missing.

May 12, 2009 02:35 PM