Buyers - Transfer your utilities before closing!

 Admist the flurry of things to do before closing, one important item on any buyer's list is to make sure the utilities are transferred.  I made the mistake once of not reminding one of my clients to transfer their utilities, only to get a call from them a few days after closing wondering why the power was off.  Now, I make sure to remind all of my buyers to transfer their utilities!

Common utilities you'll need to transfer or turn on are:

Water & Sewer

• Arlington County Water Department
  703-228-6570
  www.co.arlington.va.us
• City of Fairfax Water Department
  703-385-7920
  www.fairfaxva.gov/utilities/utilities.asp
• City of Falls Church Water Department
  703-248-5071
  www.fallschurchva.gov
• Fairfax County Water Authority
  703-698-5800
  www.fcwa.org
• Loudoun Water
  571-291-7700
  www.loudounwater.org
• Town of Herndon Water Department
  703-435-6814
  www.herndon-va.gov

Electricity

• Dominion Virginia Power
  888-667-3000
  www.dom.com

Gas

• Washington Gas
  703-750-1400
  www.washgas.com

Trash Service

• American Disposal Services
  703-368-0500
  www.american-disposal.com
• AAA Trash and Recycling
  703-818-8222
  www.aaatrash.com

Cable / Internet / Phone

• Verizon Fios
  703-954-6222
  www.verizon.com
• Cox
  703-378-8422
  www.coxcommunications.com
• Comcast
  1-800-934-6489
  http://www.comcast.com/

In most cases, you can call ahead of time to schedule the transfer for the day of closing.  Keep in mind your first utility bills may be higher because of transfer fees or deposits required by the utility companies.  If you are unsure of which utilities you need to transfer, ask your buyer's agent to contact the listing agent for the utility information.

Image Source: Flickr / Megan