average home/living expenses in North Dallas? (Converse: health insurance, house)

[MOD220]

drafting a budget for our potential move, and no I am not a penny away from not being able to afford it, I just like my life on an excel spreadsheet

what are average costs of:

babysitters, hourly?
nanny, full time, living outside the home?
cleaning lady, per visit?
gas bill, annual or monthly due to variance?
electric bills, annual or monthly due to variance?
pool maintenance, monthly?
yard maintenance, monthly?

assume a ~3,500 square foot house in north Dallas area with average size lot.

thanks in advance!

[lh_newbie]

the ones I'm familiar with:


babysitters, hourly? unknown
nanny, full time, living outside the home? We just got quoted $16/hr from a temp nanny service.
cleaning lady, per visit? ~$150
gas bill, annual or monthly due to variance? See below
electric bills, annual or monthly due to variance? See below
pool maintenance, monthly? unknown
yard maintenance, monthly? $30 per weekly cut; $120 monthly, 7-8 months/year unless you put down winter rye grass, then it's all year.

Utility bills are a tough one, because prices will vary dramatically based on the age/efficiency of HVAC units, type of insulation, if your lot has trees, orientation of windows, type of windows, etc. Just to give you an example... the first month that we lived in our current home, which has good orientation (most windows face north-south and have two very mature live oaks shading the southern windows), we will had a nearly $600/month utility bill for a home that is shy of 2600 sq ft - and that wasn't a very hot month. Last summer - after insulating the attic properly, replacing a bulk of the old crappy windows and putting in a high efficiency HVAC system, we had a peak summer elec bill of $220. We also do not have a pool... but since you and I sound like we're both Excel freaks... lol... I just pulled up my utility spreadsheet for ya...

2010 monthly averages:
$65.63 for water
$52.99 for gas
$122.06 for electricity (note: we are in a contract at 11.9 cents/kwh, lower rates are now available - as low at 8 cents)

Our home is now more efficient than average, is smaller than you're looking at and does not have a pool. So factor those into your spreadsheet.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[jennifw]

The ones I am familiar with:

babysitters, hourly? about $8-10 per hour, more for additional kids
nanny, full time, living outside the home? my friends pay anywhere from $10-15 hour
cleaning lady, per visit? about $75-150
gas bill, annual or monthly due to variance?
electric bills, annual or monthly due to variance?
pool maintenance, monthly?
yard maintenance, monthly? $25-40/week - nothing from about Oct - February

[TurtleCreek80]

Babysitters: $10-15/hour. Lower end would be neighborhood teenagers; higher end is through an agency

Nanny- full-time means 35 hours a week here. Calculate time & a half for hours over 35. Also, 2 weeks paid vacation is normal here, as well as stipend towards health insurance and use of your car or mileage reimbursement for her car are "suggested" for better nannies (is, the kind who could be preschool teachers, not the kind who could also clean your home). $15-low $20's/hr is the going rate for a really great nanny.

You've already gotten a good lawn care quote. Pool is about $125/mo.

Gas & electric are largely dependent upon your usage and how efficient your home is. My mom has a radiant barrier roof in her attic and her highest bill last summer for a 1500sf home was $80. Most months are around $30. Conversely, an inefficient home with a bad addition or leaking windows or bad block positioning for sun exposure could cost $1,000 in the summer and $300-400 the other months. I would always recommend getting estimates from the sellers. Then you can figure out if you want to do any energy-efficiency upgrades.