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My aunt has her home on the market. She just received an incredibly high gas bill for the months of December and January - the rate was higher than it ever when she lived there - and it's even higher than her current residence, which is about 1/3 larger than her old home.
She wants to know if the realtor (listing agent) can be held responsible for some portion of this incredibly high bill. She set her thermostat where she wanted it (low 60s) in her absence; apparently someone, a buyer's agent or her agent, ratcheted it up and know she's holding the bill.
That's the price of doing business... if you rather it be cold in the home you can always let the realtor know... but don't expect people to want to buy the home... who wants to buy a home they are freezing in... and I can't imagine a couple of days of warm temps in the home causing a spike in heating bills... unless the homeowner is a cheapskate that never turns on the heat...
Why in the world would the Realtor be liable for the bill? As a buyer if a house is uncomfortably cold (or hot in the summer) I am not likely to spend much time in it or remember it in a positive way.
You don't mention where the house is located, but I just got an insanely high gas bill yesterday for keeping it 60 in my house. It has been stupid cold and the price of natural gas is not what it was last winter.
Advice to your aunt? Pay her gas bill and move on with her life.
No, the realtor isn't responsible unless you had some agreement in place regarding the thermostat level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ritebrained
Any advice I can give her?
Two things:
Keep the thermostat at a reasonable level. No one will spend much time in a cold house, and if they don't spend time there, they won't buy it. Get a setback thermostat and turn it down for the night but keep it warm during the day.
If she's going to be away from her house while it's for sale, she needs to get a friend/neighbor to keep an eye on it, if it's not feasible to do so herself. We've had buyer's/agents do all sorts of things....unlock windows (presumably to try them), leave lights on, track mud in, etc. This person could also turn the heat up before a showing and turn it down afterwards.
She could request the meter be re- read?? If it seems very out of ordinary. If she has a gas water heater, she might want to turn the temp down, as she isn't needing as hot a water not living there maybe too.Every little bit helps
And a note Maybe, taped above the thermostat with a 'friendly' reminder to PLEASE do not ADJUST?? or to least re-set it to the desired temp??
That's what happend to my mother's home also on the market
My mom's home that was on the market in the winter of 2005/early 2006 in Maryland had unusually high heating bills. The home was empty and she had it set for 58 degrees.
Her normal heating bill was around 150-200 when it was occupied, and supposed to be around 80-100 since it was not occupied. However for December's heating bill she got a bill for 280 even though it was empty.
Realtors show homes and sometimes forget to turn down the thermostat again.
We had a talk with my mom's Real Estate agent not to show the home unless my mom'real estate agent was present.
The February heating bill (it was still very cold in February in Maryland) went back down to $90.
So you need to let our own personal Realtor show homes in the winter time to the potential buyer and buyer's Realtor.
I had the exact same experience in Arizona. (Realtors: Please read carefully so you can explain to your clients.)
I had a low gas bill as I ususally used 1-2 therms of natural gas each month. Then we vacated and my gas bill shot up to something about 8-10 therms, so it went from about $22 to $80! I was surprised especially since I had turned down the thermostat. I asked my realtor to check and make sure no windows were open and they weren't.
As an engineer, I was very curious why it went up so high. Then I realized something: While living in the home, my wife and I generated a lot of heat by doing our daily functions. My computer, the lights, the range, and our body heat all helped keep the house warm so our furnace didn't have to warm the house very much. Once we turned off the lights, moved out, stopped using the stove, and didn't have body heat to warm the place, the furnace had to make up all the heat and it did so using natural gas.
So no - the realtor is not at fault at all. It's just the fact that the house is no longer being warmed by the people living there and the furnace has to work harder to keep it warm.
My aunt has her home on the market. She just received an incredibly high gas bill for the months of December and January - the rate was higher than it ever when she lived there - and it's even higher than her current residence, which is about 1/3 larger than her old home.
I agree with the other posters, an empty home is a colder/hotter home no matter what time of year it is. Also, if the property is in the midwest/ne, we have had the coldest, snowiest winter in 10 yrs this year! My bill last year in December was $94. This year its $153. Plus natural gas costs have gone up as well. I would call the gas company also to see if they "estimated" the reading or actually read it. Sometimes my company does it and the "estimate" is always higher than my actual.
If shes trying to sell her house she must keep it at least in the 65-70 degree range for showings. Her listing agent might put a note in the agent comments on the listing to make sure the thermostat is not touched.
Keeping the heat warmer goes along with it 'takes money to make money'. What's cheaper: paying ANOTHER month of the mortgage or higher bills wih a sale?
If the weather was colder, the bill would have increase anyways. If the house is cold when showing it, potential buyers will wonder if there is something wrong with the heater/furnance.
Best solution is to install a programmable thermostat and keep the place nice and cozy during potential showing hours and lower during the evenings.
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That's what happend to my mother's home also on the market
