Interior of a beautiful new construction home I just closed in Lakewood Estates!
You ever realize that you’ve been forgetting a part of your job and decide that you can’t make that mistake anymore? I realized that I’m terrible at reminding my clients who are buying homes to turn on their utilities. Usually I remember last minute so I’m writing this blog post so I can put it on my pre-closing checklist. Also even if you’re not my client I hope you find this article and it helps make your closing a smooth transition!
I could probably condense this article into a few hundred words but truth is that Google tends to rank my blog posts higher when I hit the 1,000+ word range so let me try to make this both informative and entertaining while we’re at it. I’ll even add some sweet pictures of the St. Pete area to get you extra excited to live here, In St. Pete. Ok, are you ready? I’m ready. Here’s nine more words to add to the count. OK here we go.
Oh wait before we get going, if you need to get in touch with the best real estate agent in St. Pete and possibly the known universe you can call or text me at 727-307-1111 or shoot me an email at chrisformico@gmail.com. With that said LET’S DO THIS!!!!
5. Internet
This is what’s called a double entendre. I didn’t even finish college and I knew that.
Internet is important. How else can I relax in my air conditioned sanctuary on a hot summer Florida day? I use my internet to work from home, watch online videos and sometimes to murder people on Xbox.
On a side note – you ever think about if we showed wi-fi technology to someone 100 years ago? You’d probably get burned at the stake for witchcraft. Pulling information out of thin air is the closest thing we have to magic.
You have a few different options when it comes to internet in St. Pete. The one I see people use the most often is Spectrum. Spectrum charges $5/month additional to rent a router from them if you need wifi in your home. I’ve also heard of Spectrum giving you an introductory price and then trying to jack up your monthly cost a year or so after your initial contract ends. At that point I think you can just tell them you’re going to leave for their competitor and they’ll more than likely honor your original pricing.
WOW is another popular internet provider. Looks like WOW runs promotions that make your internet cheaper monthly however it would be more expensive than Spectrum once the 12 month promotion is up. Looks like WOW charges $15/month additionally to rent a router from them.
My friend who is a computer geek sprung for FIOS which is high speed fiber optic internet. His job requires him to video conference call around the world and he’s also into gaming. FIOS isn’t available everywhere and is a bit more expensive but it’s definitely one of those things where you get what you pay for if you need super high speed internet.
Frontier is another one worth considering and they also offer high speed fiber optic. The only thing I know about Frontier is they have a massive building right in Downtown St. Pete without any windows and I don’t think anyone actually knows what goes on in there. It might actually be witchcraft. Some other guesses are animal sacrifices, a portal to another dimension, reverse engineering UFOs, maybe a mall for elves. Did you know 54% of Icelanders believe in elves?
4. Water
The Elixir of life they say. I love water and I’m not the only one. There’s even an internet water fan club called Hydro Homies if you’re a fan like myself.
Anyways I don’t mean to flex on anyone that doesn’t live in a first world country but we have running water and plumbing in St. Pete. You can get it turned on either online or with a phone call and enjoy St. Pete’s finest in the comfort of your own home. Tap water is a bit rough here compared to other parts of the world so it’s not a bad idea to get some sort of filtering contraption.
If your home has an irrigation system you will most likely be tied into a reclaimed water system as well which will be an additional charge on your water bill, however it’s billed at a lower rate than our precious clean, potable, drinkable and refreshing tap water. There’s also a chance that your house will be pulling from a well and you won’t have an additional charge for your irrigation. This is something you’ll find out during a home inspection.
You’ll want to set up your water turn on here about a week before closing. It can be done in a couple days typically but better be safe than sorry.
3. Electricity
If you’ve ever been to a Tampa Bay Lightning game you might’ve seen the Tesla coil they fire off when the Lightning score, it’s pretty awesome! Check out this video below to see it in action.
Florida would not be a habitable place if it wasn’t for the electricity that powers our air conditioning. Even if you’re just buying a vacation home down here, you’ll need to have the power on to run air conditioning in order to keep the humidity low and prevent mold/mildew.
You’ll want to start at the Duke Energy Start, Stop or Move Page here to get set up. This should also be done about a week before closing although many times can be completed in 2-3 business days.
2. Trash / Recycling
Besides the occasional trashy people that throw bags of trash out their car windows, St. Pete is a very clean city.
Where I grew up in Minnesota recycling was easily accessible at every house. Your trash and recycling bins were always a pair. Now I feel a little sad when I just see a single trash can. Kind of like if you have a pet and you worry about it getting lonely so you get your pet a pet, get your trashcan a recycling buddy.
Here’s the website for all your trash/recycling needs.
1. Gas
All the homes I’ve sold in Historic Uptown have been outfitted for gas. Mostly something you’ll find in Historic Neighborhoods.
TECO is the go to gas provider in the area and here is the link to Start Service.
Here’s a pro-tip – before you get gas connected make sure to check your stove to make sure it’s in the off position. If your house fills with natural gas and you die in a fiery explosion, your friends and family will all laugh at you for being dumb enough to die in something that could’ve been 100% preventable. Is that how you want to be remembered? If not, definitely take the precaution of checking your stove before you get gas turned on.
Not all homes are piped for gas in the St. Pete area. I noticed it’s mostly prevalent in the historic homes built in the 1920’s era but that’s not always the case. You can check on the TECO website to narrow it down to zip codes that have gas – from there you’ll need to call them to verify if your address is eligible.
In Conclusion
Well if you made it to the end of this lengthy utility blog post then I salute you. I would love to help you with your real estate needs whether it be buying or selling a home. Feel free to reach out to me via phone or email and we’ll get the process started. I offer a free high five with every home purchase. Thanks for reading!