I think this was discussed before, but I couldn't find it. Years ago someone knocked on my door asking if I wanted county water for $75. I honestly thought it was a scam. Then it went up and up and up. They are running lines down my side street due to subdivisions and are offering the hook up for $600. After August it goes back up to $1300. I still need to get it hooked to the house after that. What are the pro's and con's? Is it something I should do? I like my well, but.... someone told me you have to have the hook up to sell your house (I dont know if that is true) I hate to shell out $600 bucks, but I guess now is the time if I really need (or should have) the hook up. Help!
Funny you should ask that, I was just wondering the same thing this morning in the shower, LOL! They ran county water by our house the DAY we closed on it! I was cash poor by then, so didn't get it and although I have a great well that does 30 gallons a minute, yes, per minute............I am a little tired of the iron in the water. We didn't have that problem the first couple years and even though we have a whole house filter, it just can't keep up.
If your well water is fine, I wouldn't worry about it. You don't have to have county water to sell your house.
When we sold our house inthe county, we had to get but the county hook up for $75 for us to sell the house.
We dont' have it, the previous owners bypassed the $75 offer to hook in when they were doing our neighborhood. I love my well water, and just hope its good for years to come... I don't want to have to shell out the going rate for the "after-the-fact" hook-up. :?
Another thought... Some realtors will have the hook-up "thrown in" when selling the house. Makes it less painful. I don't *think* you have to do it, but haven't even had the need to check. Maybe check with the dept in Smithfield? Frogger
Thanks... we aren't planning on selling, but who knows. Hubby thinks it is a good idea in case our well dies. (we have ran it out a few times in the past few years due to accidents.) I cant decide.
No you can not be forced to use county water. I grew up on well water and now have county and HATE it ! It taste like chlorine all the time . Oh, and sometimes its got a yellowish brown tint to it. Its worse after they treat it .I called after I moved in because it tasted funny they said it was treated and for about 2 weeks it tasted to me like every glass of water had a tablespoon of clorox in it.I buy bottle water to drink because I can not get use to it.If you have a good well I would keep it over the years of paying a water bill you could replace the pump to a well.I have 2 people in my house one being a little person and my bill runs $37 a month sometimes higher if I wash cars alot and fill up the pool.
I hooked into the county water (on the $75) plan and have enjoyed having it. I have a very shallow well and it wouldn't take much to drain it in times like these. I ran the well line to the outside faucets so I wouldn't be using county water outside. When the power is off in the neighborhood, I have water.
The contract that you sign should be read very very closely. It gives them full and unrestricted use of your property for water line and facility installations on your land. Read Item #1 on the attached link. That's right, if they want to build a pump station in your front yard then can. It's unlikely they ever will, but stranger things have happened. When the water system was just a dream they gave out the contract. They offered us the $75 deal. If I did take the $75 deal, and signed the form, Item #9 had me by the gonads for a pretty sum no matter what happened to getting lines near my house. All the Items on it are a legal nightmare. I asked them to just strike or revise Item #1, and the guy I called more or less told me to stick it and it was a, "pay me now or pay me more later decision." They also said eventually you would have to have it to sell your house. I guess I took their arrogance and blackmail as a threat and I told them where to stick it. Read the attached JC link to the agreement and pay close attention to these Items: #1 - Unlimited access to your land? #2 - If they decide the meter will be 2 miles away you pay for the line. Way too ambiguous for me to sign! #3 - Please pay any amount we say, ever!!!! (The "Rules and Regulations" noted in this item are not provided. Go ahead .. sign away ... you don't need to read that??) #4 - "may also provide a meter" .. may is the optimum word here???? #9 - This one is way to dangerous to explain, see a lawyer. Not to mention laying responsibility on a future owner when the law does not require this agreement to be mentioned to them because the easement is not a recorded one. http://www.johnstonnc.com/files/utils/LRWDUserAgreement.pdf (RIGHT CLICK ON THE LINK AND CHOOSE "OPEN IN NEW WINDOW" & "OPEN" if you want to review my notes with it.)
Man, I really think you should talk to someone about your insecurities and paranoia. Stop hiding from yourself and get some help.
Thanks for the thought but I do believe your sarcasm leaves you lacking. Let me ask you this, How many times have you been sued over menial crap like this? How many times have you signed something thinking, "Aw it will be OK.", and have it come back and bite you financially. When it does happen to you, like it's happened to me, I think your mis-diagnosis on my psychological condition will become very very apparent to you. Only idiots sign open ended agreements or contracts. Been an idiot, done that, and learned from it. Looks like your idiot status is still current and pending change. PS: When someone gives you a "heads up" on a possible mistake you don't kick them, you thank them. Just something my parents taught me, sorry that you were not as lucky.
But it's not as open ended as you thing. Read it again. My parents taught me to understand and not assume.
I'm selling my house and the prospective buyers are getting a FHA loan. I have been told by more than once source that FHA requires you to be hooked into county water if it is available.
^^I think that is correct, some loans WILL require that you have the county water if it is there. The lenders would not want to be left holding the bag if someone defaults on a loan because they couldn't afford to fix it should the well go bad..................not all of them obviously.
