townhouse with included everything (Houston, Corpus Christi: apartments, rent, HOA fees) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

mrseller · 03-02-2010, 05:34 PM

Im just curious to townhouses which covers everything (utilities) except for landline phone for 500-600 per month?

Are they worth it and could you control AC at 65 all the time? I am very hot person and wants the AC like 70 or below. Has anybody experienced townhomes which covers all utilities?

because Im thinking of considering moving into one but Im concerned that management will control the temp. Please give me your feedback. Thanks

westhou · 03-02-2010, 06:06 PM

I don't think you'll find a town home that cheap inside the loop. Possibly inside the beltway but your best bet will be outside the beltway.

Malvie · 03-02-2010, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by westhou

I don't think you'll find a town home that cheap inside the loop. Possibly inside the beltway but your best bet will be outside the beltway.

Not outside the Beltway either. You'd be hard-pressed to find an apartment that cheap.

cheryjohns · 03-02-2010, 07:52 PM

There are very few condos (can't think of one community of townhomes - they would have separate meters) that have electric included. Oaks of Woodlake is one of the few. When that is the situation - the monthly maintenance fee is VEEEEEEEEERRRRRRY expensive, it would be about 60%-75% of your rent in a tiny condo. I don't know of a landlord there that would rent that cheap.

cheryjohns · 03-02-2010, 07:56 PM

Sorry - didn't finish. If the condo community was old enough to have community meters,it would be close in to downtown - and very expensive. The farther out you go, the new the community and the individual meters exist - and you would have your own electric bill.

predatorprey · 03-02-2010, 08:01 PM

Condos with utilities included has monthly maintenance fees in excess of $500 a month alone. So you will NOT find townhouse/condo that includes everything. You might find apartments for that price range though. The area is rough though.

Bozydeaux · 03-02-2010, 09:55 PM

I looked at Oaks of Woodlake, and the monthly maint fee did include just about everything. I don't know about cable, but it did include electricity. The fee was $500 to $600/month from what I remember. This would be on top of your monthly mortgage payment. We ended up going with a townhouse farther out with our own meter, and only $200/month HOA fee. I saw the prior bills from the seller, and his most expensive bill was $180 on Reliant. Still better than the HOA fees at Oaks.

cheryjohns · 03-02-2010, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bozydeaux

I looked at Oaks of Woodlake, and the monthly maint fee did include just about everything. I don't know about cable, but it did include electricity. The fee was $500 to $600/month from what I remember. This would be on top of your monthly mortgage payment. We ended up going with a townhouse farther out with our own meter, and only $200/month HOA fee. I saw the prior bills from the seller, and his most expensive bill was $180 on Reliant. Still better than the HOA fees at Oaks.

The problem with including electric is that no one conserves. If you go out of town in August, why WOULD you attempt to conserve and turn the thermostat up? Your maintenance fee remains the same no matter if you conserve or not. Everyone gets that mind-set - and the utility bill is enormous.They will continually climb higher and higher.

houstmom · 03-03-2010, 08:13 AM

OP: you require an inside temp of 65F all year round, even in the summer?! Is it even possible for a residental air conditioner to accomplish that during a Houston summer?

I lived in an old (circa 1965) highrise condo building in Corpus Christi a few years ago that had all utilities included in the monthly fee. The building had huge heating and cooling systems that serviced the entire building but the residents could somewhat control the temp in their own unit by a thermostat. However you couldn't control whether heat or air conditioning was running in the building. I remember it was always cold in my condo, even in the summer. And as a previous poster mentioned, there was no incentive to conserve and the systems were so old they were constantly breaking down.

EasilyAmused · 03-03-2010, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by houstmom

OP: you require an inside temp of 65F all year round, even in the summer?! Is it even possible for a residental air conditioner to accomplish that during a Houston summer?

Not on the second floor. I can only achieve under 70 in the downstairs Master, which has it's own AC. Main floor can keep near 72 on a 95 degree day, but the upstairs AC is a constant battle. Not uncommon to have it set on 69 but only cooling to 75/76 during the day.

If you only have one AC unit I can only imagine the struggle cooling a townhouse upstairs.