What Expenses Come With a Home

People often have basic questions regarding the expenses that come with Santa Rosa Beach homes for sale. These expenses include electricity, water, gas, internet, cable, phone, lawn maintenance, pool maintenance, pest control, property taxes, HOA dues and Insurance. For example, a house in Seacrest Beach would have the following expenses.

This example shows the annual bills for a 4br home in Seacrest Beach with 2,500 sqft:

Below is a deeper look and a breakdown of expenses related to owning a secondary residence along Scenic Highway 30A.

Expenses that will come with secondary residences

Electricity

Power bills can vary widely. If you are looking for a more accurate estimate, you can call the electric company and ask for the amount of an average bill for a specific property. Your electricity will be provided by Chelco Power or Gulf Power.

For more information, please call the following numbers.

Chelco Power: 850-892-2111. Gulf Power: 800-225-5797.

Examples of electricity bills for 2014.

Seacrest Beach

This is a 4br home that is frame construction (wood) and 2,520 sqft. This home was built in 2005 and has an annual bill of $2,940 that brings me to an avg bill of $245 per month.

WaterColor

This is a 5br home that is frame construction. It has 3,164 sqft. It was built in 2006 and had an annual bill of $3,636 that brings me to an avg bill of $303 per month.

Rosemary Beach

This example is a 5br home that is masonry construction. It was built in 2007 and has 3,193 sqft. This home has an annual bill of $5,820 that brings it to an avg bill of $485 per month.

Water

Your water will be provided by Regional Utilities System.

Regional Utilities System: 850-231-5114

Examples of water bills for 2014.

Seacrest Beach

This is a 4br, 4 bath home. It had an annual bill of $936 that brings me to an avg bill of $78 per month.

WaterColor

This is a 5br, 5 and a half bath home. It had an annual bill of $1,020 that brings me to an avg bill of $85 per month.

Gas

Your gas will be provided by Okaloosa County Gas District (OK GAS)

Okaloosa County Gas District (OK GAS): 850-729-4700

Example of a gas bill for 2014.

WaterColor

This example is a 3br home with 2,424 sqft. It had an annual bill of $144 that brings me to an avg bill of $12 per month.

Internet, cable, phone

Mediacom is the main provider for Internet, Cable and Phone. Some homeowner associations like WaterColor pay for basic cable services. The only other paid service for new homeowners to consider purchasing is Internet with WiFi and Phone service, which is an extra $10 to $25.

Note that other homeowner associations such as Seacrest Beach and Rosemary Beach do not pay for cable service.
Cable, phone, Internet and WiFi services paid solely by the customer run around $60 or more per month, depending on the package you get.

For more information please call Mediacom: 800-239-8411

Lawn Maintenance

Homes that include yards with grass (turf accounts) have a weekly service visit. A residential home on one-third of an acre of land averages around $300 per month for weekly service costs. These costs are normally covered in some master-planned communities like WaterColor, Seacrest Beach and Rosemary Beach on all common areas, but the homeowner still has to take care of the shrubs and landscaping against the house. The average cost is about $125 per month for a bi-weekly visit.

I currently have 1 recommendation for lawn Maintenance:

30A Landscapes: 850-419-7844

Pool Maintenance

Pool Maintenance runs an avg of $150 per month for weekly service.

I currently have 2 recommendations for Pool maintenance:

Coastline Pools: (850) 974-5864

Pool Life which is a sister company of Cox Pools: (850) 235-0095

Pest control

Pest control pricing can range from $320 to $495 per year for a 3,000 square-foot home, depending on what kind of pest control you are looking for. If you only want household pest control, you can use a number on the lower end of that scale as an estimate. If you want household and lawn pest control, you can use a number on the upper end of the scale. A home that is 6,000 square feet or larger could range from $450 to $1,000 per year, depending on what services you want. Keep in mind this does not include any treatments to the turf grass or trees and shrubs, which also need to be treated in this area of Florida. If you throw all of these services together, pricing will range from $1,300 per year for a 3,000 square-foot home to $3,000 per year for a 6,000 square-foot home.

I currently have 2 recommendations for Pool maintenance:

Florida Pest Control: 850-763-0737

Buzz Woodham: 850-267-3619

Property Taxes

Property taxes are roughly one percent of the value of a given property. For example, if a property is worth $600,000, one should expect a bill that year from the county property appraiser in the amount of $6,000. You can also look up the taxes paid for a property the prior year on the Walton County property appraisers website.

Community association dues

Community association dues generally cover amenities, reserves, grounds maintenance, pool and common area charges. Some associations also cover basic cable service. Trash removal is covered by your property taxes in Santa Rosa Beach.

Insurance

Home insurance

Home Insurance is an important part of every home purchase, especially in a coastal community. Many home buyers are apprehensive about insurance costs in this area, but this apprehension is unfounded; insurance for homes in South Walton is among the most affordable in Florida.

There are many factors that affect the cost of a homeowner policy for a primary home, secondary home or rental in this area. The age of the home is one of the biggest factors in the cost and availability of insurance, with newer homes costing less than older homes.

Other factors include the use of the home (whether or not it is rented) and even how the home is deeded (to an individual, LLC, corporation or family trust). But in the end, each home buyer should feel comfortable that most homes of high quality and design will be affordable to insure.
ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR LOCAL INS AGENT TO GET AN EXACT ESTIMATE.

Examples of home insurance premiums along 30A.

Seaside

This house is a 4br, 3 bath frame construction home with 3,510 sqft. It was built in 2011 and should have an Ins premium between $5,000 & $6,500 annually.

Seacrest Beach

This example is a home in Seacrest Beach. This home is frame construction. It has 4br, 4 baths and 3,157 sqft. It was built in 2007 and should have a premium between $4,100 & $4,900 annually.

Rosemary Beach

This example is a home in Rosemary beach. This home is masonry construction. It has 5br, 5 baths and $3,193 sqft. It was built in 2007 and should have a premium between $6,000 to $8,000 annually.

Flood Insurance

There are three common flood zone types in South Walton. The first is ZONE X which is outside the 100-year flood expectancy. This zone has a flat premium cost of $430 per year for a primary home and $655 per year for a secondary home. Flood policies are backed by FEMA and issued through various servicing insurance companies.

The other two are considered special hazard areas by FEMA, and these zones are known as "AE" (Accumulated Elevation) and "VE" (Velocity Elevation). In these areas, flood insurance is required for a mortgage, and the premium is calculated based on the elevation height of the home and the presence of any enclosures underneath it. The required elevation height is called the Base Flood Elevation, which refers to the fact that all living areas of the home must be a minimum number of feet above sea level.

AE Flood Zones

The most common AE Flood Zones are AE7 and AE9, which require that the home be seven to nine feet above sea level. These AE zones are typically found in low-lying areas or near coastal dune lakes. Flood insurance can range from $450 per year to $3,000 per year but will likely average less than $1,000 annually.

VE Flood Zones

VE Flood Zones are typically found on the beachfront. The common zones, in this case, are VE11 and VE13. The living areas of a home in these zones must meet or exceed the minimum elevation height of 11 feet or 13 feet and ultimately, the insurance premium is calculated by the design of the home and the elevation height of all enclosures underneath it. Premiums in a VE flood zone will range from $2,500 to $9,000, depending on the design of the home.

X Flood Zones

We enjoy many beach front areas that are not in the VE flood zones but rather X and this is very unique on the Florida coast line. X zones are minimal-risk areas where flood insurance is not mandatory. Beach front homes on high ground are common in Seaside, Blue Mountain, Rosemary and the area of Inlet Beach and others. These homes enjoy an especially great insurance value due to their elevation.

COBRA

COBRA (Coastal Barrier Resources Act) zones are not extremely common along Scenic Highway 30A, and most property is in Zone X (the lowest-rated flood zone). As part of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, national flood insurance is not available on these properties, but private flood insurance is available at a higher cost.

Homeowner Policy Insurance providers

Coastal Insurance

Coastal Insurance in Santa Rosa Beach is a great place to get home insurance. Be sure to talk to Kim Shahid.

www.coastalcoverage.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
M: 850-837-4653
O: (850) 231-0042

Brown Insurance

Haley Breitenbach at Brown Insurance is also a great contact for insurance policies.

www.browninsurance.com
1418 W. 23rd St. Suite 200,
Panama City, FL 32405
O: (850)215-5350

Disclaimer

All of the expense amounts quoted above are estimates; you will most likely find them to be approximately accurate. However, having said that, this page is only a guide. I cannot be held liable if your actual bills are higher than the amounts provided above. If you feel you need a good estimate on a property you plan to purchase, you should request a full list of the prior years expenses from the seller you plan to contract with.