Estimating Utilities cost

[Jacob L White]

Experienced investors, thank you for your time. I understand I can call the agent to get details on the cost of utilities, but what is a good method to do a quick ballpark estimate for monthly utility costs when I am just throwing deals on the calculator to see if they are even worth diving into further? My market is Northern Florida, Gainesville, Ocala, and Jacksonville

[Steve Milford]

There is a much easier way. 

Call the utility in question and ask about the usage of the property address. When I have contacted utilities in my area, they tell me the range of highest and lowest in the last 12 months. i.e. P"ower usage ranges $75-$300 in past 12 months." They won't give me specifics though that is enough for my purposes. Just ask, "I am looking/renting a property, is there a way to find out how much the average utility bill is or a range?" I have never been told no - they just ask me the address and fork over the info.