The Bill No Lender Counts

Word came of a bill no lender counts. Ambrose: $412 a month for utilities in 2025, up 7%, and the bank never asks; lenders leave utility bills out when they judge what a buyer can afford. Pim: my snail has no lamps. The Toll Keeper: 84% of buyers say energy efficiency matters; 8% of listings mention it. Prudence: the utility keeps a year of bills. Ask it.

The biggest cost of owning a home after the mortgage, utilities at $7,679 a year, is the one lenders leave out when they judge what a buyer can afford: the average utility bill reached $412 a month in 2025, up 7% in a year, 84% of recent buyers say energy efficiency matters to them but only about 8% of listings mention it, and a buyer can ask the utility company for a year of past bills on any address.

Starring

🎙️The NarratorAmbrosePimThe Toll KeeperPrudence