Is it possible to make a profit at all in this game? I've yet to find any configuration that offsets the fees.
What year was it? Also, did you try to connect all the houses (even across long distances)? Sometimes, it's a good idea to leave far-away houses alone for awhile.
EDIT: I've given it a lot of thought, and have done some more testing. I do think the load maintenance fees in 1.0.3 were too punishing. I decreased the load maintenance fees in a new version (1.0.4). My advice above still stands, though.