Buy a property without inspecting utilities?

[Gerardo Dominguez]

Hello BP nation!  I have a property under contract and the seller is pushing back on some stuff.  The thing that worries me the most is that they don't want to turn on the utilities.  I'm doing extensive rehab (SOW is ~120K) so I can't afford any major surprises.  I'd like some input here...Should I close on this thing without having the utilities turned on first?   Yay or Nay; why or why not?

[Account Closed]

Originally posted by @Gerardo Dominguez:

Hello BP nation!  I have a property under contract and the seller is pushing back on some stuff.  The thing that worries me the most is that they don't want to turn on the utilities.  I'm doing extensive rehab (SOW is ~120K) so I can't afford any major surprises.  I'd like some input here...Should I close on this thing without having the utilities turned on first?   Yay or Nay; why or why not?

 There is always an expense in setting up utilities. On one of my properties the utility company turned on the utility for a nominal amount for the inspection. I would think it is worth trying that avenue. Also, there may be a very big unpaid bill that the seller is planning on paying at closing. If that is the case, if you know what you are doing, you can rent a power generator and hook it into the system for the inspection. But I never told you that. It is just an opinion. ;-)