Quick question about a deal. Any help would be appreciated!

[Jeffrey Giffin]

Hello everybody.  I am a newbie and currently looking at my first deal.  The one I am looking at is a three unit and it is a short sale.  Under the write up of the property it states "If property is vacant and no utilities are on (which I am guessing it may be but I will find out when I look at it), buyer is responsible for activation. Buyer to verify multiple unit zoning prior to submitting an offer."  My question is how do I go about finding out if the unit is properly zoned?  Should this be a concern for me?  Also not to sound stupid but what do I do to go about checking into the utilities and making sure they work before I make an offer?   Do I pay to have them turned on just to check before I even make an offer?  Any help or advice would be great appreciated!  Thank you so much!