These companies selling products tend to drain agents dry at these conventions selling every do dad that is supposed to give them an edge over everybody else.

Maybe the infrastructure, electrical grid, water sewer, pavement thickness on the roads, cannot handle the extra people in the area.

You want to make sure you aren't muddying the water and making the tenant think they have longer to get out.

The licensed plumbers do not get permits for water heaters, I have never heard of one being red tagged solely for not having a permit so I do not get permits (and know no one that does) for swapping a water heater.  

However, I think some upcoming life changes may be the right opportunity for me to dip my toes in the water in real estate investing.I live in Pflugerville, TX (25 minutes from downtown Austin) and will soon be moving to Portland, OR, for my dream job.

I just don't want to buy that close to the water due to flooding concerns.  

If you can manage to keep up with the real estate market in these markets that we have come to hit, and still be able to navigate the unchartered waters.

@Alecia Loveless is correct--tenants need access 24/7 to their electric service panel, water and heat, assuming those are individual utilities for each unit. 

For example, I have a subject property that has 1682 SF on the main floor and 810 SF of finished basement (the majority of which is about 8 feet in height with the exception of some bulkheads to hide the mechanicals) and 271 of semi-finished basement that is a utility room basically (washer/dryer, freezer, hot water heater, furnace, some storage).

Are you in a market where water lines could freeze in the winter if there’s no heat?