You have to work w/the utility companies so why would that be illegal ?  

Choose to conduct due diligence in-house, hire a third-party company, or utilize the property management company.

As with any type of investment, investors should list the estimated costs to calculate their potential profit.Costs to consider on fix-and-flipsRepairs (always be conservative)Carrying costs (interest, points)Monthly costs (utilities, HOAs, insurance, taxes)Buying costs (back taxes, cash for keys, liens, code violations)Selling costs (commissions, closing costs, transfer fees, title insurance)Unexpected costs (add $5,000 to be safe)These are the basic costs investors should consider.

They charge you utilities for anything over $250/tenet.

Last think to consider when purchasing a home is utilizing a 401k loan if you have a 401k established.

Even if you own in cash, utilities, insurance, and taxes cost you money every day you hold.

We would be installing a street and double stacking townhome style units on each side.I part I don’t have experience with necessarily is how to better understand infrastructure and site work cost (road, utilities, excavating, etc.

@William Coet, as Jackson noted, there are too many variables to even begin.Two things to remember, any tax losses you utilize to offset incomes, will reduce basis making bigger tax bill in sale year.  

What's next pay their utilities for them.....? 

I won't be charging him any rent, he will just pay for the utilities used for that period.