Best of luck with your first deal—this community is a great place to build connections with lenders, agents, and contractors. :) 

But I'm confused/curious as to why this Electrical Contr is so willing to burn bridges over couple of grand, is he just stupid?

China has cheaper labor, almost no EPA constraints, far cheaper electric power with their new Dam, etc.

Why is it that so many General Contractors in the California Bay Area drive vehicles that don't display their contractor license number or business name?

BRRRR is typically more expensive, requires more people (contractors, etc.), but will allow you to build equity up front & potentially refi should rates decrease.

Costs have escalated sharply, water up 25%, electric up 30% and natural gas up 33%, and at one property insurance went up 400%.

I inquired about the possibility of a two-company structure: A traditional LLC that is the public face of the activities (collecting rents, paying contractors, etc.) and managing the Series LLC with each property in once cell in it (in this case, Series LLC is serving as a holding role).Again, one attorney said that would be much better than a standalone LLC and that is recommended approach, and the other said it is waste of time and money since there are some requirements from Texas Real Estate Commission, which is requiring being a licensed broker in the state to operate in the managing LLC.So, just want to hear what other Texas investors are doing when it comes to series LLCs regarding these issues. 

Don't forget about paying to start electrical, gas, water and internet services.

The right property manager and contractor can make or break your experience, especially when you're starting out.

You can try to research to make sure the utilities are there for sewer, water, electric, etc.