I peeked in the windows today, saw 3 prong outlets, an electric panel outside that looked like it had current wiring, and I saw PVC pipe in the crawl space. 

If gas is already piped in and sized appropriately then it's a no braier.

., along with less drastic events such as a burst pipe that floods the property.

Point is, if I don’t sell in the next year or so, I have major capex coming (10K roof, 10K furnace, 10K plumbing pipes, 5-10K exterior paint).

At the apartment complex that I worked at, we had the entire downstairs of a town home flood during the winter due to a burst pipe.

When better options are exhausted or too costly the other options (such as IB, border state area, and to a lesser degree Oceanside (which has already experienced significant price increase)) are what are available. 

1979 NACU 2bd mobile home.I basically have one concern ~ there is a open pipe on the roof, perhaps once used as plumbing vent (we are unsure where they've been rerouted).There was a nest inside, I poked and prodded, no softness, no mold or mildew within field of view.I'm just somewhat worried, it seems this pipe has been this way for a very long time, it crumbles to the touch.

You should also have roughly a 10-20% buffer saved up above your rehab budget for unforeseen repairs that might need to be taken care of or for emergencies like a pipe bursting or a break-in.Investing in real estate should be with your "play" money when you're just starting out, you don't want to be putting your entire savings into your first deal and have it go sideways and lose everything you've saved up.

Usually separate metering requires new piping out to the street, which can get costly.

The most successful preforeclosure investors I've met largely focus on being there at the end, when the owner has exhausted all their options and is truly about to lose their home.