I recently devoured the book "How to Invest in Real Estate: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide" recently...which led me to discovering this community...which is leading me to thinking about my next chapter in life.

Lastly, simply raising the rent to cover the water bill seems like the easiest, however, should their portion of the bill exceed the amount I increase their rent by, then it'd be out of my pocket.I'm kind of at a crossroads here with making a decision and want to hear anyone's experience regarding the topic.

I highly recommend this read - by far, Jason is one of the most impactful and least discovered coaches I have found. 

Not disregarding wholesalers at all (I truly appreciate them and think they have a place in the market) but I feel yucky simply saying sell me your house for penny's on the dollar which is the primary reason for including the other options listed above.

A real small per unit return simply is not worth the effort of residential RE. - real wealth is tough from cash flow alone and in markets that have historical appreciation below inflation for this century the return is largely from the cash flow.  

They are simply a way for the broker to get an indication of your intentions.

But I have more than once kept deposits from wholesalers that simply tried to tie my property up and then couldn't move it.You are welcome to do any due diligence before you put the property under contract.

I'm simply a user of REI Reply.

. - You no longer simply apply for a deed after 3 years and get it after the county attempts to find the owners.

If you were not notified, and they simply stopped.....its time to start digging to make sure something is amiss.