However, as I said an investor could strike an honest deal anticipating that the property will sell for more than the taxes owed and be willing to gamble on that.

The solution is to location the meters as close to the billed unit as possible (or even inside) but sometimes that's not convenient because the return and supply lines are on opposite sides of the building whereas you could easily put the meter right next to your boiler / zone valves where all of the pipes are easily accessible.As for cost per BTU, with oil, you keep a rolling average of the price per gallon in your tanks and divide the BTU's used by 138,500 (BTUs contained in a gallon of heating fuel).

I wouldn't say you're going to learn as much going through an online course as you would an in-person one, but it is a lot more convenient. 

.- Inform your tenants about the proper use of the dumpster.Each tenant should be responsible for taking out their own trash on the designated collection days, but having a common dumpster is usually more convenient and cost-effective.Remember, clear communication with your tenants is key.

In other words, I think that a lot of people look for shortcuts - or at the very least look for convenience.

Renting and eating the loss is a gamble on future rent increases, but the market and high costs might not make it worth the stress.

I can do that/have someone do that at my convenience.

Based on personal experience, I would add assuring the lender is specifically authorized to perform an on-sight property inspection, at the lender's discretion / convenience. 

Predicting appreciation seems like a big gamble to me.

Doing Build-4-Rent without all this, is GAMBLING not investing.