A lot of the high-level details about me can be found in my profile, so in an effort to not be redundant please check there if my post description is of interest.I started researching real estate investment fairly heavily last summer.

No exceptions to this.In my state of SC, the landlord can be fined heavily for doing so.

Since I know most investors don't have the mls or an active renter pool, I would heavily look at this site : https://www.rentometer.com/Rentometer is nice (especially if you do the pro option), because it will give you an average rent range along with the comps it uses so that you can look at each comp and compare it to yours.

Especially in my area, I don't see prices rising much more, except for in niche neighborhoods that are currently being heavily developed.

Moreover, if the seller is resisting having the utilities on, I'd view that as a HUGE red flag (similar to how I'd view it if someone tried to sell me a used car, but wouldn't let me test drive it or even start the engine).Since correct and thorough due diligence is the foundation of successful REI, I'd be extremely hesitant to buy a property without testing the aforementioned items (unless the property was so heavily discounted that I could replace/fix all of those items if they turned out to be faulty...but even then, I'd be wary).I'd suggest strategizing with your agent on the best way to get the utilities turned on so you can do a correct inspection...Good luck out there!

Depending on your experience managing properties I've heard some will use a mixture of both or lean more heavily one way or the other based on who is purchasing it and your past experience running properties.

Trust me this is not worth getting into a legal battle over trying to make an exception, this is a business that is heavily regulated and guarded to protect all tenants rights.

We actually use the system on jobs where we are the 'customer' just as heavily as on the jobs with no 2nd party customer.

If the Memphis market was as your friend laid it out, then why would so many local people be so heavily invested?  

I also found a source that stated that Creative investing is much more stable than Traditional because Traditional investors now more than ever have much more competition because of Hedge Funds and other institutions that heavily invest in real estate while the Creative approach is driven only by motivated sellers.