Naturally we would love to be able to utilise credit and leverage along with a lump sum however we're stuck with just the lump sum for now.

I was wondering if I should switch to natural gas or electric baseboard or just hang on to oil?

Plus, my conservative nature and risk aversion.

The company has been public for 15+ years and is in the natural gas space. 

I am looking at another opportunity that is all owner homes and traditional in nature.  

Properties must cash flow from day 1Overall goal is diversification of income, enough to where rental income could potentially replace W2 income in the far future (we aren't looking to quit our day jobs, and for that reason this will need to be mostly passive in nature). 

Remember, don't change or squeeze the numbers to get them where you want, see where they are naturally and then build in margins of comfort to keep you safe.You might have a good deal here, just be sure to do your due diligence and research for the SOW and area.

If appraisers ignored contracts they'd risk working in a vacuum and missing major trends & things of that nature.

The utility companies likely include electricity, natural gas, water, and sewer. 

Being that I'm a 90's kid I am naturally a Barry Sanders fan as well.