Rents are probably $150 under market rent on both sides.My inclination is to work with people who have a good payment history and move rent up gradually, but I'd like to get the long-term renter into a legal situation on paper.

I am looking into a SFH in Tacoma, WA and I was wondering, what utilities do people pay for?  

The sub 2 deals we have done have been in Tacoma and Olympia area.  

Don't quit your day job, but might go to school for agents, learn the basics first, then begin looking at how to move RE.

Des Moines, and most other cities in WA, do not allow ADU's or MIL's to be rented separately from the main home, so if you're planning on househacking multiple times and turning the properties into full-on rentals after you move it may be better to be in Seattle, Tacoma, or another market that allows non-owner occupants to rent out both units. 

I am a recent graduate living in Tacoma, Washington.

This will give you a list of the movers and shakers in your neck of the woods.Good luck!

Vernon, Oak Harbor, Marysville, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Kent, Puyallup, or wherever it make sense.  

I am from Seattle and reached a local lenders to finance an investment home in south-side of Seattle (Tacoma area).

Hey BP, I see the housing market is going crazy in Tacoma area.