What are some extra  precautions I should take?

This is definitely not a friendship I want to lose, and I'm willing to take all the precautions to make sure that everything is laid out in fine print legally so we can have a better chance at a successful partnership.It definitely sounds like I should be talking to an attorney AND a CPA.

You do not need to close this deal formally through a title company...it's just a safety precaution.

If its about his wholesale fee, one of the precautions I always take when meeting a new wholesaler is to make sure they understand that I don't care how much money they make, I care if the offer price meets my investment criteria. 

While there is always the possibility of the owner incurring a gas or electric bill liability... the alternative of letting it get shut off any time between November and March (especially December through February) could result in a financial disaster for the owner.I would be curious to know how many of you in the Cleveland market actually use utility reversion as a precaution vs how many take your chances; and separately how many winterize vs and how many of you leave the heat on in a vacant home.Best of luckBob Collett, PM  

This policy is not even mandated through my mortgage - I took it on as a precaution.

The best precautions I think are to watch housing statistics in your local market (your agent can provide you that stuff from previous years) and pay attention to days on market and prices listed vs prices sold for houses in your target areas.

There seems to be different strategies on how this can be applied and what precautions to take. 

Can you tell me the property management company you use so I can use precaution?

Apparently he didn’t take extra precaution to lock it.