Hi Jared, welcome to the community!  

It ends up being great that the solution really is very simple. https://a.co/d/2rjbtMJ

How are the utilities billed?

But you could say something along the lines of this in your lease;"If the monthly gas bill exceeds $X or the water bill exceeds $Y, the tenant will reimburse the landlord for the difference as an additional charge."

This year is the first year I will qualify as a real estate professional and be able to take some aggressive deductions through things like cost segregation studies.

why are you wanting the LLC? 

You want an accountant who can help you strategize and who is responsive when you want to know the consequences of the financial decisions you are making throughout the year.Good luck. 

think about it:-when you buy a property, you'll have a down payment, closing costs, rent-ready costs, costs to get set up with a PM, a commission to place a tenant... maybe some light repairs after the tenant moves in...

I've sent you a connection request and would love to connect to get a better understanding of the market.

@Caleb Johnson one of the reasons the City of Detroit is like the "wild west"!"