At a fourplex in California, we only pay for trash and water. 

Purchase price: $140,000 Cash invested: $215,000 Sale price: $520,000 This 1880’s farmhouse was abandoned for 11 years and had major water damage throughout.

If the home is a duplex or small multi-family, there could only be one water meter.

BP familyWhen you are buying a property ,what's your strategy to get a close approximation of the utilities for Electricity, gas, water &sewer ,garbage?

The entire city is without water and power.

We will try to let them schedule but urgent issues such as water leaks need to be addressed with or without their presence.

Tend to have shallow water depth.

Let's say you inspected a house and found that the water heater is 5 years old and is in good shape.

These are for 3 bedroom homes without water being near. 

That tells you a lot.I would be looking at all this stuff way BEFORE you hire an inspector......Typically inspectors only check the water pressure coming into the house, but not the pressure of the pipes.On a house that old, I would also hire a separate plumber to scope the sewer pipes, unless you know PVC has recently been installed....probably $150.You should also have termite/WDI inspection as part of your home inspection.