I recently came across a HUD (US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development) home in an area of NY I've been searching. 

Now my lender won’t lend because it’s not being used properly as it’s zoned.

That's lower end entry...there is a wide range in Denton and there are opportunities, depending on your risk tolerance to look at higher end...in Denton County we are still undergoing strong expansion and are seeing spill over of development around the top of the lake. 

. - How do I find specific utility costs for my area so I can properly analyze deals? 

As a side note - THIS is what gets me pumped about going to work every day and what I hoped for from writing Set for Life - I love that folks like you can develop strategies to aggressively knock out financial worries and then pursue their creative passions in life distraction free. 

Little tip to finding proper owners... a lot of owners own the property in an LLC but then use their primary address for having the tax bill mailed to.  

Track properly and organize the expenses in appropriate categories (rental income, maintenance, utilities, office expense, advertising, legal, and another 10 other categories).

Last I read that Venice Coastal Development Projects shall not exceed a maximum height of 30 feet.

It takes time to get things sorted out and get the proper paperwork in order for the Commissioner.

Like I always say, you guys motivate me to continue to develop and grow.