It is pretty routine in this area to arrange for utilities to transfer to the owner when they are shut off by the tenant, especially in the winter.

About me: 27/M, DFW area TX,Salary ~ 50k gross Rent + Utilities ~ 25% of salary (shared house).Car ~ 10% of salary (9k owed and 3 years left).Credit cards are usually paid off or Utilized below 6%Credit score above 750.6 month emergency fund.

I would like to get opinions from other BP types on side income & networking opportunity that I've stumbled into.I'm an active REI investor in Southern CA with a day job in the electrical industry; I've been actively employed for over 25 yrs, and I plan to replace my W2 income with rental income over the next five years.

Looks like utilities are not split so owner would have to pay.

I lean toward the idea of never paying more than 50% equity into something if I can utilize than money somewhere else. 

An under-utilized approach to REI...two off the top of my head are ZER and XER, though have also been watching REI.UN, which offers ~6% return just from dividends alone.

Also, in FL at least they give more room for units where you pay the utilities.

The garbage industry does have Sales people.

You are in one of the few industries that can change your future in ways that a "job" will never be able to do. 

A good Mentor will do the equivalent with you in any industry including ours!.