It's a pull out but as a dealer I can put a new one in and do all the necessary demo, site prep, infrastructure upgrades, permitting, etc for about 75k and resell it for 150+k.

If the area is hot for construction (which by your indication you'd wait until such time to sell), then more than likely the other construction in the area already worked with the city to bring the infrastructure to the area and your "edge" won't be worth as much. 

The area is very friendly to STRs and the demand is going to increase in the next few years - as Raleigh/Durham/Wake Forest and Greenville grow, as well as Virginia, I feel confident that the area is going to continue to grow as infrastructure continues to grow and it is the closest beach to the areas. 

I cannot monitor water usage at this point however, once sub-metered, I can pin point who is the culprit.

You need to be an accredited investor in order to be eligible to invest in certain private placements that are not directly overseen or monitored by the SEC.

I think I would go your route and nicely ask my tenant about it and just monitor it from there.

Same if you have a master electric, you can meter the main line into each units main panel, but the install alone can be every expensive, and once again, would be your responsibility to monitor.

I can't just pick and choose among military, police, firefighting, transportation infrastructure, education, arts, etc. categories.

You can also monitor the phone system to ensure they are doing their job.I prefer owning out-of-state or out of the area.  

I would rather be aware of the pets and be able to monitor their presence than have a tenant sneak in an animal, which they tend to do.At this time, I'm a small enough operation that I can develop a personal relationship with my tenants.