In Huntsville, AL who pays utilities and responsibility for landscaping are up to you and your lease.

.. and actually spend it too instead of handing it over to the contractor the city and county tax guy the plumber and the landscaper

Are you responsible for trash, landscaping and pest control?

Some of the the best ways to find off market commercial and multifamily properties is to compile lists from city and county websites if available, Reonomy and CoStar or you can use free resources like Loopnet, CREXI, Ten-X commercial, Craigslist, tax database, general networking, brokers, property managers, title companies, environmental consultants, building inspection companies, appraisers, landscapers and other companies that service commercial and multifamily properties and driving for dollars.

Maybe get more bids on landscaping or snow removal or where ever the costs are coming from  It does seem like a huge increase in something that should not go up that much in 9 months.

Then I look out my way, at a town like Sealy, along I10, which is surely to grow since it is only  8 miles from the Katy Expansion and wonder if that is where to focus. 

However, I knew it was likely that a contractor, plumber, or landscaper would find the commercial space attractive.

We're at the very peak of an expansion now, and it's reasonable to expect a downturn within 1-3 years. 

However, sometimes you have to keep the wife happy and dial down the real estate expansion.

I would live on the property for several years, renting out the in-law apartment and using some of the commercial space for my current landscape business.