@Barry Cohen yes it's just a hot water heater - I pay the gas for the property becuase there is only one meter so there are only two units in the utility room, one for the water and one for the heat.  

No hoa, tenants pay utilities, and it's being sold because the current owners are liquidating assets for retirement and moving out of the area.

Hope you find some success utilizing the site for the resources available.

I understand that it's a process with the courts & it could take a few months, but in the meanwhile, the tenants has turned the utilities back on under their names.

Although I have made some mistakes with our rentals, I have loved it and want to build a portfolio that produces enough cash flow (2-3k/mo) to do this full time as I transition out of the military in the next four years. 

For a situation like that, I would look into something like this:https://www.trachte.com/produc...

But if landlord pays any utilities then you’ll have a very hard time making any money. 1% could work if you only pay PITI, and self manage (with reserves each month of course).

Once you establish they are buildable then you need to research utilities, permitting, impact fees, as well as overall development requirements and construction costs.

In regards to Houston area, Nice neighbourhoods with new mud (municipal utility district) run on average 3 to 3.5%.

and also what else can I utilize a realtor for beside the MLS?