Talk to Phila Water Dept directly about this issue.If you purchased it recently and randomly got a bill for that amount, it is likely the title company had an estimated reading and not an actual reading of the water meter.

Do you have recommendations on property management companies?

At one of the meetings I learned that there is almost one insurance company covering Florida, Citizens. 

State deed transfer tax to simplifileI have always bought SFH in NC but decided to buy duplex and quads in JAX area from a built-to-rent company.

Also, wondering if it makes sense to look for companies offering loans under 75K of property equity, or is it typically better to consider private lenders?

I believe there will be pretty high appreciation here, as many large companies are investing money in our area such as Intel, Google, and Amazon.

They also have a GP who owns a construction company that specializes in apartments to do the renovation.

There was also some recent legislation in Colorado that does not allow any Title companies to be involved with a sub-to transaction that involves an FHA or VA loan.  

I also own a short-term rental management company that partners with other real estate investors and second home owners to 2-5x their returns while taking the headaches out of owning/operating STR’s.

On top of that, Columbus has companies like Hyperion and Forsee Power coming to the west side.