Utilities turned off in VA owned flip

[Chris Virgil-Stone]

I am looking to put an offer on a VA owned home. My realtor mentioned having the utilities turned on but that it has to be approved and at my expense. I'm not sure how long this can take. I was wondering for anyone that flips if they have these turned on and what the process/cost associated with this is? Should I forgo this? Looking in the crawl space the duct work seems to be fairly new and the plumbing looks good from a quick look under the sinks.

I am having a contractor come out tomorrow to look at the property. Thanks in advance for all information.