For shared expenses like mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and repairs, you would allocate based on a reasonable method such as square footage or number of rooms, and only deduct the rental portion.

There is laundry there too in the store/utility room. 

You need to have on hand or access to enough to cover the underlying mortgage, utilities, HOA and various carrying costs in the event the house goes vacant for a few months.

It is connected to the duplex, hence wide the previous owner or the current owner for now agreed to pay for the utilities.

Expenses live in QuickBooks, not Buildium.Maintenance costs, utilities, insurance, repairs, loan payments, all tracked in QuickBooks with proper accounts, classes, and tags.

Will you need to include any utilities?

Things like separate utilities, updated mechanicals, solid roofs, and layouts that make renting simple are worth more than cosmetic touches.

.: What guest communication platform do you utilize?

If it's possible to improve your credit score that can increase the LTV. it will depend on your credit score details and if your credit score is what it is because of for example- high utilization of credit cards- using all of the available credit on a credit line or because of missed payments. 

They pay option money (depending on your state.) earnest money, probably a survey, and maybe an inspection, line up movers, sell their old house or give notice at their rental, set up utilities and deposits, take off work, and all the other things that come along with buying a house.