Talk to your accountant about the IRS guidelines, so you can structure your trip so that it will be deductible. 

As long as the bones are sound and you aren't dealing with leaning, major sagging or other structural issues, then why not dive in?

My question is what's the best way to structure paying for utilities?

This is a loan and shouldn't be structured this way.

Through my research I’ve found traditional bank financing may be the route to take as they have better structure for exits(less yield maintenance concerns) and loans include funds for improvement.

Is this a potential structure issue? 

Solo 401k plans are often quicker to set up and cost less money over time compared to most self-directed IRAs.While these structures allow investments into alternative assets, both the self-directed IRA and the Solo 401k can own brokerage accounts for traditional investing into stocks and funds.

How can I structure this deal to work out with the money options that I have.

However it's the structuring of how to buy them in sequence, the long term strategy, how to set up the business, I'm not sure what all goes in to a solid business plan for real estate.

@Ricardo TorresRegardless of how a loan is listed/structured - if you are collecting income/revenue - It needs to be reported on your return.If a property is converted from a primary residence to a rental - you get to start writing off expenses against your income.There might also be a window before you can do a 1031 exchange.Best of luck