On the other hand, if the tenant is required to hire a local company for trash pick-up, this house has a long, fairly steep driveway.

If you go a few months then its not as easy to get reimbursed for the cost and to just pick an arbitrary date to shut off their utilities.  

Before creating my LLC, I use to receive rent/utility payments via Zelle from my tenants. 

Definitely pick Wisconsin.

When you start utilities on the properties just purchased for STR purpose under an individual name but will be transferred to an LLC soon, is that better to wait the LLC to be done first then start the services, or turn them on as soon as possible to reduce the downtime to get ready and change the ownership to an LLC for the utility companies?

Also ask tenants if there are any recurring issues.Typically when completing the due diligence, you'll have a chance to see the current Sch E, which will list utilities if the owner is paying anything. 

I’ve been seeing more investors use asset utilization loans lately, qualifying based on their liquid assets or portfolio instead of income or tax returns.For experienced investors or self-employed borrowers, this seems like a powerful way to unlock equity and keep scaling even when write-offs limit income on paper.Has anyone here closed a deal using this type of financing?

I pay all utilities. 

I recently dealt with an eviction and associated unpaid utility bills on a KCMO SFR LTR near St Pius HS, and the utility company confirmed that the bill follows the tenant if in tenant name.

January tends to pick up, so if you can get ahead with marketing and photos, you’ll be in better shape.When you start screening tenants, pay close attention to any prior rental-related debts, open collections, or bankruptcies...those are some of the biggest red flags you can catch early.For leasing, get your listing on as many platforms as possible (not just Zillow), and respond fast to every inquiry.