"oh I watch a lot of HGTV I think I would be great at house flipping"  I just say "I bet you would be" and smile.  

Hi @Chris Seveney - you bet. 

My name is Matt and I've been a professional poker player since 2004 after I graduated from IU.  

It seems like attending your local REIA meeting would be a good way to start networking with the local players.

Like I said, I think your best bet is to call the water company.

One of out top posters here and a very successful investor @J Scott was a professional poker player. 

some times that can work they may take a quick flip price.or you just put up your best bid and hope you get it... pretty tough to compete against the big players as they will run on lower margins since they are doing volume and probably can rehab cheaper etc etc.. they may have in house RE brokers for their listings.when I was active in PDX market and one of the top 3 buyers...

I bet in 5 years you'll have $3k a month in passive income and you'll feel like you're on top of the world.

But as @Jeremy Gunn already said, property managers are usually gonna be your best bet. 

In smaller universities, you won't see the big players, so there aren't as many amenities, so location is real important.