Her job has her gone from home a lot of times either off shore or just out of town and when she is gone she will ask me if I can stop by the unit to check up on it or grab her packages or adjust her thermostat so the a/c is running like crazy. 

You also need to remember that even though you get the 'temporary' benefit of depreciation, you will have to pay that back, at a 25% rate, some day unless you do indeed pass on to heirs down the road. 

My question is this, is it possible to find deals on MLS specifically in the Boston to South Shore market?  

You may be required to lift the house if you are on the south shore. 

Now that it's pretty much summer, south shore should turn on. 

We bought 1.5yr ago on the south shore of Boston.

If you like to go skiing or to the lake or shore where the prices are lower consider buying a multi-unit there.

.- if you can get a long term person in, ie: someone looking for a temporary place because they are moving or doing travel nursing etc, you will make more money, and save a lot of time doing clean up/turn over.- provide toiletries, menus from local restaurants for take out, some snacks etc.- place must be very clean

It’d be a temporary inconvenience for the other tenants, but you don’t want to allow water to run. 

With regards to the vandalism, I've already thought of using temporary security systems when a unit is vacant in the future (hopefully that puts me on the right track if I'm asked for an explanation).