@Todd Anderson totally agree on finding a mentor in the market to learn from.

At least 98% of the marketing I see and receive for SubTo is blatantly predatory.

That being said, and this is not for a sourcing homes for sale, but to source accredited investors in my line of work, the average marketing agency is looking at about $30-50/accredited investor lead setting up a call. 

design one for yourself. think about your market. like in columbus we have infill lots at 30x120 and so we developed and designed a house for ourselves. we build the same house and continue to Make modifications. it's the only new build we offer to build for clients. that's just my opinion. architects we didn't even use we looked at national builder Floorplans and decided. our typical lot is 3000-4000 square feet that we build on 

Vacancies can hit hard in the summer if you don’t lock in year-round tenants, and SUNY towns can be seasonal compared to broader rental markets.

I work specifically with investors and market for run-down properties that I am able to offer to investors I work with exclusively, on top of the properties that are available on the MLS.

Depending on your long term goals I wholesale and use the assignments fees to buy free and clear properties and I use creative marketing to buy and keep in my portfolio. 

There's a reason that people try to buy properties off-market and that is because you can find sellers who care more about terms than maximizing returns.So start with a conversation: you already presumably have some rapport since it's your landlord and you've spoken before.

You need income to qualify for loans, you can learn how to manage rentals well (something most landlords never do), you will figure out which communities/properties make the best investments, can earn an above-average paycheck, and may even find some investment properties before they hit the market.

on the one hand, if you're happy with it, and you believe in this market, and this is what you wanted, great. the fact that you're asking the question shows that you're being thoughtful about it.with that said, it sounds like you're into the deal for almost $90K out of pocket, and so if you asked me if i would put $90K of my hard earned cash into a property to get $175 month, the answer is no.