I'm a student athlete at OU wrapping up my undergrad this fall, with plans to pursue grad school soon.

They moved, as renters, into our suburban neighborhood in 2019 for the schools given that their first child was starting kindergarten. 

If I wait to post the house till the renovations are complete I probably wont be able to have someone move in till September 1st which is past when schools gets in session.

Since I need to think about sending my daughter school in a couple of years, I want to start with duplex.

Neighborhoods and schools may be more important than cashflow so your strategy may have some holes.

. - Going further out Brentwood and Oakley have appreciated quite a bit and have pretty good schools- Something with potential to add value: ADU attached to the main house or separately in the backyard in the future to get additional rent.

Begin by assessing the area's overall appeal, including factors like crime rates, school quality, and amenities.

He is more likely going to go back to school for a master's and/or find a fulfilling career, but we have no idea what that will look like or how much money he will make. 

With so little inventory and bid wars , and hundreds of showings of each property to some fake buyer who never intends to buy house, I don't think Erics in this game are in any particular disadvantage compared to "licensed" REAs (licensed is in quotation marks,  since a lot of people seem to put too much significance into obtaining it, as if it was a law degree from Ivy League school).

But generally I think areas that are relatively inexpensive with low(er) crime, decent schools, a diversified job market and steady population growth are the best places to aim for.