Typically when people graduate they look for a job and move to the area of the job.

It is your responsibility to find the right answer, give a clear expectation to people you hire, learn about the house and industry.

(Many people just assume it'll be fully tax-free because they lived in it somewhere)

I would closely monitor your competitions pricing to see what is working for them.Vrbo has built in tools to monitor when people are searching for specific dates.

These are the people that can bring you good deals and advise you on the areas of Cleveland. 

I get a lot of applications from out-of-area people, typically moving from another state.

I have a couple of people that this has happened to, and you need to have it in writing and tied to the property to make it work. 

We make people take photos of themselves holding their ID and then I also meet them in person for the showing - at least for my units on the NW side of Chicago.I've never heard of these testers, but I am not surprised. 

They should know more than the people at a big box store and be able to recommend a good one. 

I usually like to start it shorter to be safe if I need to end the tenancy, but I know some people opt for the longer 14-15 month leases.