However just because you will probably get away with it doesn't make it right. 

My plan is to offer 180k worst case I have to put the whole 70k into it but I think I can get away with 56k

I see in BP the same group of people answering discussions, and I think it can be fun if we meet and  sit on a beer (first round on me).

That said, it's best (especially when buying from Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) to use a tile with a slightly rounded edge to reduce lippage (when one edge is slightly higher than the adjoining one).

In 18-months the damage will be somewhat limited and {hopefully} will not have had the opportunity to permeate the subfloor and structure {though that is a possibility} - you may just get away with a lots of cleaning and replacing finish flooring (like carpets).The longer they stay, the more expensive the repairs will be at move out.

However, if I wait until April I'll miss out on the next round of college students.

Dan,I'm in Round Hill. 

A licensee would NEVER get away with this garbage..and they should not.

I've got one good pool of capital to put to work for my second round of major purchases and trying to make sure I am looking at it correctly for cashflow and moderate downside risk.

You want the net income after all expenses like, maintenance, utilities, taxes, insurance, property management (if needed), if the property is vacant figure that in, and Cap Expenditures (any big ticket items that might need fixing or replacing once you own), things like the A/C unit, water heater etc.