I know her having an existing mortgage throws an extra layer in there regarding the structure of the note.

I have a pretty strict guideline of what I'm looking for in a property and don't plan to throw offers at a board to see what sticks.

It seems like the money I wouldn't be "throwing away" on rent could be used to chip away at that student debt.

"Ya know I can do this for 8K for the kitchen and 6K for a roof, throw in 10K for some misc.....Bah Lets call it 30K in repairs."

Even the 1% rule / test / whatever is a dream.Your best bet is to throw out all rules of thumb like that and learn what the averages and norms are for the market and price range you're looking in.

I don’t want anyone to think I am throwing up my hands by any means.

If you have a good relationship you will get a people to throw you money.

I'm planning on throwing $500 at it to test the waters out in the coming months.

Anyone feel free to throw out other dates that may work.  

I will still be left with ~ 1k per month I could, like you said, invest in to something smaller or I can use it to throw a large chunk at my loans.