If you're more of a 'personal referral' person than a 'do research online' person, and this is local to you in Manhattan, KS, hit up one or two of the trades people in the "little apple all stars" BNI group.

Trying to make it where there is a lot of data, easy to use, and have a lot of articles written by local experts.

I had a real estate agent here local that probably sold 15 or so of our properties over a number of years.

If you're local you can probably do fine on your own.

To maximize returns, ensure compliance with local regulations, prioritize owning the land, and offer student-friendly amenities.

I would also join every FB group for investors, from local to California, and post the package there as well.

Our current manager is in Huntsville and it is becoming clear that we need someone more local to Cullman who can be on top of showing our listings and taking charge of maintenance and repairs as needs arise. 

I'm not opposed to spending the money and have a demo scheduled with them this week, but was curious if anybody else has other data providers that they like better for more niche areas of distress such as bankruptcy, probate, divorce, code violations etc. that I can stack with my current data.I have submitted right-to-know requests with the local counties but only certain information is available and can be cumbersome.

I'd check local zoning ordinances to see what is permitted. 

Check your local laws to see when rent is actually late.