The small market research I did initially by looking at rental sites seem to show a low amount of options in the 1 bedroom and 1 bath range so unsure if that means that they are desirable or just not many in St.

Even went ahead and tried to call the contact number on their site and got a voice mail. 

Being 1.5hrs of NYC gives you a lot of options, even Long Island (which typically has more options for public commute into NYC).Give me a shout if you'd like to chat more, I have a handful of case studies on my site as well from deals I've closed/brokered that match the househacking criteria you're aiming for. 

We always do a 15-business-day inspection period and advise the seller that we will need access to the property, which usually takes 2 to 3 days to get our financial partners and contractors to the site.

Determine that you'll conclude your analysis by (some date), giving yourself time to get any estimates you need from contractors or suppliers for the rehab.

I wouldn’t recommend blocking out dates unless you or your family plan to use them.

Although you may not have to be on the site with these guys- sometimes it helps if you are.Good Luck!

If Seller has an owner's policy of title insurance covering the Real Property, Seller shall furnish a copy to Buyer and Closing Agent within 5 days after Effective Date.

I'd suggest looking for local FB groups (search Ann Arbor real estate and/or related keyworkds) or even Meetup.com is a great networking site for related topics. 

@Antonio HarmonYou can check Foreclosures on the site.