I am wondering if it would make sense to buy a home more than 50 miles away, and then just pay my parents rent with the stipend income, and still come out somewhat ahead? 

My suggestion is to use your good fortune to stay ahead of the game.

Just a heads up, though, finding those dream deals might be trickier nowadays, so be ready to invest a bit more upfront.Also Keep an eye on your budget as you scale up.

More interested in Columbus atm, but I am sure there are great areas in Cleveland, tooZeke oK AGAIN, you are NOT ready, but sure go ahead, let is all know how it turns outGood luck 

Here's my 2 suggestions: Visit your local REI groups.

I'm going through the same process and am going ahead on the boundary survey so I can create an accurate sitemap.

Rise48 may offer Spark a 90/10 split (better than they offer direct investors) and Spark's carry may net you ahead of what the Rise48 direct investors get, but it is something to understand.The questions I would ask in this arrangement:-Who is the actual owner and operator of the deal?  

They visited the house as part of their due diligence but I never heard anything further from them regarding any concerns they might have.  

My personal rule of thumb for profile age is that if the profile was created before 2015-2016 (when the internet started to get a bit crazy with misinformation ahead of a certain presidential election), I'll generally proceed as long as they're interacting like a normal person (not a bot) and their profile looks otherwise legit.

Before submitting an offer, contact the Condo association to understand whether the property is non-warrantable (will require Non-QM financing) or warrantable (Approved by Fannie/Freddie) as that will impact the rates and terms you’ll qualify for  Lenders consider all costs when calculating your DSCR so get a head start by asking the association for HOA fees as this can really impact your ratio.