This past summer he got stabbed in the neck trying to break up a fight. 

We like the short-term rental idea because we could stay at the property ourselves when we want - summer break, spring/winter breaks, etc.Our budget will be right around $1M or less ideally, and we would like a short distance to the ocean.How likely is it that we could find a property as described above and have it cover or come close to covering the mortgage? 

The only times this makes sense is if you are in a really hot market, especially seasonal ones where you might have 100% occupancy for the summer months or something.

One thing to consider for students is would you want to only lease for the school year and then rent for the summer?

I had a STR in another market get shut down by zoning, so I put construction workers in there on a 30+day stay over the summer and now have a MTR tenant to keep the lights on through May after which I'll sell since I have no guarantee on having another 30+day contract next summer.

Electricity can also spike in the summer with A/C.

Cabins do great in the summer time for this area.

Real estate courses and networking began for me in Summer 2021. 

I joined after reading 5-6 of the BP authored books and I've loved growing my understanding of the world of real estate investing.I made my first investment this summer and my family is partnering to make a few investments in the next year.

I would keep them at least until the summer because it is not great to lease in the winter.