I would ask the owner for permission to maintain the curb appeal of the home.

The City of Binghamton is working to curb student rentals in certain areas within the city. https://www.pressconnects.com/...

Plus, the vaccine is getting rolled out which will curb the spread tremendously.

Curb Appeal.

Tighten up the yard to boost curb appeal.

It will be expensive, but the result will look stunning (vs just okay) and you have increased curb appeal and property value for years to come.

Think of it like compounded interest.Cut your spending, curb your life style and save every penny you can till you have your first down payment......and along the way make sure you are paying your parents a descent rent for their housing contribution to your future plans. 

And it will look Architecturally like a low scale house.Not an improvement in curb appeal (IMO).Some streets have a lot of this, some have not so much, some have none.Another low scale alteration is to take building grade lumber and nailing up a stoop and steps with a railing and then just let it weather and rot vs building a proper porch.Personally I like the look of the porch that the house was designed to have, vs making it an enclosed vestibule.I didn't address the value question, because that might be more of a local Realtors opinion thing...maybe 3 or 4 of them.Just my 2 cents.

And the first impression starts with the curb appeal.

@Trent Ecklar curb offers only and you're not estimating any repair costs?