With a mix of college students, medical professionals, and blue-collar workers, the rental market stays pretty steady.

Furnished Finder does make it tricky since you need separate profiles for each room, but platforms like Apartments.com or Airbnb might work better if you're aiming for full-house rentals or structured by-the-room arrangements.If you decide to rent to multiple individuals:Tenant Screening: Screen each tenant thoroughly to ensure they’re reliable and responsible.Clear Communication: Introduce potential tenants to one another Detailed Agreements: Use separate leases for each tenant and specify shared vs. private spaces, utilities, and maintenance responsibilities.House Rules: Create clear, written house rules to prevent misunderstandings.Inventory Tracking: Document everything in the home (furniture, appliances, etc.) to avoid disputes about damage or missing items.Also, market your property with its flexibility in mind—like proximity to hospitals for traveling nurses or universities for graduate students.

Fires in the mountains is nothing new, as a young student in the 1970"s I would be returning from classes and the hills would be ablaze for days.

Generally I've found the rental market to be much slower in this area in the wintertime, so in the future I would aim to have your leases start and end sometime in the spring or summer when more students, families, etc. are moving. 

However, if your income can't support the debt of the mortgages plus whatever else you may have (car loan, student loans, etc) then you may NEED that lease signed in order to offset some of the debt.

Numbers get inflated by international students who are not, on majority, buying homes or staying past their schooling.

More long term rentals are also very attractive to students, I noticed that less people seem to be staying in apartments and are instead looking to move into houses around campus.   

I have great tenants that are participating and I have had awful tenants participating in the program.

1.Activities That CountTo meet the material participation criteria, you must log your hours in a detailed and ongoing logbook throughout the year.

You'd be surprised how often a deal can happen using this strategy but it is also important to run the numbers and make sure your COC return, etc are in line with your expectations.Probably the lowest risk is partnering because a seasoned investor will verify the deal (hence their participation) and likely take care of the initial money required.