Is the appeal to having it in/near Tempe renting it out to college students? 

However, they eventually became blinded by profits and began heavily marketing to high schools students.

Second largest metro area in Alabama with a population of over 500,000 when including Baldwin County, of which over 40,000 individuals commute from for work.3. 7.5 miles from downtown is The University of South Alabama which employs more than five thousand people, and has over 15,000 students.

Greetings from Las Vegas! I am brand new to real estate investing.  Right now I am flooding my mind with books, blogs, videos and conferences, trying to learn as much as I can.  I feel at this point trapped by the Ana...

The Dallas one was 13 miles away from SMU in a submarket that will likely not draw one student, one faculty member, or even one employee from SMU. 

I've always compared rent-by-room to student housing.

I have $30 k in savings, no auto or student loans and excellent credit.

I have over $2M in personal debt but nothing in student debt.

Interest rate are a factor and your debt of 55K and any other debt such as Cars, student loans....  

A student and investor.