Also, an 8min walk vs 8 min drive is a big difference in the world of student housing. 

Your investment is secured by the underlying property. preREO is a new, very creative and now proven format for local real estate investors to obtain control of a property before it goes to REO where everyone will have access to bid and drive up the price.

Keep in mind, while the projected performance is very important it should not be the single driving factor in your decision.

Agents who generally take on small portfolios to manage are only doing so because they're not great agents to begin with.First thing first, I would consider either driving by the properties or contacting the tenants and asking them if they know what's going on with the agent.

@Wells H. you can spend DAYS driving through Detroit!

If they are all in one area within reasonable driving distance then I’d find one PM you like and have them manage it all.

@Marie CopulHunker down and pare down your lifestyle expenses as much as possible so you can replace what you need as quickly as possible.I did have a client take down a 57 unit mixed use apartment deal that added $1.1M to his net worth and $180k a year in cash flow in 12 months but those types of results are not typical.However, some type of commercial real estate would be my suggestion and one where you are driving the ship so you keep most if not all the equity.I have some ideas for you and would be happy to talk you through them.

And then the last hurdle is that driving miles between your home and your rental properties by default is considered to be like your "commute" to work, and your commute doesn't count as business miles. 

As high rent drives people out of homes, the community at large pays the price for homelessness and the resultant problems that accompany that experience.   

A recent divorce could impact someone's credit score, but it shouldn't drive it from 700 to 545.