My manager has 15 fourplexes that he manages in the subdivision out of about 60 blogs.I'm concerned about the fact that it is a low income area with the usual problems - drugs, petty theft, domestic violence, etc but I don't feel uncomfortable when I go there and my manager says he is not uncomfortable day or night.

I'd be pretty uncomfortable too, but it's not a deal breaker.  

I guess if they’re complicated such as a 1031 but if it’s routine, is it necessary?

Here in Georgia, an unlicensed seller can refuse to accept a purchase agreement for any reason, including if the seller is uncomfortable with the buyer's mortgage broker.

Keep in mind you are setting your contractor up for an uncomfortable situation at best.

Until that changes, you should do lunch or coffee with whomever you deem worthwhile, join a non-competitive networking group, join a community service group (or 5), get involved in local government (if you have the stomach for it), get involved in your alumni association (if you don't have the stomach for local government), and be an extrovert, no matter how uncomfortable it might be at first.That's what I've done, anyway.

I'm quite new at this so I have lots to learn, but with a committed (daily) routine I'm hoping to sink my teeth into something before the year is up. 

In thinking through the 50% Rule, and modeling it out in my spreadsheets, I am finding myself very uncomfortable using it.

I like the idea of having a recent grad do it, and I've also considered things like having a management company run the property with an agreement with them to hire students to help with my properties, so it would be run by a team and not just a student, having me or someone I know go down regularly to check on properties and have the student just deal with routine maintenance issues and collecting rent, or having members of the social dance community (I'm the reason there's still a social dance club on campus) help me vet responsible employees.

Basically put yourself in their shoes, they were uncomfortable, would you have expected it to be warm, did you get them an alternative source for heat.. and try and accommodate the situation and keep them informed of work progress.I doubt a concession for this would break you and if the tenants complained about this they had every right.