Among those who can afford the place, there are four types of people I categorize: a. working single guys. b. part-time working students (but there is one group particularly polite) c. stable family with two older kids. d. section 8 family with younger kids.

This is for a student rental by the way not for a family.

@Steven McPhersonI found my "REI teacher" by crying my eyes out in a bar...

Lots of students still rent off campus, I'd just consider buying it and marketing it to the college market as you can only sell a condo once, but you can continue to rent to students "forever".

Currently, we don't have any students or associates actively working your area, but hope to focus more in your area in the very near future.   

In this time, I plan on paying off all my debts, saving up some safety money, possibly starting an LLC, and obtaining my real estate license (currently 12 hours into my 75 hour course).I live in a college town that's perfect for rentals, so I'm thinking on my first purchase, I'll buy a home to rent out to college students (with parent's cosigning of course).

@Branden SmithCongratulations on getting your startMy new students basically send out marketing saying thatI can help you with many different situations,  whether it's a house it needs work, whether it has some kind of issue as in needing repairs,  not selling or divorce or probateI highly advise you in California to have an attorney that acts for you, and this attorney will be able to prepare contracts for your dealsCalifornia is a litigious state and I highly recommend you be licensedBest of luck!

So now the problem becomes how do seven grad students and a professor come up with $280,000.

I'm a teacher however, so a lunch meeting would only be possible for me if it were on the weekend.

At the same time I think I would look long and hard at Milwaukee, Madison, and Grand Rapids before choosing Minneapolis.Madison has a captive audience with student housing needs near the campus and downtown.