You are in an unique in great place that you have a ready made group of students to rent out your rooms while you are there.

More specifically, I:1) Got the deal more directly than my partner for ~$5-15K less2) Negotiated and performed all inspections ahead of other prospective buyers3) Talked another investor out of the deal at the closing table to get the contract for no more than we originally planned (after over an hour.. one of the stranger circumstances I've experienced in a while, but got a smile, business card, and potential future partner in the process!

This may be a unique situation in my market.

I've kept abreast of the industry mostly through trade magazines published by associations and attending association and industry seminars and round tables.  

If they have a unique rent amount, I give them a choice of paying online via www.erentpayment.com, or depositing it directly into my business account at the bank.

I'm not sure if you are aware but they do provide some unique financing options for HomePath properties - https://www.homepath.com/financing.html;  scroll towards the bottom.  

I believe every market in our country is unique and no 2 areas are ever the same. 

My geographical situation is a bit unique.

EVERY region of the country, state, city, neighborhood, niche, etc. is unique and it's important to look at a much bigger picture than numbers on paper.

I understand your situation is unique, but I think it would be worth looking into.