I would consider working with a broker...Most good agents will come to give you consultation for free...and a good one can really help.I own a small coop unit I rent on the UES...used to do it all myself...then met an agent through a common friend who made a great impression very friendly and professional...let him handle the turnover of my apartment and he managed to get me about 15% increase of the monthly rent...When I was doing my open houses I would always got a trickle of people come by...he managed to get 30 people in the door on his 1st open house and 3 application within the week...What I came to realize is that good agents manage to drive much more foot traffic and create a sense of urgency for buyers/renters...In my case he got in a professional photographer who made the place shine...If you DM I can send you his contact...but any good agent from one of the reputable companies in Manhattan can give you a good advice.If your coop allow you to sublet for a year I would seriously consider doing so (If it cover holding cost)...Fall-Winter is the worst season to be on the market...if you can have the place rented and then put it on the market around March-April you might be in a better position...again best to consult few good Manhattan agents.

I also graduate in 3 months with my bachelors and I already have a great job lined up for worst case scenario. 

I love this site too.I agree the house hack with quadplex is a great way to start.Don't over extend yourself financially and/or hours per week.Buy smart in a way that numbers really make sense, even in a worst case scenario(known as a stress test), you will do good at any point in the economic cycle.

Just want to be prepared for an absolute worst-case scenario.

Not the worst idea, but you have to know what you are doing. 

They can send their worst guys and no matter how long it takes or how many materials are wasted, the get their markup.

For me it's all about perspective and understanding the worst case scenario and realizing its not that bad.

Purchase price: $400,000 Cash invested: $130,000 Sale price: $555,000 One worst flip profit wise since the very first one I did.

I would care for the property as if its my own and handle issues and repairs so the owner wouldn't even need to worry about needing a property manager.And then the advantage I would have is to acquire a property in a high-appreciating market with little money down, have the option to rent it out to a 3rd party (If agreed to by the owner) and if at worst case, the market for some reason plummets I can back out of the contract.

You can find ways to find a good deal where the numbers work in your worst case scenario.