a decent 3 bdrm/1.5bth SFH in a desirable schools district (not Syracuse city schools) can pull in 1500 to 1800/month

If they have no desire to stay here other than to be with their son.

You're demonstrating your investment experience, desire to grow portfolio, and strong willingness and ability to close.

Any advice from other REIs in the Tempe area would be greatly appreciated- we drove around a lot but couldn't get a great feel for where exactly was the most desirable area to invest.My 2 friends and I took a flight out to Tempe a few weekends ago and looked at several dozen properties with an agent.

Some not as desirable areas will cash flow nicely and will teach you a lot about PM.

There are some general guidelines that will genuinely help you to put your strategy in place and maintain the momentum effectively.1) A great content bank and dedicated content creatorsAll the efforts of creating a good marketing strategy go in vain if you do not give the desired attention to your content bank and fail to hire someone who is a seasoned professional in content creation.

The area that you are in is very desirable and high-traffic so it could be viable with a pipeline.

I've always had an interest in real estate investing but as the years pass the desire to make it happen has become a burning one.  

The only thing that concerns me a tiny bit is your desire to make a meaningful social, environmental and economic impact.

It all depends on the market, the location, the property, and your relative desire of responsibility to the property.