@Clifford C Toth As someone who graduated college a year ago, I strongly recommend that you have the parents co sign on the lease.

A 55-year-old heart surgeon can probably absorb a $20,000 roof without much trouble while a school teacher may have to borrow the funds at high interest.Number of units.

From a landlords perspective this means you cannot rely on undergraduates renting your apartment, only Graduate students...

Hello Stephen,Lilburn is actually a great place to be looking for properties, that area and the school districts around it are in a bit of a transition.

The major potential set back is my student loan debt (about 40K) which would increase as I advance through grad school.

So many students graduate with degrees only to struggle their first 2-3 years in the real world in their career.

You said you're graduating soon and will be living here so why not just take 1-2 hours once or twice a month and mow the property on the weekend?

For SF i would suggest to target the suburban areas where the better schools are located

Downtown Richmond is pretty condense with lots of multi-family properties available, but each area is going to have it's own character when comes to local businesses, schools, and crime rates. 

It is a SFH 1,700 sq/ft 3bed,2bath updated, owned solar, great neighborhood and school districtCurrentlyMortgage $2,800 (P,I,tax, insurance)Purchased at $545,000 in 2013Loan balance $425,000Home value $750,000 estimatedRate 3.25%, 30 year fixedSale $280,000 profit est after fees, fixes, closing, etc, I have lived in it for several years so profit would be tax freeAssuming again a $750,000 appraised valueRefinance rate 3%Refinance cost $3000Pull out about $200,000New Loan for $625,000New Mortgage 3,300 monthI could rent it out for around $3200-$3300 estimated, I would manage it myselfOptions1) Sell2) Rent3) Refinance with cash out and rentIt seems like a good idea to refinance and rent, if I did sell, I would invest in other properties like multifamily properties with better ROI.