Any tips or recommendations on getting started are greatly appreciated.   

Not an expert on this but it appears YES this would be subject to UBIT and a good amount (70%).

Local HML if rates are competitive to me would be a better choice they will help in the buy decisions and keep you from making a big boo boo.

I suppose there is a reason agents are doing it but I cannot see this as a profitable endeavor...

So you'll have to find agents who knows how this works.

I would also charge a lot more than I would for a residential rental.Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it unless you've really studied it and understand how to protect yourself and earn fair compensation.

Otherwise a simple $50 late fee penalty in the lease should cure you of this issue @Phil Shelton

Well, alone until I found this site. 

Even google doesn’t have a street view of the house, so I need to be conservative here.Do I have any leverage in this situation?

It stands out as a small metropolis with an affordable housing market, good job opportunities, and easy access to nature.With a median home price of about $259,817, Huntsville ranked 26th lowest in our analysis.