Michael Plaks is a great professional and I recommend investors to go to him.Regarding our "experience", we had a brief free consultation and we were not engaged to work together.

Research markets and submarkets to invest in and understand your investing criteria. https://www.biggerpockets.com/...You're also going to need to begin building a list of potential investors and creating ways to engage them and new investors. https://www.biggerpockets.com/...https://www.biggerpockets.com/...Next, you'll need to build a team.

Does anyone have any insights into how renters are engaging with rental properties in college towns?

Assuming you engaged your title company to make sure the funds were put in a 1031 intermediary, then I would look to 1031 into a multi-family that generates more cash flow than the one you sold.

Who's actively engaged in daily rental arbitrage in the Phoenix metro, primarily in the Scottsdale/Mesa/East Valley markets?

Again I agree with you that there is no correlation, but I also feel that some landlords exacerbate the problems by their lack of action and engagement.

UMB BioParkUMB Community Engagement CenterCharles Village/Charles SouthNeighborhood OverviewGreysteel ReportBolton Hill/Reservoir HillInnovation DistrictHampdenHarlem Park/Sandtown-WinchesterAverage renovated value, After Renovation Value, or "ARV" = ~$200kAverage renovation costs of around $50kHard money lender will lend at ~70% of ARV, or $140kPurchase price of up to $125k, total costs $175k ($125 PP + $50 reno)Equity required per investment: $175-$140k= $35kRefi proceeds = $200k refi at 80% = $160kNet refi proceeds = $160k-$140k hard money loan repay = $20kEquity after refi = $15kPotential income from property:Gross Rent: $3,000/mo, $36k/yearExpenses, $1,000/mo, $12k/yearNet Operating Income (NOI) $28k/yearLoan Exp** $850/mo, $11,000Net Cash Flow: $17,000Return on Equity 113%, 1.13x multiple**Assumes the loan at 80% LTV per above, $160k, on a 30 year amortization with a 10 year term.

Beyond that, it is a parallel effort of making sure you can take down the deal: read capital... read: access to equity and debt, and execute on the deal: interview and engage property management.  

Engage with their posts 5.

Both have their pros and cons but the the rules of engagement are different not to mention price point!