Maybe he would feel comfortable with keeping his current assets the way they are and any new income putting 25% down on some turn key multi-family homes with healthy rental history. 

Cornell University definitely attracts a healthy international population, many of whom stay in the area.

What tips and tricks have you learned along the way to make it a smoother, less time-consuming process? 

And putting 30% down on a $100k condo means you won't meet their loan minimum.And that's why it's nearly impossible to invest at a healthy margin in "low cost" condos in the Dallas Fort Worth Arlington market.   

I agree that buying right matters, but don't get so consumed by the idea of finding a great deal that you let a year go by without buying. 

What makes you a consumer (bad) or a professional borrower (good). 

I must disclose, this is difficult and time consuming to accomplish for multiple areas (cities or counties) so i'd start focusing on a single area in which you have interest in.

Your first park will consume a lot of time, so be prepared to be there often.

Be a voracious consumer of podcasts, read all the books on the subject, and go to as many meetups as you can. 

I’d love if there was some 3rd party tech that you could slap in there and figure out which unit is consuming so much water.