"Long Distance Real Estate Investing" by David Greene is a good options and will help with getting an idea of good markets all over the place, not just your own backyard. 

I would love to offer as much feedback as possible and help you all optimize.

Having an experienced agent on your team before the rehab i think is very important because it is during the rehab when they can help add the most value by pointing you in the direction of what adds value to the sale, what finishes to choose and what to avoid, even what color paints are a good choice, insuring that your target sales price is not just realistic, but that it can actually appraise for that amount. 

Maybe I misunderstood him or he meant something else, but I don't see how paying the same amount it would be regardless but just in 3 separate payments helps reduce the mortgage more than it would've been over time.

We spoke to the lender but they weren't much help beyond saying "you've got to find a way to pay the 137K".All thoughts much appreciated.

Your tenants will pay down your mortgage and you can use some of the money from the rental to either help pay down your student loans faster or save to buy another property.

@Sergio Diaz you may want to watch this video about S8 tenants:Section 8 Eviction in Cleveland.

I decided to join BP because while I think I’m a newbie, there’s always someone greener than myself that I might just be able to help.

For anyone who started out on Biggerpockets and still doing real estate, how has BiggerPockets helped you? 

They offer some great oregon-specific forms that can help you stay compliant and organized.