Nothing beats boots on the ground, and as you start to think about neighborhoods to invest in I think it makes a lot of sense to pivot out of internet mode and into ground mode. 

As with any deal, the only two people who's opinion matters are the seller and buyer, not trolls on the internet who have nothing to do with the deal and who's approval, beliefs or opinions are NOT needed for it to happen.

Current lease term (expiration date, month-to-month)7.

So take that for what you will.but with the internet and places like bigger pockets, you can invest literally anywhere at any time.

My number one advice would be to separate out those who "Want a Date" types from those "Want to invest ONLY to make money".Mix those strings up and things could get very complicated and uncomfortable--b/c you know some of them are out there.What I'm saying is try to keep business and personal as separate as possible.Just my 2 cents.

Current lease term (expiration date, month-to-month)7.

I see properties on the internet that I'm interested in and just have cold feet about even going to look at them.

Based on what I learned from the internet, it seems that the best way is to count the number of rooms in the house and take a percentage of the total household expenses, i.e. we have 4 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 dining room, 1 kitchen, 1 office, so the office expense should be 1/8 of the total expenses, including property tax, utility, home insurance, etc.  5.

If you have rehab to do before renting I'd be cautious whether or not you'll be ready to rent out by that date, especially as most students may have already found housing for second semester by now up until mid December.

I am just a somewhat random internet guy.... :)