There are a lot of moving parts, but it is possible with determination.

They dont do an appraisal but the do an in-the-house determination of the value of the house based on comparables, at no cost to me.Now, my current lender would only lend me the purchase price, then I have to refi in 6 months to recoup my rehab costs.Is this too good to be true to find a new lender give you purchase price and rehab expenses lended for 30 years at 5.5%? 

I've been using Trulia for their crime map, Rentometer and Craigslist to estimate rent in the area, colleges and universities to help determine popularity.. what else should I be looking at?

As I understand it, you cannot 1031 into a traditional syndication because it violates the like-kind requirements, as your Relinquished Property is real property, and your new ownership interest in the syndication LLC is personal property.I've heard previously that the workaround here is to form a TIC or a DST to hold your 1031 interest, since this is treated as having an ownership in real estate interest in the eyes of the IRS.

Determine a fair market rate and pushed the rents up to that rate immediately.

It's not determined by an official law or a "legal" situation. 

From a rental standpoint, I would take a hard look at what the rental comps are in that area to determine what your house should rent for and then rework the rental income with your tenants. 

You might want to narrow down your search to certain indicators like crime rate, school ratings, proximity to cafes/restaurants/shopping, and healthcare facilities.The only way to know if the rent roll would cover mortgage and expenses is to determine the rent. 

If you are an investor looking to purchase the right type of rental property, review the following information to determine whether you and your property are the right fit for corporate housing – or whether your property may be a better fit as a traditional, long-term rental property.LOCATIONCorporate housing thrives in urban and business areas where executives travel to often.

You determine your own reality.