You'll need to have some funding lined up prior to locking down a deal.

Check with a local attorney or manager, but you may be locked in until the expiration of the lease term. 

You can definitely do the leg work yourself by finding the properties, marketing to them and locking them up under contract. 

No security, no cameras, no lights, just a pad lock on the gate. 

What evidence makes you say “100% lock in this deal!”

I know that young people today can spend the majority of their time on ther devices instead of interacting with the people and places around them but by removing the common areas you are forcing these students to spend all of their time at home in their rooms. 

I have locked in a sale price with the owner to purchase both, BUT (here's the complicated part) he has to sell his primary residence in order to become an accredited investor to be able to complete a 1031 exhange into a REIT with the proceeds he gets from selling me the two properties. 

If he is there and calls you,you can have a chat with him and let him know that you just turned off the breakers, no big deal.I usually change the locks to the house with a note on the door that has my number and says that if he is still there I will bring him a key for the new locks.

Having hundreds of thousands locked into a property is doing nothing for you.

New lights, fans, fixtures, locks, knobs, and house numbers.