You don't even need to tell them that the house is still empty, just that your are doing an informal study.  

I'm 20 years old and have been reading, listening, and studying REI for 3 years.

From what all my studies have shown, 10 miles can make or break a STR....

Take your sales contract to DeKalb County to prove you bought the house after the unpaid water bill was incurred.  

I took the online course, studied for a couple of weeks, and passed on the first attempt.

Why spend a dime inspecting it if you cannot prove it has income.

I've been studying bigger pockets and their recommended books for the last year and specifically moved to waco to start a second career.  

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, you'll likely be able to relate:Driving for dollars – Learn from a firemanOne of my best friends is a fireman and the most fascinating thing I learned from him is their version of “driving for dollars” study method.

Did you study your state landlord tenant regulations before you decided to go into business.

If you have MLS access cross reference that with reliable real estate data (news articles, studies, government agencies) to find where the hot areas are.I'd say it all comes down to knowing your market and your audience.