@Wayne Brooks is correct that selecting the right, reliable contractor (preferably a Certified 203k Contractor) is crucial. 

. +1, and with the current COVID situation we've seen more demand than ever from parents who are scared to have their kids live in the dorm and prefer them to live off-campus.

Isn't the plane ticket, food, hotel and rental car a write off?

Did go through a period in the past in which I was doing it and I still hold a lease option so I would be more than happy to line a buyer up preferably with cash. 

Me, as a wholesaler, of course, I prefer a buyer who is all cash, since lenders can make things very complicated and potential de-rail my relationship with the seller if the buyer blows out due to lender issues, however if it's more of a hard money/private lender who has lended on these types of properties before and realizes things may not be perfect, then I sometimes will allow my buyers to use a lender, however then we have to do an Amendment/Addendum to the contract that the seller has to sign that acknowledges it changing from an all cash deal to one with debt, which so far I've been able to finesse sellers into.

I'd prefer to invest closer to home, where I can drive and see the property before buying and make ongoing maintenance easier and all that.

I have provided 8 max allowed rent increase notifications (State rent controlled units) this year and 8 below max rent increases (for preferred tenants), but still substantial increases (also 1 not rent controlled increase). 

I missed that.I prefer MM leases after 1 year.   

My preference is for B/C class properties 

I am not afraid to put in the time and money to learn to be a good investor, but I would prefer to learn from someone who knows my area.Thanks everyone!