But I was glad to hear that that does not matter because I can be a "Long Distance Real Estate Investor".I am looking forward to meeting some of you (virtually) as I dive into the forums. 

In the living room there was furniture and the TV was on with art work on the walls.

Without a W2 income, getting a loan through a bank is virtually impossible, so financing with a seller becomes a welcome alternative.

Community solar arrays are already widespread and available in CA, so shares can be purchased to virtually offset consumption just like one would buy energy from a coal, nuclear, or hydro power plant. 

It may seem like general advice but it is proven.Also, I personally would recommend taking a virtual tour; https://www.biggerpockets.com/tourThen Check out some the Staples of the Community 1)Bigger Pockets Podcast, where experts from the BP community and beyond on the give lesson from life business and beyond that will be a game change2)Dive in to the Community Webinars & events3)The Book Store4)Check out the Forums for Key insight and AdviceFor the Experienced Real Estate Investor, New to the platform Take a look at the previously mentioned, but focus on engaging the community. 1)Recommend Tools, Books, Seminars etc2)Write articles on the forums helping newer community members3)Talk to other investors that are in the same niche and that are in different Niches4)Respond to other members articles if you have insight5)Dive in to the local Community Webinars & events6)Jump on and guest speak on a relevant podcast.7)Post to the BP Market Place8)Add to the Forums your Key insight and AdviceSuccess Begets SuccessWhen you are out there in your market, doing your thing by taking action, getting deals, changing neighborhoods, if you have done the steps above your sphere of influence will notice.

And even if the person was moving from out of state and could not come to a showing, I'd still need to facetime or skype a showing and thus virtual-meeting in advance.As for credit score, I well know that this is not always an accurate indicator of a potential good/bad tenant, as I myself once had a below 600 credit score when I was a tenant (caused by a number of factors none of which having any real relation to my credit or tenant worthiness) - as I've always been employed, never paid rent late once in my life and have always gotten 100% of my security deposits returned from numerous apartments before I became a landlord myself.More than some arbitrary score, I care far more about how long the person has been on their job as long employment history shows some ability to follow rules and live up to expectations.

Another challenge is that my income will be virtually $0 until the age of 28 when I start residency training, at which point it would increase to about $50,000 / year for 3-5 years.

We ended up creating a custom solution on podio that ties into our virtual phone system that allows us to send unlimited manual texts, get unlimited phone numbers and make unlimited calls!

Is there any real way to calculate these differences or is this strictly art?

Ask for a couple properties they have sold recently and take a virtual walk around those neighborhoods to see if they line up with the class of property you're being sold.