@clarkfan1979 , I would absolutely love a link or book recommendation on how to rent to this market.
I'm doing SFH and would like to branch out to a property like you are discussing.
Thank you for the encouragement. Unfortunately, I do not know of any books specifically for this market. Does anyone else know of one? If not, maybe I should write a book?
There is one podcast on biggerpockets on college rentals from 2015 or 2016. I think the guy started buying SFH near University of Oregon in the early 1980's. I agree with 75% of the advice. If you Google his name, I think he has some you tube videos as well.
There is also a few threads on college rentals on bigger pockets and I contributed to a few of them. I think there is a lot of misinformation regarding college rentals out there, mostly based on stereotypes, from people who do not own college rentals.
I teach college for a living and have lived in college towns for the majority of my adult life. As a result, I think I have a competitive advantage for market conditions and selecting tenants. Like anything, if you do it well, you can make some money.
I would target Universities that have plans for growth with enrollment and bringing in outside money. R-1 institutions (more research) typically grow faster and bring in more money than R-2 (more teaching). Most Universities have a 10-year master plan for growth that is posted on their website and is accessible to the public. I would read it.