It's just the nature of the business.... but still frustrates me every time! 

Cash flow + appreciation (natural and forced) will turn that $50k into $100k in a couple of years.

Grats on your first property and soon stuff like this will be second nature for you!

last time i was in Orlando they were having fires as well.. but harder to tell since there are no mountains LOL And they tend to move slower. its the steep mountains that create a chimney effect and the intense under growth.. because we suppress wild fires and keep nature from burning the under story like what happened 200 years ago before we had aerial tankers.  

The natural follow up question for me is how to tell the likelihood a property will be rented after you buy and rehab (if necessary.)  

So naturally, last night I was searching for homes to BRRRR.

and then see what kind of property taxes the cities and states had.From the lists on the image attached, then I'd narrow it down to areas less prone to natural disasters.This was a small exercise I did, and I am sure people will agree and disagree with many of the places but hopefully, it's a starting point for a debate and we get more experienced investors to give us their two cents.

Go where there are fewer natural disasters and there is no snow (or freezing pipes) - this keeps the insurance costs down.Two - buy value add.

Ideally, you want a very hard wood that resists water and scratches naturally by virtue of its nature, and then you get a good quality polyurethane on top of it and you are golden. 

Also, I like that the half bath will have a small window for natural light and provide "wash room" at the rear entry when people come in the house from the deck.