I am in a similar situation to you in that I am in a 100% commission sales job and the number of deductions and the whittling away of your effective tax rate is very powerful once you can wrap your head around the numbers and the big picture.

This means that theoretically, you could afford purchasing power of around $660,000 if you have $100,000 for the down payment.

I hear you, but the powers that be made a decision.

While no properties actually flooded, the entire area was a disaster - roads destroyed, rescues, loss of power, and loss of safe drinking water than lasted for two weeks.  

Reports cost $15-$20k but they are done by CFA’s, attorneys and others and are extremely detailed (we had one done).

Contact Extreme Clean they do cleaning and mold remediation or diy since it's a small area.

The knowledge sharing is very powerful.

My second slow season I decided not to rent it out because the propane bill to heat the home wasn’t worth the hassle, this last slow season was record snow and many homes lost power and heat for several days, it was categorized as a natural disaster.

That’s a powerful goal!

So any advice would be extremely precious for us to leverage some past lessons and experiences from the veteran investors here to reduce our risks of investing.