And yes, there are other states that are more landlord friendly and may offer cheaper prices and taxes.

Is your insurance therefore so much cheaper?

If you get and use a big loss in year 1 of a syndication (the tax benefit), it is reducing your taxable basis in the deal.  

Then I work the magic with the numbers and in many cases like now, I have 2 different companies that I have insured my portfolio because for some houses, the one that was cheaper for some of the properties when 3x to a SFH so I moved that one to another company.Insurance nowadays are not small money so it makes a difference to get a cheaper one so that you can get a better cashflow.You don't need to sit with them, but call them and you may need to spend an hour or so to get you setup with them.

Where do I deduct that $60k from my taxable income?

I realize it could be fraught with peril but it would be cheaper than a property manager and easier to find. 

It's a bit cheaper and less busy.

1) The regulation 1.263(a)-(f) reads that you're able to utilize it for amounts paid during the taxable year.

If you're total taxable gain is relatively small, then it is easier to justify paying the tax and avoiding the headache. 

I started doing this a couple of years ahead to reinvest and drain the taxable balance down.