They said this is an older home, and has had some minor renovations but it probably would need some form of work if comparing it to the fully reno homes in that area.

Unfortunately due to the business you choose to operate incidents like the one you experienced are more likely to occur compared to a property that's continually occupied by a tenant where the water would more likely be run at a higher frequency which would prevent the pipes from freezing.  

It’s growing fast, has good schools, and offers affordable homes compared to Houston.

The cost associated with insurance for not having 20% is peanuts compared to what you potentially can do leveraging your down payment. 

You can also look into building a rental portfolio which is a little less hands off compared to flipping.

I've seen this in the news.This doesn't affect me because I'm small time compared to these big companies.I also don't purchase any pricing software.

I bought lots of umbrella insurance.I'd recommend you talk to a local attorney and compare services and fees with Anderson.

Comparing just those two things, you would save way more money in the long run by avoiding the annual mortgage interest.

In Philadelphia the fundamentals are strong: leading industries/employers are in the Education and Medical fields which are known to be stable, proximity to NYC and DC, national airport, port city, affordability compared to mid-atlantic predecessors.

It amazes me the nice cars, clothes, and general stuff that my renters have compared to what I own.