If you don't and you are renting, then I would push you even further towards house hacking, as then you will get the double benefit of eliminating most, if not all of your living expenses, which in turn will greatly increase your savings rate.Other options could be, find a partner who has the capital, and you do all the heavy lifting of managing, and handling the property.

When we lived in Michigan the city we lived in had strict inspections that had to be conducted for a fee to redo burned homes.Realize that while you can encapsulate some of the burned wood to eliminate the smell, the heat does change the structure of the wood and may dictate replacement - again factor that into your offer. 

I'm also not willing to eliminate any options if the money makes sense!

This is the problem, not that you could not afford 20% down.There was a 2% rule to quickly eliminate possible deals and choose markets. i.e $1000/mo rent for a $50K purchase. 

Avoid any city on this list.Population growth - Wikipedia.comOperational Costs - Your approach to eliminate blue states is good.

Changing your job eliminated that unfortunately.3.

Find them and eliminate them.

If I go 20% Down route I eliminate pmi with a lower payment and can cash flow about 750 a month. 

Do you think those depreciation schedules will eliminate my gross income tax burden from 100k in commissions? 

One thing I would keep in mind: A property regulation is typically only considered a taking(requiring compensation) if it majorly impairs or eliminates the "economic value" of the property.