These are extreme examples used for illustration purposes.

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.  

Cleveland, Baltimore, Toledo, Indy etc....You will see net population decreases in most of these areas but these are the areas where the prices are the lowest in the USA and come with rents that are very high when compared to the sales price.

any suggestions on how I should compare these 2 options?

If you are passive in those rentals (not real estate professional for tax purposes which requires 750 hours of real estate), and your Modified Adjusted gross income is over $150,000, then the cost seg is not actually going to save you any taxes. 

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.

Sorry to see that some of you major funds that could have been used for investment purposes.

This is for basic informational purposes I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice.First, if you offer to purchase a property using a HELOC to fund the purchase you cannot later back out of the agreement because you couldn't find PML or investors.  

Nonrenewal rates were nearly 80 percent higher in Zip codes that faced the highest risk from insurance perils such as strong winds and wildfires compared with the lowest risk areas.

The bank does still ask for my tax returns each year and with each deal and my adjusted gross income last year was comparative to your stated cash flow from your rentals.