New Jersey is not a horrible state for investing it is more so certain towns and cities that give NJ a very bad name. 

Pittsburgh has to be one of the best markets for house hacking so we are definitely blessed.

So you're not completely anonymous.

So I am left getting a policy with a non admitted carrier for likely 2-3x the price for less coverage.

In the unfortunate event someone passes away and the property transfers via probate or a will, that fair market price gets "stepped up" so no taxes are paid.I would check with a CPA, but this is my understanding.

I'm in Phoenix and obviously you can see that there are so many people moving from the west coast states out here to a cheaper and better weather market.

No system is perfect, so don't waste your time chasing after the next shiny object.

Even if you handle management yourself, budget at least 10% for property management costs so you’re already prepared to scale.

As with any electronic item they can fail, so I keep an extra new lock on site at each property for maintenance to install if needed. 

I, and the investors that I work with find the advantages with new construction investment properties are so great it is sometimes hard to compete.