Have been house hunting for awhile for a primary home or multiple, I am now considering building new rather than buying old ones with high maintenance cost.

But insurance continues to be high due to frequent hail storms.

Although I am still new to real estate, the  strategy that seems most appealing to me is long-term rentals, but in regard to investing in real estate, I am very open to any other strategies in the business.

No state taxes, high appreciation, Economic and Job growth, Population growth, etc. 

I don't want to over leverage my properties especially with interest rates this high, it will eliminate cash flow.

If you like the W2, it will be a high amount of work. 

Regarding insurance, the only way we can get it is through the CA Fair Plan, and it’s steep.

Best regards,Shawn Questa

Sadly, this price-gouging behavior has become the unfortunate new norm in the insurance industry.There's a high likelihood you'll need a broker familiar with surplus lines.  3 weeks isn't much time - if you aren't working with someone already you need to get in touch with someone asap.

Tenant Default: 0-5% probability of eviction or early lease termination.Section 8: Class A rents are too high and won’t be approved.Vacancies: 5-10%, depending on market conditions.Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Class B Properties:Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 620-680, some blemishes, no convictions/evictions in last 5 years.Tenant Default: 5-10% probability of eviction or early lease termination.Vacancies: 10-15%, depending on market conditions.Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 1-3 years for positive cashflow, balanced amounts of relative rent & value appreciation.Section 8: Class B rents are usually too high for the Section 8 program.Class C Properties:Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no convictions/evictions in last 3 years.