Account holders can't take any write-offs personally for investments made in the 401k.

I have a salt water hot tub at my personal home.

Since you lived in the home for 2 years and 9 months before renting it during your deployment, you should qualify for the exclusion of up to $250,000 ($500,000 if married filing jointly), provided you meet the other criteria.

I personally would never invest somewhere that could outlaw rentals.

Awesome to see a new investor-minded person here.. do you have a favorite real estate success story already?

I personally will try to avoid buying a home under 1000 square feet again.

I have a 780 credit score and no debt besides my personal residence.

If not, the only requirement may be filing plans with the dept of buildings.One of our contractors does the bulk of his work on contracts with NYC.Mainly work related to bathrooms & tiles/flooring, I will shoot you a PM if I can get any information on this.All the best!

There are many ways to attempt to collect your loss:  file a small claims complaint against them; get a judgement so you can garnish future wages/bank accounts - and the judgement will be recorded in the credit bureau. 

Personally, I self manage but have built systems to allow it to be fully remote and very passive.