I have house hacked a bit, and have flipped 2 houses (homes I lived in).

The other half of the increased value would be included in the deceased spouse’s estate.Community Property StatesIf you live in a community property state, things work a little bit differently.

My plan would be to live in it for a year and then start renting it out. 

It is the equivalent of crashing your car then trying to buy insurance to fix the car after the fact.A home warranty or homeowners insurance policy will not pay for mold because mold is a maintenance issue.You didn't say what is wrong with the garage - if it's a broken door opener that is typically covered on a home warranty.My experience is mixed with home warranties and I can 100% tell you your satisfaction comes down to the local trade person that shows up.The home warranty company does not employ trades - they contract them locally at a fixed rate for the work performed sort of like how car mechanics are paid. 

I live in Winston Salem, NC.

The man currently living there is a retired wheelchair bound vet who always pays on time and so they have never felt right raising the rent as hes only living on his Army paycheck.House 3. rents for $800/m the loan will cost me $14,000 as a down payment and $6,000 closing costs, and should cash flow approx $225/m after mortgage payment are made.House 4. 

I try to avoid this neighbor due to lots of activity of cars coming and going all weekends and week evenings.After much effort and skip tracing I was recently able to locate the out of state owner of the property on the side and promptly sent another certified letter as earlier mentioned.The big problem I may face soon is if I sell this property I may face issues from the buyer or buyers insurance company regarding these trees overgrowth,Short of me digging in my pocket and paying for tree service there is also the issue of contacting the owners requesting permission to access the trees for trimming.

I live at home with my parents currently and am trying to save money for a down payment. 

I live in Western NY, so I'm not sure if the CPA would have to be local to me? 

I have owned a house since 2017 that my father lived in until he passed 2-1/2 years ago.