Can anyone provide some guidance on the ideal move?

I'm confused, can anyone provide some insight?

If you're not even comfortable driving up the driveway, definitely don't purchase the property.

A 1031 exchange would likely only cost you a fee, plus impose rules on how to use your sale proceeds and when, without providing a tax benefit. 

I have a wealth of knowledge I can share with you and provide you with some good insights into markets to avoid and those to pursue. 

Also, what exactly was the quote provided by the contractor?

You really need a team that provides rentals, All the best 

If you are comfortable with those numbers and you can wait it out until interest rates improve then go for it.You could also consider putting down a larger downpayment.

And I also realized that I wouldn't make a claim unless I had a major loss anyways, as it'd likely make my premium skyrocket (and would perhaps make the provider not want to renew at the end of the year).

Any guidance provided would be greatly valued.Having said all this, we aim to do more than just scrape by month to month for the next year or two.