@Tiana Lazard check with your local municipality, but unlikely you can claim homestead unless it is still your legal address - and you want tenants getting your mail.

As for finding a contractor, asking local investors for recommendations is a great start.

However this is something that will for sure affect MF construction this year and sfr is these Tarrifs hold.In the NW I know a lot of lumber comes from CA / BC to be specific but my lumber packages for homes i build in Charleston SC are pine so I know it local wood .. but you know the lumber brokers they will gouge if they get any chance to do so

Are you local to the property?

Full disclosure, I'm not a disaster expert, politician or climate alarmist, but according to those fighting fires on the California coast since the 1960's, Devil Winds are natural occurrences each and every decade but require highly conducive conditions to be as destructive. 

Since when should any local govt have the right to tell someone they can't rent or lease their property or other items. 

Focus on smaller single-family homes, condos with low HOA fees, or multi-family properties in these regions, and build a reliable local team of agents, property managers, and other professionals to ensure a smooth investing experience.

Your local laws are going to prevail.

We bought a property that we feel is assessed by the our local government too high.

If I were in your and/or your mother-in-laws shoes, I would go to a local bank and use the free and clear house to secure a $150K+ line of credit.