I have only owned rentals for about 6 years, so curious for those of you that owned rentals the last time we had a real uptick in job losses (2008-2010), how did your portfolio hold up on lost rent due to nonpayment, higher vacancy rates, etc? 

Not apples to apples here, but Disney almost always gave guests anything they requested, even if it was at a loss to them.

Getting 20%+ down, interest only payments of say 10%, with a 2 year balloon payment.This will get you $100k+ to use on other investments in the short term, good cash flow monthly for the 24 months, and should the market decline further you will not take those losses.

So even if the tenant doesn't pay their share, you're not at a total loss. 

The point of an entity is usually asset protection.2) If you set up the Corporation and attempt to buy the property inside of the corporation, rather than your personal name, you will lose access to conventional financing options, likely ending up with higher interest rate debt that will not amortize over 30 years. 3) If you earn less than $150K per year, the losses on the property can offset your income, if you meet certain criteria.

Renting a room out as a STR or MTR can provide income, but it comes at the cost of loss of personal space and a risk.  

Given you already have started to build out a portfolio, you should also talk to your accountant about qualifying for real estate professional status to write off losses against ordinary income - https://financialresidency.com/real-estate-professional-irs/.

Looking to see who seems to be coming up the most affordable rates for Landlord policies offering Liability coverage and loss of rents.

It seems as if every deal I've analyzed from a number standpoint is a total loss or will result in breaking even. 

in addition, with all the crimes involving murder and mayhem, getting a prosecutor to take an insurer's having suffered an $11k loss as a crime seriously is pretty remote.