Worst case with metal is that it gets dented from hail and gets surface rust and corrosion and needs to be sanded and painted again in 30 years.

You want an independent agent with certain attributes:1. represent multiple companies 2. have some expertise in REI or Contracting insurance3. have companies that do both Personal Insurance & Commercial Insurance4. able to insure properties in multiple states that you might invest in5. are able to insure coastal properties if you intend to invest in NJ coastal areasYou can find potential agents by checking with others who are doing what you plan on doing. 

I have a SFH now but will either be buying an MFH outright or doing a house hack in the RI coastal area. 

I have done demo work,  flooring installations, tiling, drywall finish, using miter and table saw to cut and install baeboards and window sills and building picture frames with scraps, .I built a bar cabinet, an island cabinet around a center island stove, I have ran packer machines that compact the dirt in a foundation before the concrete is poured.Of course painting and sanding and varnishing...replacing electrical plugs and receptacles, hanging light fixturees, replaced plumbing pvc, used all sorts of power tools and saws and LIKED IT!...

I was doing some reading about 1031's and it seems to be "like type properties".

You can sand those lightly and use gel stain on them. 

@Rob Sands, thanks for the recommendations! 

It is also why I recommended hiring an expert if one is serious about moving ahead on a new development.That said, at the low end for a brand new development, $35,000 per pad would be on the low end, and I would not even consider to venture a guess at what it would take in California coastal areas.

They built a room out of my living room with a dead bolt sand I was not allowed access.

Instead of these I pick option C.I track down previous owner/s and get them to sign a Quit Claim deed.