Note, even if insurance pays for all the damage your property suffers, you still lose.

It can take a while to find a good deal, depending on your market you may need to be searching by zip code or even neighborhood or particular blocks.

Are you driving every block in your zip code and noting changes on blocks, smaller homes, value add opportunities?

Also, your stay does not have to be one block of time.

Sure you pay HoA fees, but as long as you can cash flow, the actual damages are minimized since you only have to care for the interior.

Also know that your LL has to mitigate your damages which means they need to diligently try to release your place as to minimize your financial loss.   

Depending on how old they are and how thick they can do alot of damage. 

All appliances have a shelf life.PROPERTY DAMAGE:1.

While it's easier to get a good deal (relative to market) on "a" house in the winter (flexible criteria on what the property looks like, etc), it's a lot harder to get "the" house (open floor plan, double oven, 2 blocks from the subway, bla bla bla).

The best advice that I can give is to time block.