Pittsburgh is very affordable and the taxes are low outside of Allegheny County.

My understanding is that the $480K qualifies for 1031 treatment and tax deferral.

Has any one had any success helping a seller get tax lien relief in the past or negotiated with the city to get the amount of tax liens on a property reduced?

If you have an insurance claim with renters in the property and a homeowner policy I would expect the claim to be denied.The benefit of landlord insurance is that it will actually cover you, if you try to rent a house out with a typical homeowner policy you are simply not covered (even though you are paying premiums).Insurance is not where you want to go lowest bidder or look to cut corners - it is there to save your behind in the event of a major incident.

If you can get into some properties in Salem or Nashua that might make sense too but the tax bill might eat a good portion of your profits. 

Would I still pay taxes on what I don't spend on the down payment?

- or should I have the owner of the unit below me file a claim with their insurance?

So they want to pay capital gains tax right away instead of letting it appreciate tax free?

Question for the tax pros out there.If someone inherits a home from a trust after death of the owner, and the home is their primary residence, does the two year period to exclude capital gains on the sale of a primary residence start from the date of death or the date the house was distributed from the trust? 

I also did get a separate credit card to use just for house expenses.This makes it a whole lot easier, especially if you misplace a receipt when doing taxes.