But I want to eliminate the obvious highest risks. 

Also, if you have cash from another source to eliminate the debt, then that will work just as well. 

With that pain point eliminated, I'm curious to know what others think.We have no affiliation with Truvi whatsoever. 

There is now discussion that this eligibility could be eliminated (which would effectively move the waitlist sooner) but eliminate a major market from immediate STR usages. 

If you can find a 3-4 unit, that would be ideal for trying to eliminate as much of your PITI as possible.

A GC that balks on a contract is an easy and inexpensive way to vet and eliminate a contractor from consideration.

And, if you die holding a lot of real estate, that tax bill largely gets eliminated, so your heirs will thank you.  

With how much real estate prices have increased it is unlikely you will fully eliminate capital gains in excess of the $500K exemption (assuming married filing joint) but any improvement costs you have support for can be added to your homes basis will help lower the gain amount 

And simply rolling your money into another property doesn’t eliminate taxes—if you want to defer or reduce them, you’d need a tool like a 1031 exchange, an Opportunity Zone investment, or an installment sale.

Obtaining umbrella coverage is fine, but focus on identifying potential premises liability pitfalls at your properties and proactively eliminate them.