I've no horse in this race (not a homeowner), but Technology Connections has made a series of videos advocating heat pumps, most recently this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVLLNjSLJTQ
The gist is that heat pump technology is continuously getting better at working in cold conditions, so if the horror stories are more than 5-10 years old they may not reflect the current state of things, and in extreme situations resistive heating can always be used as a backup.
Heat pumps are "just" air conditioners that point the other way, and AC is extremely common in the USA, so I'd doubt that the competency required is exceptional.
The gist is that heat pump technology is continuously getting better at working in cold conditions, so if the horror stories are more than 5-10 years old they may not reflect the current state of things, and in extreme situations resistive heating can always be used as a backup.
Heat pumps are "just" air conditioners that point the other way, and AC is extremely common in the USA, so I'd doubt that the competency required is exceptional.