If it is still not sold in a month are they expecting me to get their place on place mats at the local diner and a postcard campaign to the local apartment complexes, hoping that someone who didn't realize they were ready to buy will bite.

I am realizing now that I may have missed the meet up that may have happened tonight but I would be interested in the future.

Were these motivations establish early on or was it a slow realization after a seasoned career?

Wow I didn't realize that. 

I do realize one has to spend money to make it

There are far more ways to show improvements than you realize.

In fact, in my current scenario, that is exactly what happened in 2014, and the lender agreed to not add that as a recurring expense, however, and I'm saying that as a small business owner with several businesses who employs various strategies to lower taxes and realized income, when it comes to real estate, it either makes money or it doesn't.

Hey BP Community,I am a recently transitioned military officer who has just joined the corporate finance world and realized that it is not all that it is cracked up to be.

Realize the longer you string them on the more likely they find somewhere else.  

You should be able to do a 1031 exchange and not realize any capital gains.