Why are people going for $10M or more, which is at the point you'll have trouble spending it all. 

Staying proactive not only protects your tenants but also safeguards your investment.

I think broader consumer taste is killing malls, which includes online shopping, but also even where people are choosing to live and how they are spending their time/money, more broadly.I worked for a company that bought a failing mall back in 2012 (online shopping was "killing retail" then too), redeveloped most of it into more open air power center and sold.  

- We've got an owner we're about ready to terminate because we email them information that they refuses to read and always wants us to call them and spend hours talking about it.

You could also look into regional banks or credit unions with experience in real estate development for middle-ground options.If I were you, I’d spend some time shopping around for the best rate/terms.

People are going to start thinking about spending their tax refunds in the middle of January.

Quote from @Terrance Brewer: Quote from @Tim Delaney: I am an audio learner, so I spend a lot of time listening to various podcasts that BP puts out.

We plan to remove them all to protect from tax increases on our current primary, but I am afraid that now that the other properties won't have homesteads, we may see skyrocketing tax bills and it will eat into already small cash flow from rental income.Does anyone have advice for how to handle this situation other than just increasing rent?

I am glad that I am not the only one who takes twice as long and spends twice as much, haha.

It's impossible to answer your question without knowing how much you have to spend to acquire the house.