I'm hoping to receive a bonus for work within the next year and that will pay off whatever bad debt I have remaining.

Sure, these laws aren't perfect, but if you have reasonable rental criteria and screen properly, those laws will protect YOU as the landlord, and as a bonus, they make the screening process so much simpler.

Bonus if I can combine it with one of the grant programs provided by Baltimore City.

Any rental that is rented will be a bonus. 

Should I not need it all of it for taxes due to writing off expenses, then I consider what is left to be a bonus after filing taxes.

We never hired a management company, as it was not cost effective with rent we have been charging and it is only one house.Another question: If I do wait til Fall 2019 to sell, should I rip the carpet (up the stairs, living room hallways, bonus and bedrooms—2600sf house) and leave floors bare, (it’s light colored, horrible carpet) to allow buyers to add their own?

They're offering huge mileage bonuses. 

Appreciation is an awesome bonus but not something a deal should rely on.)What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow...

Our family loves great restaurants, entertainment, etc. and would find it difficult to lose access to that.No state income tax states get major bonus pointsWe love the outdoors. 

If you did this the 1031 would be appropriate, you get the lease you each want, and after a year or so they can exercise their option and buy it from you.Added bonus - If the rent to own is structured tight enough so that risk of loss passes to the now tenant at signing of the contract rather than the deed changing that is the same thing as you selling the property on the day you ink the rent to own so you could again 1031 that property if the financing issues could be worked out.