Every job your tenants have today will disappear in the foreseeable future.

I would cut my loses (and potential future loses) and sell.

All these things are lessons learned, and I will have to take into effect in the future. 

Are there any on-line government sources of truth for any particular city's future infrastructure/expansion/city planning plans or any private company tracking these initiatives? 

Reading the book is great; however, your market, your projects and you person experience will help you create a deal with better spreads and everything else by getting those bids and use that knowledge for the current job and future jobs.

And if I buy in the near future, I'll be creating another LLC.

I am currently trying to grow my business in working with investors and hopefully partner on deals in the future.

Wondering if it is worth amending my last few years taxes to change all of those purchases of appliaces from depreciation to expenses to avoid future depreciation recapture upon sale.

It gets less than that the older the person is from the start.2 - What's $600/year worth now, and what will it be worth in the future? 

I don't know your criteria for a good deal, but if you're strictly looking on market for a quad in Raleigh you likely won't find one in the near future that meets what you're looking for.