Difficult to play the game without knowledge of the rules.  

Or do as I do... don't play the game when the numbers don't work.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people who invest in mortgage notes do is, play the role of an attorney.

Play the long game. 

They play the long game.I am 49 years old now.

Even though you may be playing the appreciation game, your comment about having to take out of your emergency fund of you personal residence leads me to believe that you may not have the finances to be able to play the appreciation game long term, and you may be able to leverage the money from selling this house to buy into a more cash flowing market.

If you are interested in learning to play, the best place to start is at a local driving range, look for one with a pro Golf instructor and take a few lessons, see if you like it.

If they say they have another buyer willing to do it, let them play the fool lol.

Hopefully I will learn how to play the game right and not in an unethical or scheme like way.

I interpret this data to mean that Cumberland is undervalued, given all the improvements that will finish in the next 5 years.In Cumberland, they're constructing more highway lanes, more road lanes, Google Fiber, more apartment buildings, more office buildings, a big live/work/play (The Battery Atlanta), and last, but not least, an iFly.