@Chris SeveneyThe long-shot play I became aware of; Capital Improvement Project Funding that the city/county have allocated for projects that meet 2 criteria.Have a lifetime greater than 10 yearsCost more than $50,000I believe, even if the water and refuse collection run is only 1000 ft, that may not qualify but to do it "right", that two mile run would allow the entire subdivision to be supplied with services.

Please feel free to skip the details and someone may be able to answer my direct question at the bottom of the post. 

If it was me I'd sell Encinitas take the 1/2 mil tax free, keep the land in Carlsbad and build that dream home, and have a fun project with your mentor's home as a retreat.  

The market determines price based on supply/demand and if you think there's not enough supply - then go ahead and increase the price. 

The episode dropped recently on the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast and goes into how these design elements can give your property a competitive edge.If you’re working on a project or investment in Arizona and want some insight on how to approach renovations to maximize value, feel free to reach out.

You can use their 7 day free trial and just build up your list, and after your 7 days is done, use TruePeopleSearch.com to find phone numbers of the people you identified on Propstream. 

After I told him I couldn't do it, he went on to say he had a free and clear property that he wanted a HML on and I could choose the title company.

If you need any more specific information, feel free to ask!

Yes, you can do a cash out refinance on a property owned free & clear!

This is what I did for a cabin I built in Gatlinburg:  We took a few royalty-free photos of the area off of the internet, and submitted them to an art site online whereby they make a painting of the photo.