I feel like I have so many more attributes I need to put to use and working for "the man" severely restricts the freedom to use them.

There is no way to attribute the increase in value to any particular factor.  

You should always be thinking of what you can be doing now that leverages your current strengths in ways to expand your skill set.If your biggest attributes are time and motivation; working for a real estate agent might be a great way to gain knowledge and experience.

Those that have gained these attributes have all been where you are.By saying "see an attorney" I don't mean just ask pointed questions.

I attribute this to the dogged due diligence that I take before I close. 

Surprisingly, he has done many big deals around the world so I am partly attributing this to his maturing and lower desire for risk- even if it is just for a relationship.

when I look back one of my best years in buying foreclosures was 2004.. now I attribute that to the fact that the internet had not fully taken off Regarding RE.. so you still needed to have those particular set of skills that I learned from the 1970's on... now with the interenet its flooded the market with investors who here to fore would have never competed with me as it would have been to tough and complicated.Even BP is  perfect example of free on  line training.. for better or worse depending on your perspective.

The portion of the mortgage interest allocated to the rental unit is deducted on Schedule E.If you sell for a profit and meet the 2 of the prior 5 years ownership and occupancy rules, you can exclude up to $250K per taxpayer from the portion of the capital gains attributed to your residential unit.  

Thank you so much for sharing this, these 5 attributes I have applied since day one and I intend to move forward in leaps and bounds!.

@Russ Scheider Russ has asked me not to tout the attributes of the area lest it create undo competition :)IN all seriousness this is one of the under the radar markets investors dream of.Let all those folks think they need 10 caps with no appreciation..