What this tells me is if I had made the above bet in the year 2000, I would have won the wager virtually every time.  

It's been a while since I've done a TX foreclosure but i'd wager a $100,000 home would be $1,500-$2,500 for title work, TSG, publication, trustee fees, recording, and so forth, depending on location and loan balance?

I would wager that no matter what you do in this situation, they will always be unhappy, and always blame you for getting robbed.

I would also be happy to wager the contract you signed with the tile agent expressly forbid this. 

Then, you can parlay that great experience into great returns for you once you have developed a proven track record.

Respectfully, counting on the IRS to "connect the dots" is a losing wager in my experience.

Plus, the US working population is decreasing, which will cause wage rates to increase.

There are 0 storefronts that are functional and I'd wager under 100 people live there.

A house-hack and strong cash position may offer life flexibility and optionality in the next few years that you can parlay into advantages that are much more meaningful to your long-term wealth than the slow compounding of tax advantaged accounts.

I do not have any inside knowledge, but I would wager that it only took that long because they were gathering multiple offers and giving everyone a chance to compete.