Neither are sexy or net big gains but I'm moving forward paying attention to trends and ready to pivot as the market pivots.

My educational background is in science, but my personal background is rooted in the Midwest where I grew up on a farm and gained a skillset in everything mechanical. 

Portfolio = Income derived from financial instruments like dividends (including REITs), interest, royalties, and capital gains.Mostly income w/out loss potential, and favorable tax rates.Cap losses may offset cap gains w up to $3,000 loss.

It seems often that people will dwell on books, articles, podcasts and other sources and really just need a bit of personal motivation by peers to get out there and take that risk to start gaining those Street Smarts. 

Since you have lived in the property for two out of the previous five years you could take the first $500k of the gain tax free (as a married couple).

However, if you have 2-4 unit rental properties, you may not gain much benefit from listing on these sites, as they primarily focus on commercial properties.

Today all these homes could be sold on the market for a good return since homes on Long Island has had big gains.

That said, check with a CPA if you can use expenses from the remodel to offset some of the gains.

I hope your middle finger behaved as you left the building for the very last time ;-)On a serious note, with the experience you gained on your journey, can you tell us your Top 3 do's and don't as one tries to accumulate RE.  

Most come out ahead over an extended period of time by buying better quality assets where they perhaps have to leave some capital in the property but find themselves able to sell for real gains or refinance out appreciated equity and scale more effectively that way.