Your goals are really important here as it might be a lot harder to realize appreciation if you sell it a few years after purchasing above appraisal value.

You see I manage my properties myself and my wife and I want to fulfil a dream of moving out of state to live somewhere warm and close to a beach but I'm realizing that if I hire property managers to take my place, my profit will be slashed in half or worse. 

As far as vacancy rates go… AirDNA is super good for that, and I realized you can trick the system by searching like one area per day or per week and get that data

I have a portfolio of a SFH in Atlanta which over the covid times has appreciated and I'm looking for ways to realize the profit.

The Seller realizes you see imperfection (and opportunity) in their house, so they feel singled out.

I realize that I will make mistakes and not everything I do will be the best choice.

Having heard numerous complaints through the years, you would be shocked how many people openly admit it in the hearings without even realizing. 

The education he exposed to me was mind blowing and I didn't even realize it was so many strategies in real estate and you don't know what you don't know. 

Any early nonqualified use will forever taint the property and some portion of the gain will be taxable (unless a step-up in basis occurs under IRC Sec. 1014 after the death of the taxpayer)When sec121 qualified property with non-qualified use is involved in 1031: (non-qualified period tacks on)Depreciation: In other words, where a taxpayer's residence is the relinquished property in a tax-free exchange, any gain attributable to depreciation deductions relating to the residence can be deferred until the taxpayer disposes of the replacement property received in the exchange.Gain: The Code Sec. 121 exclusion has to be applied to gain realized before applying the nonrecognition rule of Code Sec. 1031Illustration 1: A, an unmarried individual, buys a house for $210,000 that A uses as his principal residence from Year 1 to Year 5.

It took me many 'rookie' mistakes, or using your term 'trial by fire' losses before I realized that its just not worth trying to be a jack of all trades investor.