Maybe it's a bit more LA mentality, but I don't see someone from Garner to east and up to Wake Forest stomaching a 45 minute one way daily commute to where the higher income in-office jobs are located, which I'm leaning into for greater likelihood to afford rent now and increases later.

You're going to want health insurance and a steady paycheck. 

Well, this has been sort of an emotional roller coaster given we need to sell the place within a time limit given our financial and health situation (plus wanting to put an offer on the home we want before it sells).

If I were in your shoes, I would change my mentality to how can I convince an appraiser to give me more value to what is the worst case scenario, if the value comes in lower. 

I have a different mentality about pets and consider them family not extras.

A property is considered Uninhabitable if "A condition that materially interferes with the tenant's life, health, or safety." 

You've clearly been exercising your mental muscle for deal analysis and there will be others.

I work part time for Costco (their health insurance is unbeatable!)

I think its just the mental aspect. 

Which tempts me to tell everyone to put their real estate into S Corps, because you might save on the Health Insurance portion of SS taxes