It's a piece of information that when discovered drastically changes the situation. 

All of my properties are within 15 minutes of my house so self-management is a piece of cake, but starting next year I also plan on taking some time to stay at my STR out of state in the winter and someone will need to be on the ground locally.

This is an important piece of the puzzle I just discovered as well, kind of a dream deflator, lol.

Would it be okay/legal/ethical to offer a buyer or seller a piece of the referral commission?

I'll stand with you on this Trevor, I think it is a great piece of jargon, let's make it grow.

All you really need to do is break down what you want to do in small pieces. 

But, they should also put - "you will be piecing together a lot of information over hours, some of the information wont help since it wont be applicable to your location, strategy, and/or your unique situation, and sometimes when you have the most questions - there may or may not be an answer that has already been answered on BP in the nick of time.

I am wondering if anyone can direct me to the specifications for qualifying piece of real estate as owner occupied.  

I guess that's all to say that there is not one piece of data you can pick out of an appraisal, but it is certainly valuable information if you know how to read it.

I think Patrick's first piece of advice is spot on.