I am now leaning toward looking for compromise where we look for a cheaper Seattle property that has the potential to add a bedroom or a bathroom to improve its value.One (perhaps foolish) idea I wanted to put out here was if anyone had experience planning to refinance after forcing its value to increase via a strategic rehab, with the goal of recouping some of the capital that went into the rehab?

There is a lot of foreclosure in my area and this could be a very viable opportunity for buyers sellers, and me (provided that I am able to do strategic deals).

"Strategic Frugality" is a term I use.  

You might need to be a little strategic about who you work for because ideally you'll need a somewhat flexible schedule to make both work.

College also gave me solid background and confidence.That said, you have to be strategic about it.

You have to be strategic, not emotional.

All of those people giving short-term advice, are not being strategic thinkers --- I am self-employed 90% of my time and I am working towards 100% self-employment and full financial freedom.  

His only benefit was from equity paydown(paying the mortgage) his advice was count on 50%, obviously heavily influenced by tenant turnover.On current strategy, the world is yield starved with low rates of return on everything, so many are accepting formally unthinkable returns as "better than money in the bank"I would be firmly in the "time to re-strategize" camp, and think the artificially low interest rates will cause a lot of malinvestment as financial engineering usually does.7.5% should be doable with multifamily or syndicationAlthough there seems to be no end to those who will overpay, perhaps not understanding actual costs or investing for other reasons(besides cashflow) on the commercial side.

I'm not saying that is going to happen to you, but use history as an opportunity to think strategically about your future.I received my degree in Business / Finance and I have absolutely no regrets.

Ultimately, in my opinion college will teach you to learn and think more critically and strategically.