In fact, when the prices dropped, many of those oil workers either went back to the Southern states, or made their way East to Fargo.  

If the appraiser used different comps have your realtor submit any additional comps and include a list of repairs/upgrades that you made to the property.Good luck!

If they sell at market, I would have effectively made $0 in profit, and it cost me roughly $1.4m all in.

I'm getting car magnets made!

What repairs need to be made?

If they made 18% +/- on the buy, they could actually sell for less than they paid and still not be in the red. 

In fact there is a guy running for President who made 9 billion Dollars doing real estate  Unlike the stock market where value is determined by what the herd will pay, even if the company is going down the toilet, real estate has intrinsic value.  

But it's all (repeat) business.A tenant is a customer.

Besides main residences and restaurant/bar/retai­l I've done many investment properties that have been made rentals or sold for profit.

However, the points that have been made about the cheap money being out there and its effects on the market are crucial.