Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I then would recommend that you purchases new homes  after you explain to a tax consultant like Dave recommended that best fits your goals.You might benefit from the tax liability by living in one of those homes. 

I'm very fond of Excel, like @John Warren, but only for certain things, like evaluation of acquisitions, calculating cost and benefits of different loan structures, and projecting cashflow. 

You can remain conservative and put a high downpayment (35-50%) while still availing the benefits of tax writeoffs through getting financing.

What are the benefits? 

In ohio you do have to pay interest on any amount above a one month security deposit, but rates being what they are the cost is minimal and far outweighed by the benefit of actual notice.

So although I don't see any issue with it, I don't really see that much benefit.

I now tie my identity to daily activities (learning and improvement) and the results are taking care of themselves.I am understanding and gaining control over my mind (your #1 above).I hit the gym first thing in the morning and eat a can of tuna and low sugar protein shake for breakfast...a workout and 45 grams of protein is a good way to kick off the day. 

I would aggressively pay down the mortgage, stabilize the property, and hopefully gain appreciation.

You could probably also benefit from attending a local REIA to meet some contacts there and grow your network.