I've seen people be successful with this method in many areas and Ive had close relationships with people who have done this and done it well.I myself am a House Flipper have been for 12 years now.

Ideally I'd like to buy a rental for every second or third flip using either turnkeys or the BRRR method.

Their concern is that the most expensive part of employing someone is the hiring and training phase...so they dont want to have you come on board for a year then have you jump ship to pursue real estate.

So I am self employed as a consultant in a business other than real estate (I also have some rental properties that I own and operate but I don't believe they are relevant to this question).  

It employs me currently but it's seasonal.

Here's a next best method to value your land, provided that the issues you're wrestling with don't disqualify the deal for you.

Here's some more reading on the subject: https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Home-Office-Deduction 

I am attracted to the BRRRR model -- it seems like an intelligent way to methodically build a good-sized portfolio by reinvesting my original equity over and over, but I also acknowledge that there's a lot to learn. 

I think anything is possible if you choose the right methods.

The issue is that you have other identification abilities and are not restricted to the three-day method for some reason.