Hey @Taylor Smith,There are a lot of factors that play into the decision, so I would always start discussing what your current portfolio looks like, your future goals, what states you operate from generally along with a multitude of other questions.

Your GI Bill will actually become more powerful after you separate/retire due to its partnership with the Yellow Ribbon Program.

I could keep it as an appreciation play, but I went into real estate for cash flow, and this barely has any.

You are not playing the victim (very important in life) and you are not blaming anyone but yourself (very important in this business).   

How did this play out?  

We were able to itemize instead of taking the standard deductions on our individual tax returns while it was our primary residence, by deducting mortgage interest, taxes and qualified improvements, but then learned the power of the P&L and taking business deductions against the passive income to offset our tax liability.

You will pretty quickly be able to tell who is just selling something and who can become a valuable member of your team.Best of luck as you explore this powerful alternative for putting your retirement funds to work.

@Patrick GarrettAs @Stephanie Potter mentioned so are soooo many variables that come into play and my recommendation would be to get on the phone and start calling every bank/credit union in town.

This stands in direct opposition to a capital intensive industry such as manufacturing where employee and owner skill may be less important than the company's fixed asset profile.While S179 is a valid strategy in the attempt to drive a taxpayer's taxable income below the 'threshold amount' so the SSTB receives the un-phased out Sec 199A deduction, a SSTB may not have the investments in fixed assets necessary to drive them below the threshold during the year unless they're already very close to the threshold.Some other ideas for taxpayers owning a SSTB to lower their taxable income:Roll taxable bonds into tax-exempt bonds.Life insurance & annuities.Real estate (it's BP after all).Oil and gas investments.Charitable gifts (including CRTs).Gifts to taxpayers with lower taxable income (powerful option is to gift a percentage of the business to a trust).If a SSTB is well above the threshold, a compelling case could be made that the business should be a C Corp in the current tax environment. 

I'm not sure how you are analyzing the repair cost and how this plays into your spreadsheet.