Adding in that I worked in a horrible environment with a bunch of a-holes as co-workers, and it made my decision easier, no doubt.

No amount of reason will convince him.Doesn't matter that his thesis has been consistently wrong on long term holds for decades on end.Forget the long term historical data.Forget that his thesis was wrong in environments of high interest rates, of low interest rates, of rising interest rates, and of falling interest rates.Forget the underlying market fundamentals of high demand and persistently limited supply.Forget that all our stuff cash flows too.Forget that rent increases come along side price increases so that cash flow increases along with it.Forget that we as locals can force appreciation and apply other methods to intelligently hedge our bets.Forget logic.Forget reason.Nope, if anybody makes any profit in CA it is because they got lucky, and you need a hot tub time machine to make any money going forward.

Selling outright and paying the taxes in today's high income tax rate environment is really painful.  

We have an environment we're trades literally don't show up to your job because someone else offered them a little more that day.

Peace Lily Withold the money 2x the contractor contract.

A super simple change like, "Escape the Everyday: Peaceful Lake-Front House with Brand New Furnishings" would probably help push demand.

I tried to reach a peaceful move-out agreement with them but they have been variously stalling me and belligerent.

If so, is the discrepencey worth the peace of mind?

I think it would provide a peace of mind to your tenants no a police station is across the street.

I've been very successful in the call center/inside sales environment and at this point in time I'm transitioning to more of an outside sales role and looking to organically grow my network and meet more real estate/mortgage professionals in the area.