That being said, it is not going to double in value in that time, so that part of his plan is unrealistic.You can't make his decisions for him and probably shouldn't try to influence him either as a friend.  

I would say you can assist with the short sale, but I would refrain from any sort of direct influence with the bank in regards to the property's value.All your really doing in most cases is finding out what documents the bank wants and making sure they get submitted to the bank as they want them.

As to your question, straight depreciation is largely influenced by how much the assessor assigns to the land value.  

The right business can help boost rents in an area, and commerical tenants tend to be low maintenance, long term renters.Separating the utilities is a good long term plan, but why not wait until you've built up some cash from the property so that you're re-investing the funds back into the building?

Be aware too, that cities doing redevelopment keep cards close to their chest in some respects, tagging an area can influence prices overnight, something they don't want if they are having to take property buying out owners.

At times I find myself getting frustrated and wanting to give it all up, but I go back to my WHY which is freedom, and most importantly my support system: my wife, family, and buisness partner for that boost that is greatly needed.

It behooves investors to be extremely well-read on their markets, and perhaps to know people with meaningful influence in their communities.More efficient modes of transportation is a good one, saving businesses and/or consumers time and/or money.

And, of course, when you sell the contract it will just boost the confidence of your Realtor and make it that much easier the next time......

(she should be working next year) (I wonder if I could transfer one of the free and clear properties in her name to boost income?)

I agree as well, there is still a lot of bad economic indicators that won't be calculated until we near the end of the fourth quarter.Christmas sales normally either boost or downturn the market.