The rates vary throughout the State because of the different millage rates and tax districts, but in Richland County for instance, the taxes essentially triple once it goes from legal resident to non legal residence. 

I am pretty sure you can not do a 1031 and use the proceeds to do anything to a primary residence.

With your primary residence, things can be pretty straight forward in terms of splitting mortgage interest, real estate taxes etc. on your returns.If you go into a rental property, there are a lot of considerations to think about.

Looking to find duplex or something along those lines to reside in and then eventually move upward.

Also, not sure what relationship you have established with your property manager but typically people hire managers to take care of this part and be tenant-facing.  

I was looking for some advice (viable target areas in Cleveland or Ohio in general, financing options and credible PM/realtor contacts) from the experts here though especially if you are in a similar boat as mine (reside in Canada/Ontario area and invest in US). 

I guess I could do some work-arounds -- maybe reserve one unit in the first purchase for use as an AirBnb, and reserve my own time in it when needed - instead of claiming it as a primary.Are either of you (or anyone) familiar with a finance product/loan that will allow me to purchase under $150,000 (w/ strong credit) and do much of my own work and live-in a portion as a primary residence?  

Your IRA can borrow, but you have to be careful to not personally guarantee it.

I'm considering tapping into the equity from either my primary residence or rental property to purchase another rental home that generates solid monthly cash flow.I'm open to investing out of state and have heard that areas like Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina offer potential opportunities.

You might decide that you absolutely want to own your own residence there and I assume you can afford it since you already own properties elsewhere, likely in beautiful Hawaï.