The floorplates and inefficient use of land (due to parking) make it difficult to create financially feasible and useful reuse projects. 

Your plan to house-hack and reinvest is solid stay focused on properties that align with your financial goals, and you’ll build a successful portfolio over time.

Your current RE seems like a fine asset that I would not consider selling to enter most other markets.  

That area in PA can also work for STR and MTR so if you buy a 4-unit, you have the option of diversifying the asset inside of itself by doing 2 LTR, 1 STR, and 1 MTR if you wanted to give yourself some options.

While both involve finding and properly securing a site and bringing it to full entitlement, the ground-up process includes the land piece but gets way more involved and complex to execute.The full "Monty" for ground-up development needs to include financial literacy, an explanation of metrics, and how they work.

I think if you want to 1031 or trade an asset for a better one then that'd make more sense.

Buying an investment property at 21 shows amazing foresight and financial responsibility.

If you need financial help, ask under the "Finance, Tax, and Legal" forum.

Sounds like you are in a pretty strong financial position.

Only government and insurance companies insist on not letting go of mail.It's good asset protection.