Your replacement property needs to be held for investment or associated with your trade or business. 

Sellers sell to trade up.

But a commuter trades some housing expense for the home and instead have $400 up in commute costs (plus wear & tear on vehicle and lost time, say 2 hours each way - pre COVID - better than 2 hours until normal commute resumes). 

Others are really good at trading options.Good luck.

I am a residential remodeling contractor by trade with a solid understanding of the rehab process and a network of laborers and subcontractors that I can rely on, and thus plan on managing this first rehab myself. 

Strategic Location**: Situated along the Mobile Bay, Mobile serves as a vital port city, connecting the region to international trade routes.

From the phone calls I am getting from Investors, the majority are focused on Columbus, yes margins seem better in CLE and Cincy but the appreciation in Cbus has higher forecast for next 7-10 years.

A more retail oriented user will have different requirements than industrial vs warehouse vs trades contractor etc.

A misconception about the real estate professional status (REPS) is that you can be in a real property trade or business (in your case, home building company) and still qualify. 

Investors that have exponentially grown use the 1031 exchange like clockwork and continue to trade up.