However, if I had started off with a house hack, I could have lower my monthly mortgage tremendously which would have helped me build up my savings at a much quicker pace than I had.

You need a GC you trust and a GC that cares and a GC that wants to build a business relationship with you and not be a one off. 

I own 2 apartment buildings in The Annapolis valley Nova Scotia.

Hello, I’m a local investor and general contractor  to St.

Building a relationship with tenants is important like others have mentioned.

It has sat empty for the last 20 years but the current owners have completely gutted it, have bids from contractors they're willing to share, cost estimates etc. and have had lots of inspections done and so much pre-work with the city and county to figure out what they can and can't do, so a solid plan is already in place.

What is the realty of converting a new Warehouse build into apartment spaces?

Make sure to have your contractor ready and your cash or hard money loan ready as well to work on your repairs. 

How to execute a 1031 exchange build to suitHow to operate and self manage a co-living propertyDid you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

If you do land one in the off season, build in 2x as much vacancy as you think or about 20% less rent than market for the first year.