How do I access a portion of that equity to fund the purchase of 1-2 more MFR properties in more affordable markets like OH, IN, MI, PA, TN, or AL?

A number of things seem like memory loss. 

It’s paid off, I would “like” to leave it that way & maximize the cash flow while paying down the heloc between the rental & other income.  

I find it a great way to earn additional compensation as long as its a deal I like with conservative leverage and strong operators I trust. 

Investing out of state in the KCMO area sounds like a smart move; it’s such an interesting market with plenty of potential.

I've been working in software consulting services for over 15 years and it's kind of disheartening that I haven't been able to figure it out, but I've got other things to worry about (like how to get a few more properties so i don't have to worry about buggie tech crap anymore :) ).

Sounds like you found a profitable niche 

At those price points I'm assuming this is a more cash flow area like the rust belt, or other mid west geography.

STR feels more like a strategy to break even or eek out a meager return on a great asset than a strategy to cashflow.

Quote from @Devin James: Gross Margin is an important calculation for developers/builders.Gross Margin = Gross Profit / RevenueWe shoot for a 20% gross margin on our New Construction HomesReal #’s:Home Sales Price: $374KClosing Cost: $18,700Cost of Construction: $258KLand Cost: $30KGross Profit = $67K$67K/$374K = 17.9% Gross MarginCame slightly short of our goal of 20%Homes Values and Build Costs are constantly fluctuatingI wish we had a crystal ball build larger homes. average new build in our market is 2200 square feet, 4 beds, 3 baths, 2 car garage and sells for 515k. construction costs lower if design is good and find the median or average home sale price and push that up. my guess is you built too small. 347k is cheap. we target 429-479k price range in columbus ohio for single family homes and also only purchase close to urban core where premiums are 20% higher and we build smaller like 1500 sq ft where price per square foot goes up.