Dead equity only saves you the prevailing interest rate where as other vehicles can usual more than double that return.

Tax rates would have to double.Since you essentially have a tax-free loan of the government's money, putting it to work in a tax-free vehicle is the best of both worlds.

In the future, I may leave half in the savings account (for immediate access) and put the other half in a lower-liquidity vehicle like short-term CDs or treasury bonds with the reasoning that the likelihood of needing all the reserves at once is probably low so might as well have some of it earning interest. 

The one I'm focusing on now is my current vehicle.

I moved to Shoreline 3 years ago because of the prices and anything close to the new rail line is going to become even more desirable (my home has appreciated about 75%), look at places where there are major improvements coming down the pike, you may not make much right now but in a few years it will probably increase quite a bit.

There are also other vehicles to achieve what you're looking for but that's another story.

There are still some deals on houses along the light rail path that need a little love (not too much, flipping is usually a big commitment) but could be house hacked.

South LA including Inglewood may have some pockets but they are going up fast due to subway/light rail construction and tech companies moving east as they are getting away from beach communities.

The fractional folks should be knocking at your door.Finish the 1031, place it in passive vehicles, get back to what you love.

However, if you do it with SFH then it usually isn't a great cash flow vehicle.