You will need to keep 20% equity in the property to get rid of PMI (which I would strongly suggest) but that could restrict the amount you can pull out.  2.

Who is your lender/financing and how strong is that piece?

In my opinion I would strongly suggest house hacking a 2-4 unit building.

Bailey you might want to consider Texas as it's nearer to you and known to have many strong markets, likely within driving distance of the larger metros.

They were probably great investment properties to begin with, but have seen strong appreciation.

Limited supply, large population centers, tend to be strong markets.

I have a strong list of buyers for SFH's, looking more for potential buyers of apartment buildings and portfolios of SFH's.

And if you are strong enough financially personally, then shouldn’t be a problem.

Some lenders will allow this -- particularly in states that have a lot of severe weather or mountainous terrain.2) Put down a "chip and seal" road, in which you put down tar and then aggregate on top.

Those areas you mentioned are strong areas within DFW.