Principal Paydown:  Cash Flow:  Tax Benefits: Savings from depreciation and interest deductions.For a deal to make sense, at least three of these components—home appreciation, cash flow, and principal paydown—need to be strong.

It was a savings account that had not ATM card etc. 

Just a few hours of preparation could have saved you many hours of effort, a lot of worry, and thousands in lost income.

The investment is a little bit more upfront since you'll have to furnish the room and bathroom fully, but you may be able to command a higher rent each month since you're covering all utilities, WIFI, and providing all the furnishings.Either way, renting out the room is a great idea and I'm sure it will be helpful so you can rest a little bit easier while you save to move to Lakeview, eventually :)

I also require proof of savings of at least 2 months living expenses. 

If you are able to sell I'd say sell, if it's not looking like that's going to happen then try to get it on a long term loan with renters so you can save on your monthly payment, then get the equity back out and move onto something else!

However to save money when she had the house built, she left the basement unfinished--it is just studs, insulation, and windows/doors, plus plumbing in the foundation.

Granted this was on plots of land I didn't pay for, and that are already connected to the city's water and sewer, so there's a lot of savings there, but I'm hoping if it turns out to be this good of a deal I can still scoop up land and keep going

I'd like to keep savings and be able to hire out some of the work (something we have not done in the past).My thoughts are to put both into an LLC and look for investors or a business loan, and purchase and move to a new home.

There was an article published in Sept 2024 that showed the average consumer would save over $10,000 by working with a broker vs a direct lender over the life of their loan.