I was wondering how you address de-icing sidewalks/front porches/outside stairs on your SFH rentals.

Also I can get the cement guys to give me a half price deal.

This way even if one day for whatever reason it collapses and someone is injured, I can show the court that I have taken the initiative to have a professional inspect the structure way before the accident happens.I also shy away from single or multi family homes because I am worried the roof or stairs may collapse, or one of the tenants may get drunk one day and decide to blow up the water tank or mechanicals in the basement.

A negative CF property quite often is like stairs going down hill. 

One thing to consider though is safety regulations WRT the stairs and hand rails.   

I'd get some day labor and dig it out, seal the outside of the wall, then fill the crack on the inside with hydraulic cement and paint the interior wall it with dri-lock. 

The house across the street of mine had the toilets broken and cement pored down the drains.

The last house I finished, we found out that the last owner installed a brick porch and a cement staircase to the basement from a storm hatch off the back of the house without a permit or inspections over 20 years ago.

We are talking $14-$20 a foot no baseboard plus like 10-15k for the stairs.

There may be another way to add another bedroom up stairs, just check with the contractor.