We plan to rent out the basement on a medium-term basis - we are going to install a full kitchen down there, put a lockable door between upstairs and downstairs, fence off a private section of the yard, and there is already laundry down there, so it will essentially be an up-down duplex with a separate walkout basement entrance.

Each unit has its own entrance/exit in addition to the common egress.

Or a SFH with a separate entrance type setup that would allow you to rent a basement either as a long-term or short-term rental.

Thanks JDI just turned 41I think the more I talk out loud, the more it became clear that at the minimum I should clear all my mortgages if I am to leave the W2 (minimum entrances).I don’t hate my job.

Second, identify the type of property they demand (ex. well-built townhouse or duplex, with on-site laundry, amenities, built 1980 to 2010, private entrance, etc..). 

The door in question is the front door which is the only entrance to the building for all the tenants.  

Then my advise will be to focus your search on a SFH with a basement that has a walkout entrance to keep it as separate as possible, in case you decide to rent it out.

I recently found a property on Zillow that looks to be in good condition (built 1940s) and has a finished basement that could be rented out as a Mother-In-Law unit (separate entrance, kitchen, and bathroom) while my partner and I live upstairs.

The basement is huge and unfinished, has an entrance that leads to it from the front porch and it’s own exit into the backyard.

Road entrances, parking ratio, traffic flow should have been one of the first steps prior to finalizing anything on the project.