Remember when land buyers pick a target, they have TONS of work to do getting that property from dirt to payday, so they know their purchase choices, and they have a war chest usually stacked up ready to go.

It's personal choice. 

Cities like Memphis and Columbus often have more affordable properties and good cash flow opportunities, making them popular choices for investors.

It’s never as simple as it first appears, which is why we always advise our clients to let the math guide the choice.

In the end, it is viewer’s choice to follow what they think is more reasonable.

You lock in your interest rate and if rates drop you can prepay at any time and refinance at a lower rate without penalty.If the deal is commercial, whether commercial multifamily (5+ units), office, industrial, self storage, hotel, you name it...the choice becomes far more difficult. 

This can be very expensive and is usually the worst choice because you can't justify the cost.2.

How does one define design choices, etc?

Mostly people with minimal RE experience are adding a single ADU and they often make that choice based on cash flow without taking into account the negative equity position.  

You have a few choices, right.