If you buy a hot water heater for the other unit, you can write off 100% because you have no personal use of that hot water heater. etc.

Unfortunately - my current lot for my primary is 1 acre and VERY sloped, and close to a water source (creek), so the county has not even allowed me to permit my downstairs finished basement without an extremely costly renovation to our septic (over $60,000, and that doesn't count demo'ing and replacing our driveway to get to the existing tank and leachfield), and even if I could permit it, it would essentially need to be a treehouse in the redwoods due to the slope (not a bad idea though, I would actually love a livable treehouse on this lot!

A water heater replacement is $1500, AC Unit $8,00011.

Don't forget to change all your faucet aerators and shower heads to low flow it makes a huge difference as well as far as water usage and saving HOT water. 

How is water, sewer, electric and hvac distributed and located?  

ARV 900Total reno was 170k Appraisal $399.00 Shut off valves $95.75 paint $300.18 Commeercial enzyme cleaner $72.09 Water activation fee $51.38 shut off valves $38.52 Kilz restoration primer $275.66 Kilz restoration primer $150.33 Shower tile-Master.

Just starting to ever so lightly tread into the water....

For example, I have a subject property that has 1682 SF on the main floor and 810 SF of finished basement (the majority of which is about 8 feet in height with the exception of some bulkheads to hide the mechanicals) and 271 of semi-finished basement that is a utility room basically (washer/dryer, freezer, hot water heater, furnace, some storage).

Why not start with a small turnkey rental property and test the water?

He used to troll these waters for suckers very hard until I found out that his claimed experience and transaction history was fake.