I asked the sellers to include the living/dining and basement furniture to come up with the price.

Underwent a massive transformation, creating a vaulted-ceiling open-concept kitchen, living, dining room.

@Kelly Williams - I don't know what your family situation is like, but if you are capable of buying a larger house like 5-6 bedrooms (it won't be listed on MLS like this, but look for spare rooms that could be made private like a dining room) and 2-3 bathrooms, you can rent out the spare rooms in New Jersey for $1000-1300/month depending on amenities.

I walled off the dining room creating an additional 5th bedroom turning the house to a 5bd/2.5ba and rented that one before my 2nd mortgage payment was due.

Vacant spaces don't always seem larger if people can't figure out if their queen size bed or dining table will fit or not. 

Kitchen has adjoining dining area & sliding door to a deck & spacious backyard. 1st floor also includes large sunny living room, 2 spacious bedrooms on 1st floor & full bath w/ modern fixtures. 2nd fl features 2 bedrooms incl.

Knock out the wall between the kitchen and dining room and, if it’s cheap, knock out the wall between the dining room and front room.

Before I rented out my current SFH, I purchased a $300+ Milwaukee Fuel Driver Drill and Impact Drill set for my kitchen/dining room renovation. 

While zoning rules in the Bay Area can be pretty strict, there are plenty of other stunning spots across the country where you might find more leeway for your project.

The kitchen is open with a large kitchen island & lots of storage that walks into the formal dining area.