I have a duplex I just purchased (as a foreclosure), one of the tenants has two dogs and we agreed to let that tenant keep the pets since they are a long term tenant and have kept the place in reasonable (but not great condition) The tenant very nicely asked us if we could replace two approx 10x10 areas of carpet in the main entrance area that are worn really bad - and we agreed that it was a reasonable request since they signed a 16 month lease to get into a regular lease cycle ending in April of 2014.

This is actually a triplex with a finished  inlaw apartment attached to the first unit with two separate entrances, but is not considered a legal 4 unit.

I would be looking at end or corner units,  units that are far enough away from the entrance but not so far it's a maze to get to the house. 

Monday morning rolls around, I ask what time the office is open because I tried dropping off the earnest money both Friday and early Monday around 8am - was told "Yea we were closed for Good Friday and office open 9-5, there is a dropbox in the back by employee entrance that you can use, or always call me and we can meet."

@Alfredo Navarrette, I am currently house hacking with an SFR that includes a separate entrance studio.

I hope not either, of course as a landlord, I would certainly not install an interior door for an exterior entrance, wait 30 days to make a needed health and safety repair, or illegally or improperly raise rents or harass my tenant (if that did actually happen in the case above).  

I have managed numerous properties with key less entrance or codes and lot of time it malfunctions or outside guest just use the code to get in.

But something that can be converted and has a private entrance and you clild probably cover the whole mortgage if you buy in the right location, assuming it works both for you and is a good location for guests.

If you do put a sump pump in a crawl space, put it where it is close to an entrance to the crawl space.  

You have raw land,semi developed,and developed.Raw land is where trees and everything is untouched.Semi developed is usually where they might have torn down the house and cleared some trees.Developed is where it is cleared and graded,utilities and entrance is in place and they just haven't gone vertical with any structure yet.The best use of a parcel of land might not be it's current zoning use.When you want to build on the land will factor into it as well.Example a developer might have gotten zoning and approval for a particular use.Now too many of those properties have saturated the market or the demand is no longer there.Now you have to figure out in the current economy what would work there and what the ultimate rents would be to determine a price for the land.How much dirt you have to move around to get a site ready for vertical improvements is key as well.You can have 2 sets of the same size parcel.One is listed at 300,000 and acre and the other at 175,000 an acre.Looking at face value you would think 175,000 is cheaper.You learn however that with the topography of the land to clear the site ( 3 acres ) will cost 200,000 an acre.The other parcel at 300,000 will cost only 50,000 an acre as it is relatively flat already with little to no brush to take down.So 300,000 times 3 is 900k plus 150k for clearing land is 1,050,000 to get site ready.Land at 175k is 525k plus 600k in clearing costs is 1,125,000 plus the site will take longer to get ready to develop.Land prices are down in mnay areas as well because used to a developer could form an LLC and pay any price and it the project tanked they could walk away non-recourse.Now lenders want heavy down payments,recourse,and cross collateral of the developers existing trophy properties.So now developers are real picky on what price they will pay for a property.I can go much more in depth than this about land development but I don't want to write a book here.If you have a more specific question just ask.I only provided basic info here and does not include anywhere near all development costs.