I am an engineer and currently work for a major ag/construction/lawn equipment manufacturer (I'll leave it to you to guess which one) at one of their factories in my area. 

Usually whichever is closest to our job site, other than for a few particular things like appliances which we leaned toward Lowe's until recently switching to Factory Direct.

But there is still the cost involved in material and timeIf you do your own maintenance,  then the labor cost is on you.Wood gets scratched up no matter how well you try to refinish it more so that a flooring product that has an AO or double layer of ceramic bead that is factory applied, such as LVT's.

I have spent some time in that area (hello Jelly Belly Factory and short hop to Six Flags)...

You can potentially have your building built in a factory and shipped and assembled in a few days.In terms of your duplex situation, I think it depends on the neighborhood and also if you're looking to rent both or owner-occupy one side or sell.  

We have a lot of RV factories in the area that cater to those workers.I would honestly hate to do a ton of real estate business in this area because I just don't think there's enough of it, but With this type of land, and the house on it, I think it could work.

Another factor is that you're looking for a superior property and usually one that you're planning on holding for a longer time.11. 

Let us just assume that it looks good, not average, and the wow factor is the living room that has a tile/stone fireplace on it.

For this reason I would highly recommend looking at multifamily greater than 5 units (that's the commercial lenders threshold; below that your income and job would be a factor).I am constantly looking in the Atlanta area, and although it might be hard to find a multifamily for ~$366k (the $110k / 30% -->typical amount down), you could always partner or participate in a syndication (crowdfunding).  

This is a fantastic opportunity, and I got all tingly when I read it, as it reminded me of "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory."