I am an investor and a real estate agent based in Columbus, Ohio.

How do I get an accurate value based on HOA financial health and interior defects?

The interest rate that I was utilizing was a little low, from what he told me, in my area I can expect to pay about 10-15% interest based on several factors (How much or little experience I have, credit score, the deal itself, etc.) and I will definitely be paying points, how much will vary by HM lender (usually between 1 to 3 points).

If you are unsure of what constitutes legal notice in CA, consult an attorney, because if your notice is legally insufficient, and you have to file an eviction on that notice, the court could dismiss the eviction based on the legally insufficient notice.

Gave us written acceptance, went through the appraisal process, but then while rounding 3 base, choked.

I've been scouring the inter-webs for duplexes, but it doesn't seem like that's really a THING in North Dallas.

We set the price based on our original assumptions but the offers we received were all well below what we needed. 

Which site is the most accurate to estimate the fair value of the house based on your experience? 

Our current lease, based on a template, prohibits subletting, so I’m not fully aware of the pros and cons of this arrangement.

And based on your statement "the more we thought about it, the more we realized we do not have the risk tolerance to rent out the illegal basement unit and would rather make it legal" it doesn't sound like it's a good fit for you.