@Christopher Leet I've been investing in Columbia, SC for ~15 years and it's been my experience that appreciation is rarely there.

A basic rule of thumb is that the tread and riser combined should be between 17" and 18".

I want to include a " lease contingency clause " in the agreement to give me time to obtaintwo leases to hit the combined rentals of $4300/ month.  

I am not one.Non-competes between employer and employee rarely hold up in court. 

I shared an article in another ADU thread on cost of new build I've gotten (between $250/sq ft to $400/sq ft). https://infinitesabbatical.com...The combination of low price point at $230/sq ft, potential complication with front yard addition (you may want to ask your contractor further), and this dual-language contract you received tells me that you may want to proceed with caution.

In my area, duplexes are rare  with a lot of competition for them, so buying a SFR and doing a garage conversion makes sense AS LONG as you are focused on cash flow and not trying to flip or leverage into the next property.

Plus, we rarely get calls from our tenants because the property is in great condition.Lessons learned?

I've heard of shorter, but it's pretty rare.

I was discussing what the options were for combining the two properties into one deal instead of two.

It's a wonder more students aren't combining some business courses with the trades to open new competing companies.