It was seized by the US government (drug bust) and I have no access to prior leases etc.

The more open space (square footage), the cheaper the per-square-foot cost. 

Just make sure you have proper locks on all access doors to avoid theft disputes between the tenants. 

Solid path to enter the multi family space.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the second house in terms of leveraging the space.

Not ideal mind you, no windows, only access would be through the garage (although the tenant would also get a garage), the only access I'd have to "my" side of the garage would be through the outside, etc.

We also caught a lot of lucky breaks along the way like: a very friendly banker, access to private loans from partners and family, baby booms looking to move out of state and off load property at cost.

@Justin Frye If you're an investor that is looking to grow your portfolio I'd recommend calling the smallest 5-10 banks and/or credit unions in your market.The portfolio lending arena is much more flexible than the conventional space in my experience.

@Andrew Harwell FEMA has a flood map that is accessible to the public and so do most city websites.

Landlord shall provide a key to the Tenant for the Premises and Landlord shall keep a duplicate key for access.