Maybe what you think is sketchy is actually normal in the hard money lending space. 

I am able to build 2 units roughly around 800-900 sq. ft. which is about 1600-1800 sq. ft of livable space which I am able to find market comparables but obviously without the same lot square footage.

Tenants are extremely hard on appliances, it is not uncommon.Landlord Responsibilities: Landlord will at all times during the tenancy keep the premises fit for human habitation, and shall in particular:a.Cultivate, care for and mow surrounding grass, lawn, flowers, and shrubberyb.Maintain the premises to substantially comply with any applicable code, statue, ordinance, or regulation governing the premisec.Maintain the roof, floors, walls, foundations, and all other structural components in reasonable good repair as to be usable and capable of resisting normal loadsd.Keep any shared or common areas reasonable clean, sanitary, and safe from defects increasing the hazards of fire or accidente.Provide a reasonable program for the control of infestation by insects, rodents, and other pests at move in f.Except where the condition is attributable to normal wear and tear, make repairs and arrangements necessary to put and keep the premises in as good condition as at move ing.Provide reasonably adequate locks and provide keys to the tenanth.Maintain all electrical, plumbing (main lines), heating, and other facilities and appliances supplied by Landlord in reasonably good working orderi.Maintain the unit in reasonably weather tight conditionj.Provide facilities adequate to supply heat and water and hot water as reasonably required by the tenant

You need to get tight with your lender on the exact scenario, including how far from the departing residence your new residence is, where your job is relative to both places, et cetera. 

However, she hasn't been officially offered a job and he is still going to school.The rental market here is VERY tight. 

I am assuming the tenant would be responsible for space improvements. 

Whether I am there or not, they have a large space that could be used to meet in.  

Car storage is in fact in very high demand as the economy improves people are buying more toys with no space to store themI built 107 storage condominium garages in So Cal.

It's mostly offered in the commercial space with gse lenders. 

Normally we already have a tight schedule, so if something pops up, we usually do overtime to meet schedules, but we include that in pricing.