I like crawl space houses here for that reason unless I'm living in it and want the extra tornado protection.Regarding the wiring comment, yes you can just run the grounds together because they go to the same place ultimately but there aren't enough outlets and the wiring is fiberglass insulated and by now has crumbled away in this climate.

With 4 extra beds and some other additional amenities from the upgrade, I aim to get around $4000. 

You can even AirBnB the basement when you aren't there while on flights or out of the city for extra income! 

Give full disclosure to the landlord, maybe pay a little extra on the monthly rent, and sublet rooms to the same clients. 

I have two roommates that rent out the extra rooms for $500 each.

I have two roommates that rent out the extra rooms for $500 each.

With a detached garage, workshop space, basement or ADU ect - something I could turn into an extra room or at least into additional equity.

That might be your best bet if you don't want the extra costs and management that come with owning those homes yourself. 

The large lapse in time may make it hard to defend your claims, so take extra care.

Only extra thing is the acquisition charge the GP takes but that is because the GP fronts all the costs for due diligence, which is substantial.