I am contemplating on my current project on wether  I should make the current apartment a 3 bedroom but sacrifice the living room space or make it a 2 bedroom with a bigger living room space .

I live in New England. 

We live in 1 unit and will rent the others.The issue at hand is that one tenant has/had a verbal contract with the previous landlord (they are family). 

Single-Family Home with a Basement:Pros:Familiar single-family living with potential rental income.Can be a good starter home, quieter living if the basement is well-soundproofed.Potentially lower initial investment compared to a duplex (depending on renovations).Cons:Finding tenants might take longer, especially if the basement isn't a fully formed apartment.You'll be responsible for all maintenance and repairs for both units.Less separation between your living space and the rental unit.Multifamily Duplex:Pros:Clear separation between your living space and the rental unit.Potentially higher rental income with a full, separate unit.Faster tenant search as it's a more traditional rental format.Cons:Might be slightly more expensive upfront than a single-family home with a converted basement.Potential for noise complaints if the duplex isn't well-built.Dealing with potentially two sets of tenants (though vacancy rates are typically lower with duplexes).So, which one to buy first?

I’m helping her out because she lives out of state and obviously can’t open in person an escrow account.

For example Drywall living room could have an input for sq ft and you could get a base line estimate. 

We live in a suburb, no duplexes/triplexes here, only SFH, THs, and condos.

I've had great conversations based on similar concerns with my local appraiser.

So what been happening: I have made it to the point of conversation with a couple of sellers at this moment. 1 seller offered seller financing, I think that one is in the bag. 1 other is the reason why I am making this post. seller asking 190k.

When I've sold items on Facebook marketplace before or given things away using my Buy Nothing group, I've always checked the age of someone's profile and any public info on their profile along with evaluating the conversation to see if they pass a "vibe check".