If you're 21 I would get my license and have an experienced broker that knows creative financing and work with him-her for a year,You can search my posts on creative financing such as owner financing, subject to, lease options, and installment sales

I have a fairly long stretch of rigid metal ductwork in he crawl space of an mid-50-ies property.

You (typically) glue or nail them to the concrete, then nail into them.Below grade you need to avoid hardwood, but still could install pretty much anything else. 

  $1150 for installing granite?  

We installed many over the past 4-years.

It's built to the ICC residential code, just like a site built home and after it's installed it's deeded with the county as a "single family home" not a manufactured or mobile.

Even home depot can give you a price on installing a kitchen or/and bath.  

Should I install a second pair of utilities upstairs?

We've thought about buying some precious metals as part of a reserve account as a hedge against inflation.

@Cameron WhiteYou are in UTIf it has equity, you could buy on a wrap or sub2 + note or installment land contract.If it has little or no equity, you could lease option and assign, buy on sub2 or wrap or Installment land contract.If it is free and clear you could buy in Installment Sale.