We received a quote from a Cleveland company that would install a  basement system for $2950 to install a french drain, and pump along the wall in question. 

good point however the recent wall street journal said how banks got into this and their defaults are rising.But you are correct - everybody has loaned on cars.So the question  remains what are the banks throwing into these newly entitled CDO's?

. $10 per sq ft will get you new paint (walls and ceiling) and carpet for a room.

Below grade is cheaper because you can pour cement walls as opposed to building 2 x 4's with insulation siding sheathing etc. second, below grade usually has a higher risk of water penetration thus making it a less desirable space.

NO investor has a perfect record of perfect tenant picking and being able to see thru walls to pick perfect properties.

humm;  Into what  wall did you 'collide'? 

It might be single wall construction, meaning there are no studs in the walls.

After discussions with the local building inspector about different options we decided to decomission it in place (basically filling it with concrete) and building a second wall in front of the fire box, which caused us to loose about 5 inches of living room space.We also opened up the tiny kitchen into the living space by removing the load bearing wall in the center of the house and installing a structural LVL beam in the attic to handle the load.

You can place lean a large picture on the wall and decorate around it.Yes...always stage before placing it on the market.

With houses and other structures you never know what you'll find behind the walls after you close. 2.)