As you said Ryan O. seems that the appraisal ship has sailed so I would agree with Sandy Blanton strategy and make the buyers work it out for you.

In my area - no permits for roofs, siding (they stopped after hurricane sandy because too many people needed them…), no permits for replace in kind like kitchen cabinets with sink in same space.

I had the soil testing engineers out taking measurements and was about to begin the process for permits until I stumbled across another deal.I was at work talking with a co-worker and he was sharing about the passing of his father (RIP) and the headaches he’s experiencing with his dad’s house (house located in Vista, CA).

Landscape fabric works great for the first few years, but soil and seeds will quickly  settle in so you'll get weeds eventually.I had a bunch of weed infested rock at my house from a former owner's landscaping experiment.

Checking with the departments one by one for each land listing that looks promising seems very inefficient.Regarding costs, i hear build costs of containers vs stick built being similar, but I had wondered if that is taking all aspects into consideration like build time, foundation and site prep requirements, etc. yes, steel cutters and welders are a special trade but the structure can arrive pre-built and potentially just sit on concrete pier foundations if the soil and zoning allows.

I think it's because the basement (concrete, cinder block) walls are in direct contact with the soil (newer homes usually have a barrier or membrane fastened to the outside walls, which keeps water away from the wall, and forces it down to the footings, where the weeping or drainage tile is located), which contains a fair amount of water.  

We just recently built an ADU from the ground up ~1100 sqft in Rosemead that cost us about $250k when all was said in done, this one requires a longer drawn out process such as soil tests, etc since you will be building framework from the ground up.

Predevelopment costs include site preparation, architectural designs, permits, soil tests, impact fees, property survey, utility trenching, land clearing and energy reports.

The age of the house, the location/market, expansive soils, ground water levels, and many other things can affect the answer. 

My personal line in the sand is "just say no to unsecured debt", even with a personal guarantee and an immaculate FICO score. ( There are plenty of people on prosper & other peer to peer lending sites doing this everyday without flinching, I couldn't stomach it.)I have been on both sides as a lender & a borrower.As a lender, I would trade additional cross collateral instead of a personal guarantee any day.