I've looked into home daycares previously. The one advertised in my neighbourhood was charging about half the amount of regulated daycares. When I visited, it was neat as a pin. However, the temperatures on the upper floor where the children were sleeping in one communal bed was in the high thirties and no air conditioning. DD1 was sweating after 30 minutes in that house. They showed me the refrigerator which was stocked with No Name breaded chicken nuggets and packaged chocolates, snacks, juices, etc. The children that were there seemed conditioned to recognize the sound of crackly wrappers as food. There were other concerns such as lit candles on the floor, along with the children. They said on hot days, the children played in the garage. The walls were covered with chalk drawings and there was a dirty futon that was covered in stains that I know DD1 would be drawn to jumping and playing on. That sealed it for me. I think I ran home...
I looked into the regulated home daycares. All the ones near me had large dogs, and at the time, DD1 could not walk independently on her own. My mother, who has a deep fear of all dogs, would have had a heart attack. Besides that, we live in a large city (over 500,000 people) and though there is a police check done on the provider, they can let anyone into their home, for any length of time. Once a month, they have a surprise home visit from the company, but otherwise, no other checks. A co-worker had both his children with a daycare lady who took all the children to the mall and set them to wait outside a store while the lady ran her errands. They only found out by accident when his wife stepped out from work to go to the mall one day. Otherwise, they would never have known and they did not give permission for their children to leave the home. It's hard to imagine that she would have had that many carseats to accommodate all the children in her care. I fret about the little things like that and unless I know the person, I don't think I could go with an unregulated daycare or a home daycare in this area.
I've considered an in-home nanny, but if there are not at least two children at home, a daycare is less expensive. With DD1 going to school this September, it wouldn't be cost effective. However, a friend of mine says her nanny cleans, potty trains, and cooks dinner before she leaves, as well as leaves a list of things she has run out of. She has three children at home and with the first two in school, the nanny also does pick up and drop off for the older ones. If I could only borrow her nanny. :-)
@SassyAshley : Yes, I remember our old landlord being surprised that we were buying a house without renting out the basement. My parents were landlords and I remember my father breaking up countless drunken brawls or calling the police. Then when they moved out, it was like they tried to cause as much damage as possible. Good tenants are worth their weight in gold, but the bad ones are near impossible to get rid of. I wouldn't wish that kind of trouble on anyone!