Always check the nose locker door is locked before getting in the aircraft no matter how sure you are that the door was closed. It's tempting to close the rear door after loading pax/boxes & walk the shorter path around the tail so you can enter. Don't. Take the the longer way around the wings so you can check the nose locker door. If it's not closed it will fly open just as you rotate and can separate from the airframe. It's embarassing & a poor showing of one's usual care & attention. Trust me on this one...
I've had the nose baggage door open twice, while rolling out in the Seneca II. At the time, my habit had been to do a final walk around and ensure the handle was rotated closed (we put red paint across the handle and door to make a visual check easier; one can tell immediately if the handle is lined up). I always physically checked it too. I've had it open twice; I developed the habit of always ensuring the door was locked as well as the handle closed.
I'm not familiar with the performance in the Seneca I, but have spent a lot of time tooling around in Seneca II's; it's one of the few light twins that does quite well on one engine; it will hold 8,000 fairly well, loaded, on one engine.