So. (edited)

Interest Rates have gone up.
Our lease ends this month.
I think my cat ran away.
I still haven't actually planted anything in my garden.

All of this combined, adds up to one thing - I'm finally going to go and look at the house. Yes, The House.

I've done some research into various mortgage types. We still don't have a downpayment - that medical leave REALLY screwed with our finances - thankfully, we had enough saved to cover everything - but well, it's what we had saved. So.

I think it's going to be a fixerupper of a house - simply from the age, if nothing else. But - there are fixer upper mortgages, and even with renovation costs rolled in, it's still under my personal price threshold. And then, even if it wasn't a super fixer upper, we want to make it green - so, that's still some renovation.

I'm - very picky. And - I don't think that's a bad thing when it comes to taking on the biggest debt load of my - our - lives. And this house - as long as the roof isn't falling in, or it wasn't previously occupied by crackheads (and I've even got a little flexibility there) - this house fits every. single. one. of my requirements.
Over an acre of land - check. 1.68 acres, in fact.
At least 4 bedrooms - check, exactly four bedrooms, AND a den.
Old Trees - Check. The place actually backs up onto a PARK.
At least 2 bathrooms - Check. It's got - 2 bathrooms.
Under 125K - Check. Even with the renovations, it might still be less than that.
Within 1/2 hour of work - Check. It's 28 minutes to my job, 25 minutes to C's.

The cons.....
It's old - 56 years, to be exact (But I want an old house - how else will you get old trees??)
It doesn't have central air - a fact that I have carefully kept away from my husband (I'm sure this can be included in renovations, though, yes?)
It's probably going to need some repairs (but that's what the 203(k) mortgage bit is for!)

*sighs*

As I told my leon, I have to logically eliminate reasons to NOT buy the house before I see it and my emotions take over.

So. I'm driving out there tonight to take a gander. If a) All the windows are intact b) the roof appears to have no holes in it and c) the walls make a roughly 90 degree angle.... what's next? I would think I would have to talk to the realtors first - getting a 203(k) mortgage isn't something you can do and then jsut buy ANY house - it's meant for a very specific house. Get a housing inspector. Get a independant appraiser. Get an idea of waht we want to do to the house - is there a green way to do A/C??

*sighs* I'm so nervous, because I'm so certain that I WILL be disappointed, and The House is really A Shack.

I suppose, I need to be honest with myself - and me & C really need to sit down and talk about what we would be willing to live with/fix/rip out. But - Gah!!

Okay. Nothing more until I see the place.

Please, please, please, please, PLEASE let it be a House and not a Shack.

Edited: So. Actually found some ovaries and called the realtor. He says the house is liveable (of coure he would!) and commented that it's rather big, and that we won't be able to sell any of the land as another lot (as if we would WANT to), and that the owners moved to Millington (Akota, according to the tax documents) and he wants to get it off of his hands so that he can stop paying taxes (which means the house is paid off, which doesn't suprise me) and Ed (the realtor) would be thrilled to show the house anytime I wanted to take a gander at it.  He tried to imply that there has been other interest - which, it very well may have been - but he said it picked up after they dropped the price - but that happened MONTHS ago - but he also implied that the owner would be - amiable to any REASONABLE offer - which makes sense, as anything he gets is pure freakin profit! So. I feel better. He asked if I had drove by, and I said no - I saw it online. So - drive by tonight! And! The house is currently vacant, so I fully intend to stop, poke around, peek through a few windows, wander into the backyard - the whole nine.
Damn - I should have asked him when they moved out.