nice house! I need to start saving for one..

I forgot to ask, what year was it built?

is that 2 bedroom? the house I'm renting right now is 2 bedroms, the owner just had it appraised at $170,000 and wants to raise rent...housing values have more than doubled in 2 years here.

Here in Silicon Valley, $160K would buy you maybe half of a closet. Of a small closet. Nice house!

160 here can get you 5 acres + if you find it in the right spot or a nice 4 bed 3 bath with 2 car attached and nice yard and maybe room for a shop in the back

Welcome to the world of home ownership.
(And you thought you spent alot of time working on your car )

Ditto in San Diego. When my wife'* relatives from Pittsburgh come to visit, we love to play "guess how much that house costs."

Believe me when I say this, but the home payments are something I think I can swing sans my current job (I also get VA income) and since it is VA backed, if I ever come into financial difficulty they will help out to make sure I do not have to forclose. Right now my rent is just under what I pay per month for the mortgage by about 60 bucks, and I have already started cutting unnecessary costs to make up the difference (changed cell plans, eating out less, etc). If living in Orlando has taught me anything, it is how to survive in a high-cost area.

And yes, as I said before, there are 2 inspections. One is for me (and the VA uses that in conjunction with the other, VA appraisal). It was built in 88, and has a new roof (as I found out). 160k sounds like a lot, and it is, but not around here...not anymore. Those days are LONG gone. And I am getting so tired of renting....and I have at least another 3 years left on the airline contract, so at least for 3 more years I have a job (actually, in my field, job security is there as there aren't that many simulator techinicians in the country). So am I going to pay someone ELSEs pockets for 3 more years? Nope, not if given the choice. And if things don't work out for some reason where I work now, there is always Kennedy

its not just orlando area its florida in general... houses are so freakin expensive here... back in ohio i coulda got a BRAND new house sittin on little under an acre for about 120k.. here in FLA it not the same... my next door neigbors house went on the market right before i moved here, sorta at he very very very end of the sellers market i guess... but it went on the market for 450k and in the past year its now at 350k... because its right on the water and has its own dock and a swimming pool.... i dont have a dock and i dont have a pool (i dont wanta clean a pool)

but right now is the Buyers market... a friend of mine just got a brand new house (well its a yr old) but it sat empty, and he got it for 150... was on the market for 220k he just gave them a bid at 150 and they acccepted... so...

its still very expensive to live here... but hey on xmas day i was wearing short hanging out in my back yard... yesterday the temp was right under 80* and it will be the same today too.... while everyone i know in ohio is still throwing snowball.... i would rather pay a little bit more then freeze.....

Well, the initial inspection went w/o much of a hitch. He did find old termite damage (though very little of it), a few leaks around the faucets, and noted the garage door needs a locking system of some sort. Oh yeah...the well pump for the sprinkler system does not work. On the whole, it'* pretty solid The realtor that put the home on the market also stopped by to meet me (I am not dealing with him, though I got the impression I very well could have) and assured me that all things noted would be repaired or compensated before closing. He also told me the owners "have little to no interest in moving the furnishings" , which really made my day

New pics...

Thanks for the update! Good luck with the rest of the purchase processes.