Buying a House Part One

buying a house: Part One

So . . . I am considering buying a home this year. And after a bit of research I have come to some conclusions as to what I want:

• Older construction with character and uniqueness. This is one of those "I'll know it when I see it" things.
• Gas or electric heat. Oil is too much to frak with in this unstable oil economy. I expect an attack on Iran soon and that will just send the market beyond bonkers.
• A reasonable sized yard(or as they call what these town,er rowhouses have--courtyards. I have a green thumb I'm itching to use. Might plant some hops or kiwi or get real experimental and put palmettos or needle palms back there. Maybe a little rain barrel to act as a fish pond in warmer weather. And a tall privacy fence, I don't plan on wearing much out there.
• Something that might need some work. I found a federal loan program designed just for fixer-uppers. I'm sure there are others out there too. Since I need to be doing something with my free time other than moping, a rehab project might be fun.
• A basement, so I have space for my beermaking hobby. Preferably something that might be easy to turn into a nice lounge/work area too---I really have this dream of building a huge 300 gallon+ aquarium someday and that needs to be on the floor.
• Lots of natural light. My apartment is dark, it faces north and east, and gets no sun except early in the morning. I hate it. I can't have any plants.
• And finally, must be in the range of $0 to $90,000. The mortgage people I'm talking to say I can afford much more, but I'm being realistic.

So this is my "wish list." I'm not too picky about space. It can be 1000 sq. ft or 3000 sq. ft. Indifferent about garages too, since I don't know how to drive.

I bought a book that's something along the lines of Housebuying for Dummies, so when that arrives I can start on Part II: Finding a realtor.