Hi Jennifer As someone who will never be able to afford a house, but who has listened a lot, all those factors scream for the necessity of professional inspection by somebody who can judge the long term qualities of the home's construction.
both retaining walls and basements can have difficult to see flaws that can cost you megabucks if things go wrong. You need to know that everything was well built and up too or above construction codes, and that they havn't developed cracks, leaks or slippage since. It needs a highly competant professional eye to spot that kind of stuff. I'd consider long distances to shopping and bus lines a big negative, especially with kids. This assuming you won't have a driver available. Lots of warning flags in that one. Luck tom Net-Tamer V 1.13 Beta - Registered
