Jennifer, Before you buy a house make sure you have a licensed home inspector go over every inch of it. When we bought ours I did my own research for an inspector instead of letting my realtor refer me to one. The one I found actually taught other inspectors at classes in our library, and probably was the boss of half of the inspectors in the city. I found out that all the realtors hate him. I was glad we did that. He found several things we never would have thought of. Many we got fixed. He also suggested to us that we ask the owner to have someone who was in the line inspect the foundation, as our inspector was a little concerned about some things. It cost me about four hundred dollars, but I think it is well worth it.
Also, just another tip. Don't let the realtor refer you to the bank where you will take out your loan. Call a mortgage company. You may very well get a better deal. Call more than one. Linda [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
