nate and i went to the mortgage dude today and we got approved for $155,000!!!! that was way more than i thought! (and way more than i want to spend!!)
anyway, we have two programs to choose from, since we don’t have a down payment. one is a program where we would pay asking price for the house and the seller would pay the down payment and closing costs. the second one is if we choose to buy a house out of the st. cloud metro – like in avon or rice. no down payment and no mortgage insurance! but then, there’s the cost of commuting, so it’s a toss-up.
most of the houses we’ve looked at have been $120,000 or less, and most of those have been what i’m looking for. the lower the payment the better is my thought.
here’s our list of preferences so far:
nate
garage
dishwasher
me
trees in yard
window over kitchen sink
deck/patio would be nice
not on the 5 major thoroughfares in the area (33rd, 25th, 8th, 3rd, and 9th)
next step: the realtor.