[home buying bullshit]

We're moving in t-minus...well, in February.  We'll be there a long time, so buying a house as opposed to renting, is our plan.  Rent there, while inexpensive compared to here, is nearly DOUBLE what a mortgage would be.  AND there's this issue of us having 3 pets we don't want to ditch.

M's new unit is highly deploy-able and so our plan is for me to stay at home with the babies.  This was our plan all along, but going to this unit just sped that process up.  If we'd have stayed here, I'd have kept working, I love the people I work for and they're ultra flexible and understanding (I'm going to miss them :().  With him leaving all the time it would be hard for me to have a job anyway.

We have been pre-approved for a home loan, but since we'll be living on ONE wimpy salary, we're in a lower $$$ bracket than we would have been if I was working also.  Its difficult to find homes in this bracket that are move in ready.  I'm all for doing some updates, but with many homes on any given market being short sales or foreclosures, the VA is being really picky about which homes they'll fund.

I see an outdated kitchen and wallpaper that needs removed, the VA see's "too much work that the seller isn't willing to do".  I'm not sure how we'll get around this.  I'm not expecting a home to have state of the art appliances, crown molding and marble counter tops at the price we're looking at.  Granted, I do expect a nice clean, well maintained home that we can make our own over the course of the years we live there.

Ugh.  Is it so much to ask to find the perfect house for my family?  You do the right thing, pay off debt, don't buy a home until you're ready (like now), live within your means, pay your taxes, SERVE IN THE MILITARY, but you still can't get a fair deal.  Where's Roosevelt when you need him?

Ok, enough whining.  Any good home buying vibes, etc you can send us would be much appreciated :)  Hope everyone is having a great weekend!