(Advice) Starter home for my mom with 17k?

[Mike Jones]

I know that isn't a lot of money, but I'm not looking for a mansion.

I'm 22, and I've been working dead end jobs since I was 18 to take care of my mom and younger sibling. In that time I've managed to save 17k, and I think it would be a good Idea to use it to buy a home. At this price I know that any property I acquire is going to need some work done to it, but that's fine, if I can live in it while I fix it up. This will allow me the financial freedom to go back to school and get the education I wasn't able to get because of my responsibility to my family.

I'm in the Hoke county area and I have seen many homes posted on Realtor-com in that price range, mostly mobile home REO. My only issue is that most of them are posted in pending status. Either that or the listing agent tells me I shouldn't make an offer because investors are offering more than the listing price. The price of the homes I'm looking at are too low to qualify for any type of loan. Even if the homes were eligible, I don't have any credit. I wasn't raised in the kind of environment that instills that type of knowledge, but I'm trying to correct that now.

I'm completely ignorant to all of this stuff, and I could use some advice on how to find a home. I'm not an investor, Realtor or a wholesaler. I'm just looking for a place to call home. I would even be interested in a rent to own situation as long as the remaining balance can be paid off in a year or so.