Shane nailed it...Number 1 -- I would speak with a lender first to see how much of a home you can afford ; you can then narrow it down based on your goals as Shane mentioned above.Let me know if you need a good lender contact.Shane - Time to buy my friend !!

-Purchased bandit signs, wooden stakes, and roofing nails.

great topic....I think you hit the nail on the head.

As they say 'to the man that has only a hammer, everything looks like a nail'

The costs are something I really want to get nailed down.

My concern with high property tax market will put a cap on the value of median priced properties.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned in your original post that you can fix up the units, but not the entire area.These kinds of properties are not worth the hassle in my opinion.

Your last paragraph hit the nail on the head.

It is actually built like a rock b/c they used true 2x4's and I believe they are oak, so hard you can barely drive a nail in em!!

That's where I do most of my shopping and dining.You nailed it with Belmont.