Wow! I'm glad I asked the questions here. Thanks for the advise so far.

osuche, I have to admit I was getting nervous reading all those questions, but they certainly are helpful and I will be keeping them all in mind.

My realtor is great so far, she's very optimistic that I can find a house. I'm less than optimistic that I will be happy in a house, as I was very spoiled in my first house's age/size/layout etc. and I really feel if I'm going to compromise my wants, that a condo is a better compromise than ending up with a DIY project with no money.

Planning househunting here is difficult, as "good" homes are gone in hours to days at the most. If it's something you think you really want, you have to jump or risk it being gone. I guess it's part of what continues to drive the market even higher.