Thanks for all the input and help guys, I really appreciate it. Please keep them coming!
Putting an additional $15-20k into an older house just to make it more, for lack of a better word,
updated is what I'm afraid of. The thing is I don't think I can afford to do that after the down payment and paying all the closing fees and whatnot. And then property tax, insurance, utilities, and mortgage will start eating away at my income like a fat mofo. And what about furnishing the place? This is going to be my first home, so I don't exactly have "existing" furniture. I don't need anything bigger than 1,500sqft (I'm not married and have no kids! lol) but even then it sounds like what I need to do is budget for all of these extra expenses, which is looking like a good $15-30k.
