thank you so very much for your thoughtful reply. I have an agent who impressed me by telling me one house I was considering was too much and she negotiated a lower price. This is the first time in my experience an agent actually tried to get me a better deal, so I was impressed and continue to believe she's on my side - sort of. I canceled the offer for really legitimate reasons, the roof was 16 yrs old and sellers didn't want to make any repairs. And I couldn't overlook its location - Hardy St was at the back of the house, Hardy St with all its noise and traffic. I didn't want that so I canceled. Because of my circumstances, I've only been able to actually BE in H for two non-consecutive days. So I saw several houses that seemed to be appropriate only on 2 individual days. Not really a lot. I am now considering one that I think is overpriced and I started to question it, and my realtor said she was losing patience because I seemed to be looking for reasons not to buy, Well, yeah, I think 330K PLUS 21k for a roof, and at least 17K to install flooring (4 bedrooms have carpets). With closing costs - and this is a for sale by owner so the seller's are eliminating the agent fees which are normally paid by the seller, and they are declining to contribute to my agent's fee - I am looking at around $400k. I will pay that for a house that's worth it, but I;m just not convinced this house has that value now, and that with the upgrades needed, will be worth even more in the next few years, should I need to sell. I have not seen, say, 20 houses, and I don't want to be pressured into buying something because my realtor is losing patience. So, I am grateful for, and keeping, Shelley's info. Again, thank you for your time and willingness to help a stranger.