Be stubborn. It's a good thing when buying a home. Heck, I think it's a good thing when choosing a home for any length of time or ownership vs rental level. You will live there, it's important.

so those are the two main things I am focused on right now.

Excellent plan.

It would seen unwise to buy a house you couldn't rely on getting yourself in and out of. Parts of the house you don't use, sure, but the entrance? Then again, moving out of where you live now might be enough of an upgrade, that you don't need *everything*.

I didn't mean to imply that I would, just that I already rejected some ranches outright because they would be difficult for me to get in and out of. The bottom line is I can go up and down stairs when I have to, it just hurts a heck of a lot so I plan to avoid having to do more than a few of them each day. I go up three stairs right now to get into my apartment, so if I have to go up six to get to the main level of the house, that's doable. If I have to be carrying large loads of laundry up and down a full flight of stairs on a regular basis, that's not doable. Does that make sense?

ETA: Also, yes getting the hell out of this apartment is a huge priority, but we're trying not to let it affect our decision making.

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. The only caveat I'd add is that if your condition were to worsen in the future or with age, you might want things even simpler than you're aiming for now. Not to be borrowing trouble, but that's the universal design concept, that you build for a lifetime, or for multiple peoples' uses. Which is somewhat idealistic, I know, because each person's abilities are so intensely personal.

Like, my folks put in a master suite that goes bedroom/dressing & laundry/bathroom/office for my dad, including a glorious walk in no threshold shower with a seat. But now my dad has trouble getting up and down from a chair other than the dining chair or couch. So he doesn't sit in his office (there's basically no way to make a rolling office chair stable enough for him to use) anymore. And since it's hard for him to get up and down, he doesn't sit on the shower seat. But despite those changes (which I think still could be addressed if we wanted to) he is really able to use the house and it's great for his needs and for my mom's as caregiver.

Anyway, rambling to say, I think the right house is out there for you. I wonder if you might contact a universal design builder in the area, who might know what's around?

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. The only caveat I'd add is that if your condition were to worsen in the future or with age, you might want things even simpler than you're aiming for now. Not to be borrowing trouble, but that's the universal design concept, that you build for a lifetime, or for multiple peoples' uses. Which is somewhat idealistic, I know, because each person's abilities are so intensely personal.

I totally understand that, but honestly, without a lot more money than we have, it doesn't get much better than this for now. If we have to make modifications in the future or even move again, then we'll deal with that when/if it happens. And if I can get my ass in gear back into my exercise plan hopefully things can start getting better again rather than worse.

Yeah, Liese, I have always figured with my house I am screwed if anything happens to me--it's on three levels, requires several steps to get into the house, and there's no bathroom on the main level! So if I ever break a leg, I'll have to stay somewhere else until I can climb stairs.

Entrances can be changed. there are a couple houses here that ha e well made brick ramps that blend into the landscape. 6 stairs might be ok now, but there are some nice ways to redo an entrance.

Entrances can be changed. there are a couple houses here that ha e well made brick ramps that blend into the landscape. 6 stairs might be ok now, but there are some nice ways to redo an entrance.

Yes, and ramps can also be built inside if they ever become necessary, but hopefully that is a long off, far away problem, and honestly one that I really can't think about right now.

Sounds like you've got a good handle on what you need and what you can achieve. I think you'll find the right house!

Hey, Sean's back! YAY!

I have no input about houses since I kinda just moved into dan's and had no say. But I think it's your HOME; you should be comfortable in it.

Sean!!! Welcome back!!!

JZ, i suspect a friend or relative took over the blowhard's email account to bow them out gracefully. Kinda awesome.