"phaeton" wrote in message

Fortunately I've seen enough things in this house to be wary of others
(rotten cloth insulation on all the wiring, everything wired through 3
breakers, a substantial gas leak in the basement and a couple of floors
that don't feel 'all too sturdy', along with a lack of fire/smoke/c0
detectors), assuming we can buy a house before this one kills me. When
the washing machine is running all the lights in the place 'pulse' with
it.

Sounds like you have a good handle on what to look for already. Last time
we moved my wife kept looking at all the older houses with charm and
character. She saw charm and character, I saw the need for a lot of
renovation. We finally found a 3 year old house that was "move in"
condition. After 24 years, I'm still in good shape repair wise and kept
making small improvements and update. No major plumbing or electrical work
needed.

I brink this up because we looked at about 20 houses before buying. Don't
get discouraged and don't listen to the sales pitch. Our realtor always
brought out the positive things of a house, like how easy it would be to put
jacks under the floors of a 100 year old house! Don't sign on the dotted
line until you are satisfied the house will fit your needs.