Looking for a house...maybe

We have been looking around a bit for alternatives to staying in this house for another year. It's really too big for us, hasn't been maintained all that well in the past, has a big yard to maintain, and it cost a fortune to heat it this past winter. That last item was probably a combination of a really crummy and long winter and us trying to reacclimate after two years in sunny warm Mexico. So, options are staying where we are for another year, finding someplace smaller to rent that will be more energy efficient and have less yard to take care of or to maybe buy a place somewhere.

As far as the possibility of buying goes we have been seriously looking at over 55 manufactured home communities around here. No laughing here!! Greg thought it was a great idea because it just means less he'll have to do when we are old and decrepit!! (Kidding) But our reasoning is we don't want to go deeply in debt because I would like to retire in 5 years or so and Ralph is already retired so this makes sense on a lot of levels. We also want to be able to lock it up for a couple of months a year and head to a warmer climate to thaw out during those colder months. So, security is also an issue, having other folks around to keep an eye out, etc.

We've been poking around for a few weeks now and have pretty much discovered 3-4 parks that would be nice and even a few homes in those parks that we are interested in and could afford, but we have to wait until we are closer to our lease being up...it will be a nifty ballet of making an offer and getting it accepted, then getting accepted by the park, then taking care of the financing (already got that pre-approved and waiting in the wings), closing and moving (YUK!). All that will need to take place within about a six week period if all goes smoothly!! No stress involved there.

Please keep all this in prayer if you would! Thanks.