amonkie, thanks for the info on the Realtor... never knew that.
I do already have the mortgage pre-approval. Have say <5yrs old easily... probably newer. All codes up to date, as required by HUD for a house to sell... even updated to circuit breakers instead of fuses (always a good thing). It's 2-3 miles from where I grew up, so I know the neighborhood pretty well. It's on a side street with virtually no traffic... also awesome!
Thanks for all of the pointers