seems to be a vicious cycle

Tuesday - our "dream house" was pending. I called the realtor, and she said that probably means someone made an offer, and they aren't accepting any others. we'll need to move on to something else (or wait it out)
Wednesday - the house was off the market. I suspect the owners received another unsatisfactory offer and took the listing down.
Thursday - we chose new listings (Mike and Ana stole a bunch of mine) and planned for another trip to Frazier Park.

Saturday - back up to Lebec & Frazier Park.. we saw 4 houses by ourselves (from the outside)..
1st house - cute mobile, simple.. yard would need some work. but had lots of potential.
2nd house - another cute mobile.. owners were there. he showed us around. very cute double-wide with an addition.. it's a "double double-wide".. lots of potential lots of possibilities.
3rd house - another cute house but teeny tiny rooms.. asking more than seems likely. crossed that off the list.

then met the realtor in Pine Mountain Club - a drive through a loooooooooooooooooong mountain road.
1st house.. a mobile.. cute, but needs work.. also in Pine Mtn Club so would have an HOA fee -- so not worth it for the condition of the house. crossed that off the list.
2nd house.. huge.. owners are divorced, and the house is in shambles. they started construction but has a long way to go. vacation home so they are not there consistently working on it. they also refuse to go down in price. once the renovations are complete, the price will go up. crossed that off the list.
back into Frazier Park:
3rd house.. 2-in-1 package deal.  not easy to see as house is still occupied. looks better than listing showed. could be a possibility with upgrades and progress.
4th house.. cute but very close to road. street parking unless you have a teeny-tiny itty-bitty car. also has the most interesting neighbors. we heard the strangest sound when out on the deck. turns out the neighbors have a sheep - a black sheep. they also have chickens (eggs for $3/dozen)
5th house.. long dusty road.. downhill, steep, narrow. once we got to the house.. it's 7 lots !! cute & cozy house.. beautiful artwork detail. 3 sheds on the land. even comes with a tractor.
6th house.. a mobile.. a bit dated but also has charm. on a corner lot, making it bigger. has excellent potential.

so now we wait. the realtor is going to set us up with her finance guy.. to see what is required for a mobile.
more studying today - 20% down still required? still a 30-year loan?
still need to get loan approval - need to get to the bank on time.
also there is a law based on when the home was built.. we know it was built in 1976.. but was it built before June (pre-law) or after June (post-law).
only time will tell ..