SELLING MY SOUL!!!! (aka We're buying a house!)

I have been renting apartments/houses since I was 17 years old! I have had nice ones, really nice ones, scary ones (saw a guy fire a gun at someone in the parking of one of my USC apartments) to disgusting ones (a mushroom was growing out of the bathroom cabinet....seriously). Now, finally, after 13 years of Uhauls, my husband and I are going to buy our first house in just a few short months!!! We are beyond excited...also beyond terrified....but overall just ready to have something to call our own that doesn't require a pet deposit or a gas mask (I'm serious about that mushroom, there are pictures)!
We are officially approved for our loan so now we know what we can afford. We know we want to buy in South Carolina since the property taxes and insurance are so much lower, and so are the home prices! We have some things that are must haves (fireplace, deck, fenced yard) and some really, really wants (garden tub, hardwoods). The next decisions are the tricky ones...do we want an established subdivision? An older home with charm and character that can be fixed up? A newer home that just needs some paint on the walls? With the older home comes possible repairs...the water heater goes out, the ac goes out, the floor goes out. The newer home, while more reliable for repairs and probably a warranty to back them up, may lack the character. My parents are divorced and the reasons why are becoming completely apparent as they have completely different opinions on this process. Mom says go for the older, fixer-upper that way we can customize it. She forgets that we are basically dropping every dime (and some nickels) we have on the down payment so we will be cash poor! Dad votes for the more reliable, newer home that comes with a warranty. While this is practical advice, he also does not see our side of wanting charm and not cookie cutter!
The whole process is confusing as $%*# to us! We don't know an FHA from an FDA! We know enough to not get swindled and to know what we can afford, we know what we want and what we don't want...that's about it.
So feel free to share your advice. Don't do this....do that....watch for this....or even if you know of a neighborhood we would like in the Rock Hill/Fort Mill/Lake Wylie areas. Watch for the fall blog post with the invite to the housewarming party! (fingers crossed!!!) :-)