It looks as if my minuscule budget of $60,000 was not impossible as many Realtors told me. I had made it clear to my realtor that I wanted to see as many homes as possible...not just her listings. To her credit, we saw eighteen homes and I was able to narrow it down to two in Santiago.
I'm now in contract to purchase a two bedroom, two bath home with a wonderful backyard. High walls, shade and what seems to be great ventilation.
I now have a list prepared of what needs to be done to make the home rent able until I move. Making improvements without actually being there won't be easy and figuring costs will be even harder. I'll need to search the web to see if I can get a better idea of where I go from here.
I'm excited and happy even though it's 6 degrees and my new boiler stopped working twice in two days!