What to buy?

So lately we've been trying to figure out how much and what type of home to buy. I think it all comes down to how we feel when we see it, but we're trying to quantize it as much as possible at first.

In no particular order below, are some of what we're thinking about in regards to getting a home/condo:

• Bedrooms - 2 minimum, 3 would be great.
  
• Bathrooms - 2 minimum, the 1 bathroom at our current place is not enough...
  
• Kitchen with a dishwasher
  
• No carports, a covered garage is a must here. Attached would be great, but detached... we might be able to swing it. Depending on the house.
  
• How much yard? We're not really sure. We think we can make it work with a condo, if we are diligent about walking the dogs regularly. A small yard area would be nice though, we could set up a doggie door.
  
• Cost. Should we buy as much house as possible, or buy as cheap as possible so that we can have more money for emergencies. On one hand we want to have the most equity so when we decide to have kids we can afford a house on my salary alone. On the other we don't want to become "house poor."
  
• Independant of the above factors, should we get a home or a condo? If the market drops in the future, a home would probably keep its value better, but homes cost that much more. And condo's in Discovery Bay would probably hold value pretty well anyway...

  Also, condominiums might require less direct maintenance by us, which would probably be a good thing.
  

• Two stories or one? Teenie's back wouldn't like a big staircase, but if we were diligent we think we could probably keep her out of a back brace.
  

So thats just some of what we've been thinking about. Do you have any suggestions for future homes? Can you not live without ceiling fans? No sliding class doors? At least a 400 sqr foot kitchen?