The house? 35k isn't enough to RENT a place of your own almost anywhere in the US, never mind a mortgage, and all the additional expenses that come with owning a home, like maintenance.
Even in the middle of nowhere, it's basically impossible to find a 1br for under $1000/month. That's $12k/yr.
At $35k/yr, you have $2500/month post tax, so at $1000 you're spending almost half your post-tax income on rent (and that's not including utilities, taxes, etc).
I'm not sure where you live, but in my area you can rent a well maintained 3 bedroom home with a yard for $850-950 per month. 1 bedroom homes rent for closer to $550.
I'm in the south too actually, about 45 minutes outside Birmingham, AL
I've seen cheaper housing in Birmingham as well, but I don't know some of those areas nearly as well and couldn't vouch for how nice or safe they actually are outside of listing photos online
