1. How much do you owe on the car? What's the interest rate?

2. Not sure why you would lump sum anything...stay liquid and if you see a place in the market that makes sense for you to invest, let that money make you money instead of it flying out the window all at once.

3. As far as buying a house, maybe look at homes that have a separate entrance, etc. which gives you an opportunity to get paid rent which can in turn help pay down the monthly mortgage payment. Doesn't sound like you'd be interested in a "roommate" type of situation, so having separate quarters would make a lot of sense since it seems like you don't need a whole lot of room for yourself anyway.