Home buying possibility

I'm not sure why I'm posting here, I guess I figured you lovely people would be the most understanding. So I live in Bronson and while I don't absolutely love it, my fiance does. He's a miami guy who took to small town life pretty well. Well, renting has started to get me kind of stir crazy. So I got curious about buying a house. I've found a couple that are absolutely beautiful and could be affordable if I'm understanding how mortgage works right. I don't want an investment house, I want a home my kids can grow up in and not really worry about having to leave. The only thing I'm having trouble with is understanding fully how to apply for a mortgage and what exactly I would have to do to even start the home buying process. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd be eternally grateful