Trying to buy a house in upstate NY

I live in upstate NY. For context, I recently sold my first home & have a large downpayment at least 20% for any home I purchase. I am looking for maximum $250k loan. I recently changed jobs less than 6 months ago, and I am making roughly 50k a year. I have a partner, we aren’t married but he has had a job for about 2-3 years now. He is making roughly 50k a year as well. Currently my credit isn’t the best, & neither is his. I have small debts probably totaling $10k or less but some of these are in collections, & the only debt he has is $11k for his car loan. I am looking to buy a house as soon as possible. Is this possible under the given circumstances? We plan on applying for a mortgage together to combine our income/credit/job history to hopefully work in our favor. Any advise? Is there anyone I could talk to about this? When I bought my first house I paid it cash in full so I never dealt with a mortgage loan before. I want to set us up for success but also get a house within the next 6 months. Is this a realistic goal? Thanks in advanced for any help provided.