Another Marine here! I came out here in 98′ and served 6 years in the Corps and a few years in high tech sales driving all around the county every day. I second the advice to stay away from 15 at all costs and focus on the areas between South Carlsbad and the Carmel Valley area along the 5. Inbound traffic from Riverside County commuters has made the 15 an unpredictable nightmare most hours of the day. The 5 backs up, but you can generally plan around it and it is clear sailing very early when I assume you will be driving. To contrast, I’ve tried hitting the 15 at 0530 a few times and encountered grid lock traffic at the 78/15 merge and all the way south!
There are some very nice communities in South Carlsbad/LaCosta/Encinitas with 10-20 YO homes, great schools, low to no HOA and mello roos and prices in the 700-900k ball park right now.
Here’s an example of a home in a great area of Carlsbad and close to the beaches in the 700s right now:
Even better, here is a home in a fantastic area of Encinitas with no HOA, no mello roos and listed at 689+. I know – I’ve lived in this neighborhood. Having lived in Carlsbad, San Marcos, Temecula and Encinitas I can say this was the most family oriented neighborhood I’ve seen in San Diego so far. It’s right next to very upscale areas and new shopping and good schools, but is unpretentious and in this particular neighborhood you ever get access to a nice community pool.
