I second PerryChase’s recommendation on spending a lot of your spare time on the ground while you rent for 6 months to a year. That’s exactly what I did when I moved to SD in the mid 1990’s. You can learn a heck of a lot about a local market by looking at listings on-line, driving through the neighborhoods and getting a feel for them at different times of day/night and seasons.

Once you are in tune to the area, I’d recommend finding a few areas that you really, really like and can afford (conservatively: fixed-rate loan). Make sure you want to actually stay in the area for a few years and that if current jobs fall through there are sufficient opportunities in your field. Then buy a house you like in a location you love.