You LIE. Take the job in Phoenix, buy something that’s suitable as a rental, get yourself fired, then rent it out and hightail it the hell back to CA. (And yes, you’ll pay a higher rate to get that flexibility, but it’s worth it.)

Also, if he can buy $350k of property in Phoenix, he can do the same in Escondildo or Visduh. Rent expense doesn’t count if you’re officially buying a primary.