I’m not convinced that there was a recent point where you could get a single-family home in decent shape (meaning: not needing $50k+ of work to be habitable) in an acceptable area for under $250k. Oceanside and Escondido possibly excepted. Believe me, I looked and would have bought in a second had the right deal come along.

Why not look for 2 and (if possible) 3-bedroom condos at this price point? Common charges and taxes are on average low enough in the SD area to make a condo not a bad deal.