If you hate clouds you will want to be at least a little bit inland, no? I am new to the area myself so I don’t know this for sure, but I understand that the marine layer typically penetrates about eight miles inland.

Personally, I love the marine layer clouds and how they keep things cool. I moved from San Jose and am glad to see the clouds again – I grew up in Santa Barbara. Home again!

Best of luck to you; in a way, having substantial cash makes the decisions tougher, no? When you can afford 99% of the houses, there are both a lot of choices in the 99% and the 1% is that much more enticing!