Seems to me you’re getting lots of good advice here. I feel like I have to throw my 2 cents in and advise renting for 2 reasons, either of which would be sufficient on its own (and both of which have been mentioned numerous times).
1) You’ll probably get more house (maybe a little, maybe a lot) if you rent for a while and buy later.
2) You’ll get a feel for this great metropolitan area and for what part of it fits you best. You’ll read that one person says “Carmel Valley is great” and another says “I wouldn’t live there.” All these neighborhoods you read about might work for you and they might not. You won’t know until you’ve lived here for a while. Sure, you have some fairly specific criteria listed. And, as you can see, there are several neighborhoods that meet your criteria. But you won’t really have a solid way to know which neighborhood fits your personality and fits the more subtle requirements and desires you have until you’ve been here a while. To me, that reason alone is worth renting. I’d sure be bummed if I bought a house in one part of town and spent the next 20 years thinking, “I should’ve bought a house in xxxx instead.” The extra house (or smaller debt) you’ll get if you wait will just be an extra bonus.
