Hawk,
There are many nice areas that you probably havent seen yet in the area with no or very low fees. Without any financial information from you, I probably have a good idea of what your life will look like over the next 10 years as it is what I just went through (i.e. a couple of kids, wife with great job who took a couple years off, then a couple years part time and now just starting back at around 60%). Life does get different and more expensive when kids arrive and it is best to build up reserves now. You could easily find yourself in a deficit spending mode for a couple years as the kids approach school age. But if you do it right you will be in a great position once they reach school and you can get back to working a bit more.
Based upon what I suspect your earnings are, you should try to stay at 450,000 or lower if you can. Hopefully prices will get that low or lower for something nice and I’d wait until the do. If you have questions about any areas post them here. I have owned/lived in multiple properties in the area and have friends living pretty much everywhere. I know where the busy streets are, where the crazy neighbors are, etc and would be happy to point you in the right directions. When the time comes to look I suggest you find yourself a good local experienced agent as there are many around here that really know the area and genuinely care about their clients. From my experience, the best properties/deals go quickly and often never see the mls so its best to work with a well networked agent.
I hope it all works out for you and yours as this is the most wonderful place I have ever lived and feel so fortunate to be able to raise my family here.
