Ventura County has lagged San Diego on prices – cheaper, later peak, slower decline. But it’s coming. There’s a place on my parents’ street that has been listed for about 600k for 4 months, probably 2000 sf, 4 bedroom, 1970’s but kept up. My sister’s condo peaked at around 335k, and are now listed for 275k (lower end, 2 bedroom condos). You’ll see prices go up as you go toward LA. There’s ALOT more money in LA than in San Diego, and it spills out into the suburbs. But fewer people are willing to commute from Ventura than from Thousand Oaks.
TO is more upscale and has lots of restaurants, culture, and easy access to LA. It’s hotter (behind the hill, so less ocean breeze), and has fantastic mt biking and hiking. It’s more expensive, so your $2k will probably be a condo or a run down house.
Camarillo is NOT Chula Vista. It’s very much a bedroom community, less character, no real downtown, but very centrally located between TO and beach. It will be cheaper than TO, but there are some very high end homes and communities up in the hill. Off the hill, there’s alot of generic tract housing. You can probably rent a house for 2k there.
Ventura is a bit more isolated small town, though it’s evolving. The downtown has charm. The outlying areas have the usual generic tract homes. You can rent a house for 2k there, but you’ll be getting a 20-40 minute commute. 20 off rush hour, 40 during.
You might find something different in one of the more rural communities, like Somis or Santa Rosa. Some stuff there is very high end, but there might be something interesting if you want something different.
You won’t go wrong in any of these communities. Since you aren’t buying yet, visit all three, and see which looks most interesting. If you don’t like it, you can move when you buy. And I wouldn’t worry too much about schools with a six month old, unless s/he’s brilliant and will be in kindergarten next year.
