I am leaning towards renting in an area close to work (i.e. La Jolla) because the advatanges outweight the disadvantages. The biggest by far are less commute, no freeway commute, less stress, more free time, more flexibility during the day. Then, money saved on gas and insurance – and don’t need to buy a 2nd car! More flexibility in terms of where to buy is just a minor point, really.
We are still open to rent in PQ if we can find a better deal – better and cheaper 3 bdr house w/ yard there than the townhouses we are considering in La Jolla – to compensate for the costs associated with the commute. Advantage – rent in the area where we’ll buy, the kid stays in the same schools as all her friends…
If we rent in La Jolla, we plan to get into a place by the end of the elementary school so no need for another school move barring extreme circumstances until kid finishes high school.
