I definitely think renting should be an option for you. Our move out here to San Diego earlier this year was our 2nd move in 3 years (from Washington DC to Denver to San Diego). We made the huge mistake of buying a house shortly after arriving in Denver, only to find out we weren’t thrilled with the neighborhood and could’ve gotten better deals elsewhere, but we just weren’t familiar enough with the area. Also, we ended up having to try to sell the house 2 yrs later when we were relocated yet again. Although I grew up in San Diego and am fairly familiar with the area, we made the decision to rent. It was not an easy decision, especially with two young children, two big dogs, a desire to settle into a house we called “home” and having been homeowners since college. We figure we’ll rent for another year or two, really get to know the areas better and probably get more for our money in the long run. Make sure, however, you find a rental you really like in case you end up staying for a while. I’m not too thrilled with the place we have, but we don’t plan to move again unless it’s into our own home.