In case you are still interested. The suggestion of University City (west of regents, south of rose canyon), seems to make perfect sense. The commute to REI will be a breeze, the locals schools are good, the price can be sub 1M, the lots are big, and the community is pretty nice (plenty of parks etc.).
You might even venture south of the 52, there are nice parts of Bay Ho, Northwest Clairemont, and Bay park. Great location, and the houses are even cheaper in these areas. You can just send your kids to one of the Montesorri schools nearby with the saved money.
I like CV, lots of friends of mine live there, but it was pricey for me as a FTB and I wouldn’t fancy the commute. I did not consider MM as the traffic seemed a little tough and I think they are building a load more stuff to make the traffic worse.
