My girlfriend rents a condo in Del Mar over by Torrey Pines High School. She pays about $1600 a month for a 2 bedroom/2 bath (about 1000 sq ft).
She doesn’t rent, her company rents it for her. I actually understand why she’d want to buy. Like lots of people she sees prices have come down and she has been inured (through years of marketing) to think ownership is the way to go. However several things you’ve pointed out scream rent don’t buy. They are
Included rent.
Limited down payment.
Can’t find anything she’d be happy with in her price range, or even close to it.
A certainty of declining prices in the near future.
Even assuming her job is secure, she doesn’t seem like a good candidate to buy at this time. I suspect without knowing, nesting is a large part of it.
