NY,
I’m a bit surprised no one has pointed out Olivenhain as an area for you to watch and/or check out. It is a fabulous area close to everything with everything you would want. Think Colts Neck/Holmdel if you know those areas in NJ. There are lots of 1/2 acre to 2 acre properties there with mature trees. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to point you in the proper direction. My true expertise lies in everything along the coast from Carmel Valley/Del Mar to Oceanside. More specifically my greatest expertise is in Encinitas/South Carlsbad (La Costa). I can pretty much tell you who your neighbors are, what builders are best, which floorplans have/will continue to sell best, what street and even what side of the street you would want to live on. Having grown up back East for about 30 years, it is the closest place I have found in SoCal to having a real sense of place and/or community.
As for RSF, I wouldnt hold my hopes up too high of getting something other than a teardown anywhere close to $1M. The areas you mentioned like The Crosby/Cielo arent true RSF. They are closer to Escondido than RSF. I’m not sure what part of NY you are from but if you crave access to anything you will likely feel very isolated out there. I come from a long line of NYers and could never live that far out.