ocrenter, I’m sure you noticed that kev is in the $400K range. I don’t think that leaves him a lot of choice in SD County today’s market. He’s probably looking at a condo in most areas you mentioned and likely not one 1800 sf. In addition, he doesn’t know where he’ll be working so it isn’t easy except to say that the cities he mentioned are all probably good. The only one I haven’t been in is the City of Orange and I think Yorba Linda is the prettiest.
The reason he probably hasn’t found anything in the OC that he likes is because he his criteria is 1800 sf and $400K. Most of the housing stock in his price range is undoubtedly older and isn’t 1800 sf.
And as you mentioned, I’m not sure he could get a better job here than what he already has and the pay here could be quite a bit less, leaving him in the same (or worse) position, qualification-wise.
