KPASKE,
I live in Escondido, 3yrs now, 10 yrs in Valley Center, and 25 in SD County. Escaped from NYC in 82' so I'm an Old Fart. But, I'd be happy to share opinion's about the area. I'm an ex Army MP so we probably have some things in common, BTW SD is a huge Navy town and lots of bis supporting them.

Take a look at the North County Times and the San Diego Union web sites to see if you can find what your looking for. The other posts are right and I think the way to go would be to rent first to settle in then decide what to do.

Any questions contact me at dbloughlin@aol.com