We are considering a move to San Diego for my husband's job. I would really like any feedback about the house and job market. Is buying or renting a house even a possibility for a couple in their 20s? We are very much city people and would love to find an old house in the city that we could work on (but not have to overhaul). We've not been to San Diego, so any advice would be very welcome.

The entire coastal region of California is experiencing a real estate bubble. Translation: The housing market is insane. Prices are through the roof. San Diego is no exception. Even for fix-it-uppers, you're going to be paying top dollar.

Southern California is essentially completely different from other areas in the US. You absolutely MUST go and spend time in the SD metro area. The sheer spread-out nature of the region, the higher costs (other than food), especially gasoline prices, etc. are all things you need to consider. However, SD is a great town and, if I were to relocate anywhere (I live outside of LA), it'd be high up on my shore list.

Without knowing where you're from and what type of jobs you have its very hard to give any specific info.

I have fiends who moved to San Diego last year and they found the housing market affordable - but that's in comparison to New York - obviously where you're from is the key point.

My understanding is that a basic house, which I believe is 3/2 is going for about $450.000 now. And that is not for anything special. Maybe a develpment with no yard.

We live two hours east of SD, and developers are building housing for people who want to sell their house in SD for a huge profit, move here and commute to their jobs over the mountains and in very bad weather. That is pretty much a crisis in my book.

Thanks for the feedback. I was afraid that a house would be out of our league, especially since we now own in Atlanta (much cheaper here, I think). I work in non-profit, so if anyone has a feel for the job market, I would appreciate the advice.

To get a good idea of housing prices, www.realtor.com is a good site. You can search on specific areas and see what home prices are.

Rental prices, www.apartments.com or browse the local newspaper classifieds online.

When you log on to realtor.com, look at zip code 92123. That area, Serra Mesa, is close to Mission Valley and 15 minutes from anywhere. There are often houses there that you need to fix up. However, they don't sell for a lot less these days.

For more price info, and available rentals got to the San Diego Union Tribune web site.

It's all very expensive. I paid $2.34 for gas yesterday, up 10c from Monday.

Last weekend, we looked at some new condos near Poway, which is inland. They were selling for over $400,000. The rooms were tiny and the condos were nothing special. We were in shock when we saw them.

One of the things I like to do on vacation is get the real estate section of the paper and try to get a preview of housing prices. This is usually torture, since we live north of Boston - some of the highest housing prices in the country. San Diego was the only place I have been where housing costs seemed even higher than where we live!

i actually left san diego for (among other reasons) i could not afford to live there anymore. my STUDIO apartment was going to cost above $700/month. do a lot of research before you move there. it is a wonderful place to live but if you are struggling financially every month, it starts to loose it's appeal.