Just thought I would add something to my earlier post... we just returned from San Diego and there are many condo's in the low $200,000.00 - some were brand new! Yes, they are small and yes they have association dues. But the housing market is suffering in SD, so you can find an affordable condo about 20 minutes from the beach. And what a wonderful climate SD has! It was sunny and 75 degrees and it was great weather to enjoy the coast. But I must admit, the Oregon coast is beautiful and much, much less crowded. A little wetter and colder, but the scenery is gorgeous.

Good luck in your search!

Krowe. Southern Oregon fits your bill. Sort of a west coast North Carolina.
Just skip the moving to Ca. part and join all the Californians moving up here.
http://www.southernoregon.org

How about a very affordable condo on the ocean, just 25 mts south of San Diego? OK, so it's in Baja, Mexico. But why not? Hundreds of Americans retire there every year.

http://www.viviun.com/AD-89415/

Don't give up, krowe! Maybe you'll have to up your budget a bit, maybe you'll find that bargain, but where there's a will, there's a way. Good luck.

I don't think anyone is being mean either....it's just California reality. You can cross the Central Coast off the list. (Read to the bottom of the post for the brighter side.)I live in Arroyo Grande (San Luis Obispo County) and we are in the building industry. Even with today's "Softer" prices, I don't believe you will find an actual house in the 200s in any condition. In fact, it is rare to find a RAW piece of land for under the 300-400s....that's why the houses start in the 400s-500s. I actually know that a couple of years ago a MOBILE home in Avila Beach sold for in the 500s (today it may sell for in the 400s). Starter condos generally start in the 300s-400s.

I guess the best possibility for what you want is a rare find, perhaps a foreclosure...so I guess it may not be impossible if you are extremely patient and persistent. I actually know of a few developers who bought a historical house for $1.00 (yes, ONE DOLLAR) with the condition that they would save it, but the land was not included. The city/county sometimes offers that in order to save historical houses. You have to have the house jacked up and moved to another piece of land which you have purchased. You might call the county or cities to find out if any of that is available, but only if you are interested in a big "Project"!

There is actually quite a few condos in the San Diego area for around that price on up to $250,000. They are two bedroom but very small (under 1,000 sq ft). Most are not in the most desireable neighborhoods but there some that looked OK. However, I know you said you wanted a house.

Look at Temecula or Murrieta in Southern Riverside County. It's about a 45 minute drive to the beach, a little over an hour to Palm Springs, a couple of hours to the mountains. Looking at realtor.com there were around 30 houses in the area $250,000 or below. However you could probably make a lower offer because there are so many houses on the market right now. Foreclosures or near foreclosures are on the rise so you might find a good deal. These two towns are relatively new towns and are of moderate size. Most of the homes, however, are tract homes that look very similar. But I don't think it's a bad place to live. The biggest question is probably-What do you do for work? Many people who work in San Diego live in Temecula and Murrieta and commute. It's about an hour into San Diego but that's without traffic. The commute is a bad one unless you work off hours.

I don't understand why no one is mentioning work...where will you find jobs? You need to live reasonably close to where you work. Unless you don't need jobs or are self-employed...

TAW-If you read all my post, you will see that I asked them what they would do for work. I also mentioned the terrible commute from Temecula to San Diego.

Yes, I missed that. You were the only one I believe.

Yes-I think we were the only two who were wondering about a source of income!

That's something I normally ask about, but as they aren't going to find anything, realistically, in their price range, why bother?

Hi krowe

Enter this into your browser http://mingtree.com/search.cfm
Select Eureka

Select single family home

Price range 0 to 225,000

Click search should return about 21 homes

Eureka is not for everyone

Have Fun

GP

Wow, I just posted about moving from San Diego to Raleigh, North Carolina. I olove San Diego and really didn't want to leave. But, I really like what I see in Raleigh (see my post). I've lived in CA my entire life. In my opinion the coast is the place to be. But, even inland where the traffic and smog is awful real estate prices are ridiculously expensive.

Well one nice thing about the Temecula area is that it doesn't have alot of smog. I live about 15 minutes from there. The bad thing is that is can be hot in the summer. However, if the OP is coming from Raleigh with humid temperatures, I don't think the summer heat would bother them much.

I think Temecula has wineries, doesn't it? I believe that's where we visited one day-trip from San Diego years ago. It's nice there.
:)>-

No - you weren't the only ones thinking about employment. I figured that since the subject was already brought up, why bring it up again.

The Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, area was vastly over-built during the housing boom. Developers are now dropping prices. You can probably find something in the 300-400K range now. Unfortunately, all the new construction has tiny lots and you look into your neighbors windows. It also may drop in value further. I wouldn't buy anything until 2008.

Right now on realtor.com there are 59 properties in Temecula alone that are $300,000 or below. Some of them are a little bit older homes so have bigger lots. I am sure some of these people are really anxious to sell. It's definitely a buyer's market.

Do keep looking----
Keep in mind to check weather trends online( weatherunderground has a history link)
Reason I say this is---
Eureka and CresentCity - a heat wave is in 80s --maybe twice between June and Sept. Usual temps 50s low to 65 - 68 highs with dismal (my opinion) overcast most of winter days My daughter went to college there and did not mind the weather..(she considers it hot at 75) Great hiking and coastal scenery and up into Oregon .
Housing market is "down" some what in Sacramento...2hrs. to beach , Lake Tahoe & wine
country. Hot in summer but NOT humid..
P.S.
All areas around Portland are "out of sight".
Good luck...