[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by deanp

It's tough to say - looks like there's condo's, townhouses and smaller (1200sqft) homes in the $250-$300K area, but that's looking online and not having any idea what the street area is like until you get there and look.

I obviously cannot contribute anything to the SoCal discussion, but I would add that Google maps streetview is invaluable for checking out areas. If you find a place you're interested in, look it up on streetview. You might find that the next door neighbors have a house on blocks and bars on the windows.