House hacking in San Diego

[Maddy C.]

Considering the move to SD in September/October this year and want to purchase a house hack. Will be heading out there in March to check out neighborhoods and get a sense of the area. Would likely be working in the University City area.

Budget probably max $700k with FHA. It would just be me and I'm open to renting out rooms / parking spaces / mid-term rentals / living in a run-down ADU - honestly anything. And it has to make sense as a rental once I move out. I've seen a lot of posts on BP from even 12 months ago, and it seems that prices have increased since then.

I'd love to purchase a muti-family (using the future rental income to qualify for a larger loan) however they seem unattainable now with the prices. 

• Are there any other ways to reduce cash on close - maybe first home buyer programs, rolling closing costs into the loan etc?
• What strategies are you seeing that work for lower entry points?
• What neighborhoods do you think I should check out while I'm there?