2) Would it make sense to buy a place, fix-up, rent out in another bay area market before buying our long-term home?

I’d have to agree with @Patrick Fraire even though I’m from SLO and would also highly recommend Cal Poly as a great school with a lot of companies recruiting from the Bay Area and Fromm SoCal you would have to travel.

I just got a job at a tech company in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be moving there soon with my family of 5 and I've been preapproved for a $600k FHA loan.Does anyone know the bay area market very well?  

Hello All, We moved from Atlanta to Bay area and our house is Atlanta is on market for approx 55 days (Feb 10th - now) with no offers.

I'm either looking to move to the west coast (Bay Area in California), or Cincinnati, Ohio after I graduate next year!

He's since gone gangbusters and is tearing it up in our area of Tampa Bay/Clearwater flipping homes, though I don't know if that suits me as I already have a full time job that I work a lot at and don't want another.  

In the long run, the bay area markets have been moving in one direction, up.

Anyone can Not pay their debts....it Will trash your credit, they can get judgments, and They can keep the statute of limitations at bay....I suspect you are reading hocus picks garbage....which even if true, your credit is trashed.....and yes, it will blow any chance of  you getting credit,  and your LLC getting a loan will depend on your Personal credit. 

It's getting extremely expensive for my mother out here in san jose,ca (bay area).

Prices are actually on the decline at the moment in the San Francisco Bay area, so not a good climate in which to invest money in real estate in my view.