What part of the country are you in? Here in Texas, while the recession has hit and our unemployment rate is high, our housing pricing is stable. While jobs aren’t plentiful, there are plenty of smaller towns within driving distance of the major metros, and you might be able to find something out of town that’s affordable and get a job in town where the pay might be higher.
Come down here on a camping trip. Texas has no state income tax, and while our property taxes are higher than some, it’s not as high as back east. We have lots of absolutely beautiful state parks that are less than an hour to ‘town’. You might as well combine the camping with a job/house hunting trip. You could stay a month and not stay in the same park twice. Texas is mighty big. :-D
Texas is where I want to live. It is my first choice state for a whole lot of great reasons, including the fact that my sister has been living there for decades. The trouble is that my husband can’t get work there — he has been trying, believe me. He has talked to contacts all over the state. I wanted to move to San Angelo, but would have been pleased to land anywhere in that great state.