Hi,

I have a client who is looking for a property. They are looking for something preferably under 300k, max 500k in San Diego that is less than 10 miles from the beach. Single story or townhome, not condos/mobile homes. 1-3 bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms. Pocket listing, short sale, trustee, probate, foreclosure etc all are good. Looking to close before Jan 1. Doesn't want a vacation rental type place, wants to fix it up, wants it be distressed/ugly/old/fixer. Does not want remodeled/upgraded. After having checked the MLS, oceanside seems to be the best fit for this criteria but they are open to areas farther south in san diego as well.

Please let me know if you have anything that fits this criteria!

Oceanside is indeed your ticket.  Specifically, check out the San Luis Rey neighborhood, zip code 92057.  I love fixers, and I love this neighborhood.  Most houses were built between 1960 and 1990, and many unlock a lot of value with a bit of TLC.  As for proximity to the beach, CA 76 makes getting there easy.

Happy hunting!

edit: For disclosure, I have listings in this area from time to time.

Oceanside it's the only place, I can think off

Less than 10 miles opens up a lot of areas closer to downtown.  Clairemont, San Carlos, Chula Vista, Serra Mesa and Mira Mesa to name a few.  If you are looking for distressed properties you should be able to find sub $500k in these areas. 

If the criteria gets more picky then it will make things more difficult.