The Human Cost: This couple searched for a home outside the Bay Area for under $1 million. But she got called back to the office. Here’s what they did next.

Growing up in the California Bay Area, one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S., tech worker Ramya Jagarlamudi knew the high bar he had to meet to own a home.

During the pandemic, he got married and began looking for a new home. At first, the search was going well, and he and his wife were considering moving up north to Sacramento, and other areas, given that they could now work remotely. 

But…