answers the questions based on the article below

1. Why does she have to leave Los Angeles?
2. What is she giving up to live in Los Angeles?
3. What is she gaining by leaving Los Angeles?
4. What does she want to gain from moving and buying a new house?
5. What scarce resources is she working with?

THE HUNT

When Los Angeles Slipped Out of Her Budget, She Looked East for More Space. Which Home Did She Choose?

ByLivia Albeck-RipkaAug. 25, 2022

Without the funds 'to get into a bidding war,' a California buyer fled to Upland, in San Bernardino, focusing on the area's new developments. Here's what she found.

Roxanne Johnson lived for years in a two-bedroom condo in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles County, sleeping on the sofa when her family visited from Ohio. "I really wanted to spend more time with them, but I needed more bedrooms," she said. She also yearned for a yard and a sense of community.Beth Coller for The New York Times

Like many Americans over the past couple of years, Roxanne Johnson realized that she needed to move only after she was forced to spend most of her time at home.

In late 2020, she was working in marketing for a film and television production company out of her two-bedroom condo in Winnetka, Calif., a diverse neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The neighbors were rowdy. Dogs barked. Worse, her building was deteriorating, and her apartment had begun to feel uncomfortably small.

"I was just sitting on the couch, basically not moving, as I Zoomed my life away," she said. "I needed change."

A self-described "real estate nerd," Ms. Johnson already had several apps on her phone tracking the housing market. Before the pandemic, she had loved visiting open houses with her mother and grandfather, who would come for lengthy visits from Ohio, where Ms. Johnson, an only child, grew up in blisteringly cold winters.

When her family visited, Ms. Johnson usually wound up sleeping on the sofa. She wanted a place with more space, and first-floor access for her grandfather, who is now 95.

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"I really wanted to spend more time with them," she said. "But I needed more bedrooms."

She also yearned for a yard of her own and a room that could serve as a gym, with space for her weights, yoga mats and foam rollers.

As more Angelenos fled the city for the suburbs, Ms. Johnson knew that buying a three-bedroom home anywhere nearby was going to be difficult. "I didn't have the money to get into a bidding war," she said.

She considered homes in Arizona, Nevada and even Ohio, but decided that moving so far from work and friends would be more isolating. "I didn't want to be lonely," she said.

So she narrowed her search to San Bernardino County and, ultimately, to the city of Upland, about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. With a budget of about $525,000, Ms. Johnson homed in on the area's new developments, where prices were generally more affordable than those of existing homes.

"She had definitely done some homework and figured out what she wanted," said Ms. Johnson's real estate agent, Amanda Fallon, of Re/Max Partners.

Before she could buy anything, though, she needed to sell her condo to get the money for a down payment. Ms. Fallon referred her to another Re/Max agent, and Ms. Johnson began the daunting task of selling and buying simultaneously which didn't help her chances of finding the right place.

"At the time, it was so competitive here, most builders were not accommodating buyers who had a home to sell," Ms. Fallon said.

Among her options:

No. 1

Four-Bedroom Under Construction

Beth Coller for The New York Times

This four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom townhome was in Highline, a development of fewer than 50 homes in Upland, close to restaurants, shops and hiking trails. The home, which was still under construction, was about 2,000 square feet, with a walk-in pantry, solar panels and a balcony, but no private yard. Because it wasn't yet finished, elements could be customized. The asking price was about $515,000.

Four-Bedroom Under Construction

No. 2

Open-Plan Three-Bedroom

Beth Coller for The New York Times

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhome was in The Magnolias, another development in Upland, with quiet streets and a shared park. It was not gated, and there were other townhomes next door, creating a community atmosphere. The house was about 1,675 square feet, with an open floor plan, and it bordered a storage facility that could be seen from the second floor. The asking price was about $500,000.

Open-Plan Three-Bedroom

No. 3

Three-Bedroom With Patio

Beth Coller for The New York Times

This three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom townhome was in Sage, a gated community in Upland. It was about 1,595 square feet, with an open plan, walk-in closets, a small kitchen and a private patio. The community had recreation and picnic areas, as well as a dog run and mountain vistas, but it was bordered by a railroad track. The asking price was about $470,000.

Three-Bedroom With Patio

Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:

Which Would You Choose?

Four-Bedroom Under Construction

Open-Plan Three-Bedroom

Three-Bedroom With Patio