3 people who thought they could work remotely for good bought homes hours from their offices. Now they're being called back and facing the decision to quit or sell.

• Remote work gave people the opportunity to move away from their employer's physical location.
• Some companies are walking back remote-work policies causing panic for homebuyers who moved away. 
• One person Insider spoke with stays with his parents during the week, while another sold at a loss.

David Highbarger bought a house in Florida's panhandle in January 2022 to be closer to family. 

Before remote work became the norm during the pandemic, Highbarger, 56, had always felt the need to live in a tech hub given his career as a kind of business consultant called an Agile coach.