I moved to a small town in Washington state to work remotely. My mortgage is half as much as my rent was and I see myself living here forever.

• Charlie Walker, a Yelp product manager, moved from San Francisco to Tonasket, Washington.
• He'd worked remotely for almost a year. After he moved with his wife, Yelp went fully remote.
• They've been able to buy a house — and their mortgage payments are half what their rent was.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charlie Walker, a 35-year-old product manager for Yelp. Insider has verified his employment and rent and mortgage payments. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been working as a product manager for Yelp since November 2019. I create features for millions of small-business owners.