Tech Salary Doesn't Cut It

Even with a tech salary, DINK budget - There has been very limited availability on the market in our price range that was liveable without significant improvements. I work full time in person in downtown Bellevue and my partner works halftime in person in Redmond so we were hoping to find something in the Bellevue area where we rented for many years. However, we ultimately settled on buying a house in N. Seattle because it was just unattainable unless we wanted to keep renting an overpriced apartment. It seems to be an issue that even with a sizeable budget - it's difficult to find an affordable, convenient place to live.