With the relo package, your neighbor’s employer will pay for the 6% sales commission. Also, she’ll get a subsidized, 5-year interest-only loan for up to 20% of her new house’s purchase price, and all closing costs paid by her employer. If she moves again in less than four years, she’ll probably lose money. OTOH, if she intends to stay put in Thousand Oaks, and grow old there, she’ll be OK, even if her monthly payments go up a bit when the first five years are up.

Let me add PS, that I’m with you on this one. If I were your neighbor, I’d rent a nice house for a couple of years, instead of buying. However, all of her employer’s subsidies make the rent-vs-buy comparison a little different than for most people.