When Sharon Lipovsky and Colin Phillips left the Washington, D.C., area to pursue the dream of a bucolic life in the country, they were ahead of the curve. It was 2018, long before the pandemic hit, and few companies were telling their employees they could work from anywhere but the office.

Before retreating into the woods became a trend, the couple, who have three children — Henrietta, now 9, Crosley, 7, and Iggy, 5 — realized that a dramatic change of lifestyle might be possible for them. Ms. Lipovsky, an executive coach, could run her business, Point Road Studios, from a laptop, and Mr. Phillips, who works in communications for the Transportation Security Administration, predicted (correctly) that his employer would be open to a remote working arrangement.