I was just going to write what you wrote! They did it to themselves. I remember when Washington was a hot little southern town. Now it is a metropolis.
Perhaps, before they take the job, they figure out the logistics of actually living there. No one would have any sympathy for YOU if you relocated and then bitched about the lack of housing.
Have sympathy for them—maybe they never heard of that Internet thingy where you can check housing prices _before_ you move... ;-)