The ABCs of Corporate Relocation

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

Congratulations on that new promotion.  Working your way up the corporate ladder is considered a rite of passage for many ambitious executives.  Unfortunately, before many busy executives can assume the mantle of responsibility that a new position entails, some are required to relocate themselves and their family.  This can add a tremendous amount of stress to dealing with a new title.  Many times, the anxiety involved in making a move can be far greater than that involved with learning the ins and outs of a new job.  To make the task less difficult, I have come up with a short list of items that are designed to grease the skids of transition for everyone involved.

A = Availability

The old adage, “You can’t get there from here” might sound familiar if you’ve started searching for available housing.  Depending on the metropolitan area to which you are being relocated, finding suitable accommodations for you and yours can be a tall order.  Especially via remote control.  Face it, unless you are familiar with a given city, you might as well be moving to the dark side of the Moon.  Even though you can let your fingers do the shopping for real estate online nowadays, what looks good online might not look so good once you arrive in town.  (I mean, Google Earth helps, but it isn’t good enough to see that junkyard 2-blocks away, or the paper plant a mile downwind.)

This dilemma usually requires calling local realtors and possibly sending your spouse ahead of you to start scouting available housing.  Of course, that only works if you have a spouse or significant other.  If you are a lone wolf, buying a house sight unseen is probably not going to cut it.  That means having to deal with another availability issue, that of temporary housing.  For many individuals and families, renting a house, condo, or apartment for 6-months to a year is the best option as opposed to buying right off the bat.  Renting gives you the chance to get to know your new hometown before you buy a home. 

B = Be Flexible

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

Being flexible is going to be key if you are going to motivate and organize your family into action.  While you might be used to having subordinates jump to attention when you issue a new policy, your family isn’t on the payroll.  Just hearing that they are going to have to pull up roots, move to an unfamiliar city, leave their friends and enroll in a new school is going to throw a monkey wrench into the works in a big way.  Far from helping you deal with the stress of relocating, unless your family is behind the move 100%, you could soon find yourself dealing with a mutiny.

That being said, motivating your family to get behind the move is not a mission impossible.  Not if you can sell the idea to them that this is going to be a win-win for everyone concerned.  A good idea is to hold a family huddle where you let your family know that you have been offered a promotion as long as you move to another town.  Explain the benefits of both the move and the town.  Perhaps arrange to take a weekend trip there to do some sightseeing.  If you can convince your family that making this move is the best thing for all involved, you’re halfway home.  Then all you have to do is come up with a timetable (and some incentives) to get your family packed up and ready to move.

C =  Cost Differential

Having lived in a number of major metropolitan areas around the US, I can tell you that there is a high probability of sticker shock.  Especially when it comes to renting or buying a home, there are areas of the country where housing prices are sure to give you heart palpations.  Living in Florida means the median cost of housing is currently $229,000.  If you are moving from Florida to Boston, get ready for a shock.  The median cost of a home there is three times as high.  Even a rental in Boston can set you back $3,000 a month or more.  Of course, that’s nothing when compared to a west coast relocation.  The median price of housing in San Francisco is $1.3 million, with the median rent being $4,500 per month.  (You could buy a McMansion in JAX for $1.3 million.)

My point is, you need to research the cost differential in a city before you make a move.  Heck, you need to factor in the size of the raise you are being offered BEFORE you accept the promotion.  Failure to take into consideration the cost of living could spell disaster for you and yours.

D = Don’t make any long-term commitments.

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As I pointed out earlier, renting is not a bad idea when you move to a new city.  Plant those roots too deep, and you had better hope you like both your job and your new town.  If either proves less than satisfactory, you could put your family in a bind that’s hard to fix.  As hard as it was to get your family to back your plan to relocate, think of the tough sell you’ll have if you are forced to make them go through the ordeal all over again next year.

E = Expect the Unexpected

When it comes to moving from state to state or coast to coast, expect the unexpected.  The farther you plan on moving, the more ways there are for schedules to get blown and items to get misplaced or lost.  Particularly if the mover you hire makes it a policy to transship goods from truck to warehouse to another truck, belongings can get misplaced or lost in the shuffle.  This is why it’s always a good idea to ask your mover if the same truck and crew that’s going to show up to load your belongings is going to be the same crew and truck that’s going to deliver them to your new home.  (Another stress and time-saving option is to have the movers pack your belongings.  For a few dollars more, it’s worth it.)

F = Find out if any of your moving expenses are tax deductible

Last but not least, make sure you have a conversation with your accountant to see which moving expenses are going to be deductible on next year’s tax return.  The last thing you want to do is fail to get every last deduction to which you are entitled when you make a corporate relocation. 

With over 4,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.