Job relocation

[gigi1976]

My DH is an assistant city manager, he may have a job offer coming soon that would mean our first relocation (which I guess you have to get used to in this role) but I don't get how it works, would he go and leave us while we try to sell house, where would he stay? Help, I am mildly obsessed with these thoughts right now, besides college I have never lived outside of this county and clueless on how it would work, funny since I have worked in HR and made offers with relo. packages, but I didn't care how their family handled it just how much and what we paid for!

How do you relocate?

 

[sam_gordon]

I can't give you any advice because I haven't had to move for my job. BUT, you might want to change the title of the thread (don't know how to do that either). You are really looking for relocation help. The fact that your husband is in city management doesn't really come into play.

I'm just thinking you might get more people to read the thread if they know it's about relocation.

Good luck.

 

[mickeygirl14]

Gigi1976 - I feel your anxiety! My DH is in upper management too and we've relocated as a family twice now. DH usually went ahead of me and the 2 kids while we sold our house and looked for a new one both times. However, we were very fortunate to have been in an apartment the fist time (no house to sell) and the second time, our house sold in 6 days. (Our agent couldn't believe it!) It somewhat depends on where the new job is and what the new job is offering in terms of relocation assistance - are they willing to put you all up in an apartment or something short-term while you settle selling/buying a house? How long? Are they allowing you any money for movers/storage? Another thing to factor in is whether you are currently working and if so, will you continue to work. Good luck!

 

[mlulrich]

Our family just relocated for my husband's new job last month. It is a big decision, but it has gone well for us.

The amount of relocation assistance will be dependent on his new job. This was our second relocation. During the first move, my husband started the new job ahead of our move and came back home to us on weekends. Our first child was 6 months old and the separation was difficult for us. One of my stipulations on this move was that we "move as a herd" (we now have four boys!) and so we put our house in PA on the market the day that the movers pulled out with all of our belongings and moved straight into our new home in GA. This was a bit of a stressful time, but we were very fortunate and we had an offer 5 days later.

Please feel free to post more questions. Those of us that have been through it probably have lots of tips and advice on making the process smoother. Good luck to your husband and family!

 

[bellarella]

How you handle it will probably depend on what kind of relocation package he gets.

Since you were in HR, you probably have some familiarity with what can get offered. You can get nothing, all the way up to the employer buying your old home and helping with closing costs for the new one.

You will need to figure out what is getting paid for by the employer and then decide what you can afford to do. Empty houses often sell for less than ones that are lived in, since potential buyers sense that the sale is generally essential. (This varies by market, though.) But that could mean living apart for a significant period of time. Things you'll need to consider:

1. How long you think it will take to sell your current home.
2. Can you afford to carry the mortgage and rent/buy in the new location?
3. Could you rent out your current home?
4. Will your DH's commuting costs be covered if you are separated?
5. How much of your moving expense will be covered.
6. Will the employer help pay for the cost of the sale or purchase?
7. If you have children, how does this fit into the school year?

Good luck! Relocations can be a real pain. Hopefully it will all fall into place for you.

 

[Sadie22]

We were lucky that when DH got relocated for work he could live with relatives while I stayed behind with the kids to wait for the end of the school year and the sale of the house before moving into a new house in the new community before the beginning of the new school year. He was close enough to drive home on weekends. If we had not had relatives at the new location, he would have looked for a room to rent as it was just a little too far to commute on a daily basis.

We were able to deduct moving expenses off our tax return that year.

 

[SanFranciscan]

Renting your house would bring in some money for you while the house was on the market. However, the rights of the tenants could make the house harder to sell. The tenants would not have any stake in the sales value of the house so its curbside appeal etc. would be no concern of theirs as it would be to you if you were the one living there when potential buyers came to visit the house. The tenants would be entitled to notice before eviction after the house sold. The presence of tenants in the house could discourage prospective buyers not wishing to deal with tenants who would become their problem after the sale.

If you really need to relocate, decide whether you are willing to take whatever offer will get you a quick sale. If making money off of the property is important to you, your best option is probably selling to a property management company if you home go be used as a vacation rental or as a multiple-family dwelling.

 

[Swimalie]

I have been lucky enough to do this twice. both times from one coast to the other. We didn't have relocation help either time. The first time, my husband was in training for his new job for 3 months. During that time my mom and I went to the new city and found an apartment to temporarily rent. At the old home, I put the house on the market, boxed everything, got the movers set, etc. Then sold the house with the closing date right after we moved.

The 2nd time we had a 1 year old and 6 weeks to move. My husband flew to the new area and found a new house to buy. I started packing right away and found the movers again. We listed the older house and it sold in 2 days. We signed the closing papers early but with the date of the day before I left for the new state. My husband drove to our new state with the cat and a week later I flew to meet him with our son. My husband had power of attorney to sign for the new house for me so we moved right in to the new house.

It's not easy but it can work if you can think ahead and start packing the non-essentials ahead.

 

[andycat]

So many thoughts...

We've done this several times, and DW has always been the "trailing spouse" (her choice). The first and most important thing, especially since you may be doing this with some frequency, is to START DOWNSIZING NOW! Any clutter, junk or "extra" stuff you can get rid of is stuff you wont have to pack, unpack, and pay to move. Be ruthless, and when you do unpack, you'll still be asking, "why did we bring THAT"?

Different areas have different lodging options. If it's available, check Craigslist for the area where your DH is interviewing for short-term, furnished rentals, both initially for just your husband as well as for the whole family later. You really don't want to buy or sign a long lease in a new town before you've had a chance to figure out what part of town you want to live in. If he's going in advance for only a couple of weeks, there are hotels/motels that provide a little more room. Extended Stay America and Marriott Residence Inns come to mind.

How much time your husband has between accepting an offer and reporting for work, as well as what kind of relo package he gets may determine if you trail him or you try to move everyone at once.

Which brings me to my last point. May I ever so gently suggest that you might apply your concern about your personal upcoming move to your professional position in HR? I suspect that you're hoping that the HR person working with your husband as a new hire is not of the mindset that,

I didn't care how their family handled it just how much and what we paid for!

Besides, is that really the first impression you want to make with a new hire?

 

[Swimalie]

One other thing I thought about is what we were going to do. My husband was supposed to report to his new city 3 weeks before training. He was going to stay in a long-term hotel, the kind with a weekly rate. Plans, changed, though when his dad passed and so he skipped the 3 weeks and went straight to training. But that is a possibility for your husband before you arrive.

 

[Kriii]

We have done the relo thing a few times and, if your dh's employer is anything like my dh's, it will work fairly smoothly. I assume you are getting a relo package and not doing it on your own? My dh and I much prefer moving using a relo company! The biggest thing I can stress is FOLLOW THE PROCEDURES OUTLINED BY THE RELO COMPANY TO THE "T" to avoid any tax consequences in the future. It is really nice to have a relo package. In our case, we didn't have to spend time contacting movers (they contacted us). We were allowed to choose the appraisers for the current home (to determine the price the company would pay for the home in the case that we couldn't sell it ourselves). We were allowed to choose our own home inspectors. We were allowed to choose our own real estate agent. Reimbursement for the rent for temporary housing was provided and a trip for buying a new home was provided. Another awesome benefit is that realtor commission, moving fees, inspection fees, closing costs, house hunting trip costs and a bonus for selling the current home on our own was provided. It sounds daunting right now, but once the relo process gets started you will be given guidance. Best of luck in your move!

 

[lastminutemom]

Is the job another public position? If so, there very well might not be a relo package. As you probably are aware, local government's generally aren't having an easy time financially.

If it were me, I would google to death the city where the job is being offered. I would make sure that the local governing body is stable and that the finances of the city are as good as can be expected. If there are a lot of negatives, I would pass.

Good luck.

 

[prncess674]

Is the job another public position? If so, there very well might not be a relo package. As you probably are aware, local government's generally aren't having an easy time financially.

This is exactly what I was thinking. They don't have to offer relo package. It sounds like you have already accepted the position so you aren't really in a position to negotiatethis item now.

 

[seashoreCM]

I would say that getting temporary accommodations for one person is a good idea so that the actual move is not so rushed and also to see that the job itself pans out.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Dh's job relocated us a few years ago. We had a great experience, mainly because dh's job went above and beyond for us. We had a case manager assigned to us that answered all of our questions. But in the beginning, I was so nervous because the relocation package seemed so confusing. I made a lot of calls to that poor case manager at the relocation company.

Before dh accepted the job, the company gave us a huge package to read through. It detailed everything from how much his new salary would be to how much of a moving bonus we would get. Op, have you received that yet? It should also list your relocation case worker.

At the time that we moved, the housing market took a nose dive in California. We were very concerned about selling our home there. DH had to report to his new job before our house sold. We bought our new home and the relocation company paid our mortgage for the old home. After 6 months when the house didn't sell, the relocation company bought the house from us. It was really a smooth process.

 

[SanFranciscan]

So many thoughts..

Which brings me to my last point. May I ever so gently suggest that you might apply your concern about your personal upcoming move to your professional position in HR? I suspect that you're hoping that the HR person working with your husband as a new hire is not of the mindset that, Besides, is that really the first impression you want to make with a new hire?

I understand what you are saying because if I ran a business I would want to take care of those who were taking care of me. Anytime I hear someone whining "You can't get good help these days" I want to tell them that if they want their workers to care they need to start with the ones who do. It always seems to fall on deaf ears.

I think it is an excellent idea to make relocation experience a requirement of HR managers. It reminds me of the book "A Dose Of My Own Medicine" or something like that which was written by a doctor who got very sick and had an awakening as a patient.

 

[MissAndrea]

We were lucky that when DH got relocated for work he could live with relatives while I stayed behind with the kids to wait for the end of the school year and the sale of the house before moving into a new house in the new community before the beginning of the new school year. He was close enough to drive home on weekends. If we had not had relatives at the new location, he would have looked for a room to rent as it was just a little too far to commute on a daily basis.

This is EXACTLY how our situation was handled!!