Job Relocation is Easy! (?)

“Relocation is easy!”... As a headhunter, that is what I tell my job candidates every day, and has been my opinion until I have had to recently do it myself.

 I honestly never had the foggiest idea just how complicated or expensive it could be! Here are a few of my reasons why:

Finding a (good) Realtor.
First, you have to find a good realtor. You would think that in my line of work this would be easy. Nope! I met with four different realtors, and each had a different opinion of value, target audience and how best to market my home. Then comes the “got to make everything neutral and modern.” $28,000 later, it no longer feels like my house and I really don’t like living there.

Getting a Mortgage.
The mortgage process is much more complicated than it was the last time I bought a house, when all the banks needed was my last two W2s and a letter from my employer stating that I work here and that they don’t plan on firing me anytime soon.

Selling the House.
Now come the showings- every one of which needs to happen at or after dinner time, while I’m in the shower or in the middle of a Patriots game. So, like the good home seller that I am, I oblige – turning on all the lights, putting on some soft jazz and making the house cleaner than it’s ever been. I then pack up the dog, kids and spouse and circle the neighborhood like a stalker.

Making the Move.
Now it’s time to actually make the move. I thought I was a do-it-yourself kind of guy until I took a test drive last night and felt like Keanu Reeves driving the bus in the movie ‘SPEED’. Fourteen hours of that will turn me into a basket case! So, I’m going to go ahead and spend $2,000 to have someone else do it for me.

Dealing with Miscellaneous “Stuff”
Then there is the little stuff, such as: changing drivers’ licenses, voter registrations, dog tags, mailing address, etc.

So guess what? This recruiter’s opinion now is that relocating is NOT easy, but if the job or situation is worth it, then you can get there from here!

-Tim