Archive for the 'Relocation' Category
Today we take a look at Austin real estate blogs.
Known as an artists’ enclave, Austin is a diverse mix of university professors, students, artists, musicians and high-tech workers. The University of Texas is located in the city, but that is not what Austin is best known for. The official slogan of the town is “The Live Music Capital of the World,” and it is a fitting title. The city hosts the wildly popular SXSW Festival. One of the largest music festivals in the United States, SXSW sports more than 1,400 performers playing in more than 80 venues in Austin during four days in March.
In recent years, many in Austin have also adopted the unofficial slogan “Keep Austin Weird,” which refers to the eclectic and liberal lifestyle of many residents, as well as the unofficial campaign to preserve local businesses and resist excessive corporatization. Despite, or maybe because of efforts to keep Austin’s small-town character, real estate is booming. Moving companies are busy in the city and you can see moving trucks trundling along the streets daily.
As with our past real estate blogs, we were looking for sites that allow visitors who are thinking about moving to the city to view real estate offerings and get great real estate advice, while also exploring neighborhoods through local information, such as restaurants listings, the price of utilities and even lists of the best doctors, dentists and veterinarians in town.
So without further ado:
Realtor Eric Bramlett, owner and blogger on Ericbramlett.com, gives those interested in the Austin market some real insight with lots of local real estate news, property listings, information on green building and a very lively comments section.
The website and blog are linked to Bramlett’s One Source Realty (he is co-owner). He has been licensed to sell real estate since 2003 and his experience has given him great knowledge of the city. Green building is huge in Austin and Bramlett is all over it, so if saving the planet is your passion, be sure to visit this blog.
The Sky Realty blog features posts from several of their agents, each explaining what properties they are working with and where they see the market going. You can get some really valuable advice from these veterans.
AroundAustin.com covers almost everything that is going on in the city, not just real estate. Here, you can catch up on restaurant news, great shopping, art fairs, charity events, current affairs and of course, the latest real estate news. With the linked Twitter feed, this blog is really connected to the people of Austin.
Austin Real Estate Eye Blog is run by Ryan Kucera, who updates his readers on the real estate market and the local happenings in the neighborhoods of Austin Balconies and Spicewood. During a visit to this blog you can learn where to get free mulch (seriously), perform a home search and get hard numbers on exactly how much the two neighborhoods have grown in the last couple of years.
The Real Deal, run by local newspaper The Statesman, gives real buzz on private and public real estate deals from all over town. This is the place to go if you are looking to buy a home, or see what shop is opening in that vacant spot downtown. The site specializes in business, commercial, restaurant, hotel and downtown real estate news.
Austin Real Estate Guy blog publishes information on current real estate market conditions in the Austin area, and developments that will affect the market in the future. Blogger Sam Chapman is also a real estate agent with Private Label Reality and posts real estate stories heard around town, personal observations and opinions.
In addition to real estate listings, Discovery Austin offers valuable information to visitors and those new to town. Lists of restaurants, watering holes, places to shop and even who is playing SXSW this year are all at your fingertips.
Austin Texas Real Estate Blog is run by Roselind Hejl, a realtor with Coldwell Banker United. The “About Austin” tab, located on the homepage, has great information for those of you who are looking for more information on the city. Spend some time going through details on neighborhoods, schools, Austin lifestyle and government services, just to name a few.
If you have any Austin real estate blogs that you love, send them to us so we can take a look and possibly include them in a future post.
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We’re back with part two of our Washington D.C. real estate blogs listing.
As with our first post, we searched for sites that catered to visitors looking to relocate to the city, as well as those just wanting to take a peek and get a feel for what’s happening.
These blogs allow a person to explore neighborhoods, view real estate offerings, see the price of utilities and even find a dentist.
So, on to the rest of the list:
Capitol Homes is written by Pat Kennedy, a realtor of 27 years and author of The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate: Buying, Selling and Making Money. This is the place to go for some sound real estate advice, whether buying in D.C. or not.
Kennedy is also a connected source of information when it comes to D.C. real estate trends.
Greater, Greater Washington was created by David Alpert, a man devoted to improving the vitality of Washington, D.C. and walkable neighborhoods in Alexandria, Arlington, Bethesda, College Park, Rockville, Silver Spring and Tysons Corner.
This blog is loaded with insightful information that will take someone who has never been to D.C. on a virtual tour, neighborhood by neighborhood.
Weichert realtor Dewita Soeharjono is behind the Urban Trekker Blog, a good place to find real estate news and trends. The regular Real Estate News Roundups compile links to interesting R.E. news pieces from across the country.
Prince of Petworth was created by Dan Silverman in November 2006 and has since been quoted by a variety of trusted news sources, including The New York Times, the Washington Post and Financial Times.
The blog does a great job of chronicling the happenings in Washington D.C.’s neighborhoods with a particular focus on Petworth, Columbia Heights, Park View, Pleasant Plains, U Street, Mt. Pleasant, Logan Circle, Shaw, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Georgetown, Chinatown/Penn Quarter, H Street, NE and Capitol Hill.
In addition to real estate news and listings, you can find in-depth information on neighborhood happenings, restaurant information and great photos. Best though is the bustling comments section, which gives you a great lay of the land as to who is thinking what in Capitol City.
RealAstute, run by realtors Kevin Shirley and Michael Dillon from Long & Foster real estate, blog about their lives as realtors with hilarious RealtorRant posts, and give readers really valuable information in the Feeling Nosy posts. Perfect for those of you who do not plan on moving this very second, but are still interested in poking around various neighborhoods. The posts also contain lots of current listings that have just come on the market.
So, that’s what we have. If you have any Washington D.C. real estate blogs that you love, send them to us so we can take a look and possibly include them in a future post.
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This week we take a look at the best real estate blogs in our nation’s capitol, Washington D.C. The only problem is there are so many great blogs relating to the city we needed to divide the post in two. Read part one today and you can catch part two on Wednesday.
What’s so great about these blogs? Well, they can help a stranger learn about a city, of course, and they give the reader access to that city’s real estate options, albeit virtually.
Whether you are thinking about moving to a new city or just curious, checking out real estate blogs is a great way to explore neighborhoods, get details on city government, taxes, housing and even prices of staples like utilities.
These blogs can even help you find the best restaurants, doctors and dentists in the area, so if you do make the jump, you will be set up from the very first day.
And Now, Anacostia, run by blogger DG-rad, meticulously details changes in the Anacostia real estate landscape. The neighborhood, located east of the Anacostia River, is a gorgeous and well-known historic area in Washington, D.C.
The site features great pictures of homes for sale, homes under renovation, green building and general neighborhood news. If you are thinking of relocating to this section of D.C., you better visit here to get acquainted.
HomeTryst.com, run by blogger Jesse Kaye for D.C. Building (which specializes in the construction of high-end custom homes and the restoration of historic homes in Virginia), connects buyers and sellers to the heart of the D.C., Virginia and Maryland real estate markets with up-to-date news from on the ground.
You can take a virtual tours of D.C. condos while on the blog, as well as read great articles on how to keep a home from selling (something none of us want), how to talk to a condo board, and what to do if your condo association goes bankrupt. Sound like a lot of condo advice? You’re right. The blog is very condo heavy.
In addition to being a website, BeyondDC is also a non-profit organization owned and operated by J. Daniel Malouff, a professional urban planner who currently works for local government in Northern Virginia.
While you won’t find any real estate listings on the site, you will find buckets of local neighborhood development information, neighborhood news, transit information and maps, and really fantastic photos of D.C. and the surrounding area.
Redfin’s Washington D.C. and Baltimore blog, Sweet Digs, is written by Redfin realtors Tim Ellis and Crissy Hall. They give you the scoop on past sales, good deals, open houses and what’s on the market.
DCMud.com is a site for buyers, sellers, developers and anyone who wants to be on the inside track of D.C.’s real estate market. The real estate agents who report regularly on the site have been working with developers for years, so they are able to not only see where the RE market has been, but foresee where that market in going in the near and not-so-near future.
Especially great is the info on developments yet to be built. As the information is boasted to be always accurate, this is a fantastic tool for those who plan on moving to the city.
Okay, there’s plenty more where that came from! Tune in on Wednesday for part two of Washington D.C.’s Best Real Estate Blogs.
In the past, our regional best blogger posts have always been a favorite with all you out there, so we’re bringing them back.
This time we take a look at Miami. Why? Well, for one, we here at Relocation.com are currently holed up in our New York office during the biggest snowstorm of 2010 (so far), so warm-weather anything sounds like a good idea. Second, Miami is humming with real estate news and the blogs are reflecting that.
So what makes a best blog? They need to be able to help a stranger learn about a city, of course, and they need give the reader access to that city’s real estate options, albeit virtually.
We, like you, want to see updated and original neighborhood content, so what better person to write about what is opening and up-and-coming than an in-the-know real estate agent?
A few other criteria we look at:
Market data. People who are relocating want to know average sales prices, sales volumes and days on market. Agents need to give that information to them.
Explanatory articles about real estate, whether the basics or current issues. People looking for a home come from varied backgrounds as far as real estate knowledge, so the agent should attempt to give them information about a variety of real estate issues. For example, blogs about buying a foreclosed home are very useful in this market.
And here are our favorites:
The Blog That Ate Miami
Real estate agent and blogger Maggie Dokic not only has really fantastic dining and entertainment guides, The Blog That Ate Miami has a really robust backlog of helpful articles for both buyers and sellers.
The dining and entertainment guides are reason enough for anyone who is planning a trip or relocation to Miami to visit the blog. Daily updates to the entertainment guide include big and small community-related events; it’s kind of like having your own tour guide take you around the city.
HouseKeys, Buying, Selling, Insuring Your Property
Real estate agents Julie Patel and Paul Owers co-host HouseKeys, a great nuts and bolts blog that covers Florida’s real estate, property insurance and utility industries. Rules and regulations change from state-to-state and city-to-city, so when buying a property in a location new to you, it’s imperative to know local law.
The blog is part of local newspaper, The Sun Sentinel, so you know that the information is accurate and updated regularly. And happily, while the information is cut and dry, the writing style is engaging and informative so you want to read it, not just have to.
Miami City Diggs
Real estate agent Jamey Prezzi hosts Miami City Diggs, a veritable launch pad for the real estate market in Miami. With a hopping comments section, you can start conversations with people who are passionate about all-things-Miami before even thinking about making a call to a moving company.
Fantastic photos, a blogroll that is fun and informative, and lively posts about the Miami market will give you a realistic and real-time look at what is happening in the city.
Miami Condo Investments
Property guru Lucas Lechuga gives us Miami Condo Investments, which has all the information you need on newly-built Miami condos with his amazing Miami Condo Ranking. At a glimpse, you can see a property’s proximity to restaurants, grocery stores, shops and nightlife; the quality of the building as well as quality of the units in the entire condo development; and risk: the number of foreclosures, short-sales and percentage of closings for newer buildings. This recently updated key to the city will help a buyer make the best condo choice possible without ever getting on a plane.
Here are some of our honorable mentions: Eye on Miami, Miami Condo Forum, Miami Real Estate Cafe, Miamism, South Beach Condo Blog and Bosshardt Blog. All these blogs give fantastic overviews of the Miami real estate market and are definitely worth a visit.
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While co-ops and condos have maintaince fees, houses located in housing developments have homeowners’ association fees. These could be either new homes, or exsisting ones.
The Homeowners’ Association collects the fees, as they are the legal entities created to maintain common areas and enforce deed restrictions. Shortly after you move in, you will receive the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R’s) which should clearly state what needs to be adhered to in order to maintain the quality and value of the properties located within the community.
Restrictions can include parking on street (including your moving truck on moving day), landscaping approval or types of plants allowed, fence restrictions, pool restrictions, erection of basketball hoops or tree houses, storage of boats and RVs, number of pets and age requirements of residents.
If you are looking to buy a home in a community with a HOA, you should request a copy of the CC&R’s; ask about any CC&R’s recorded against the home; find out what the current dues are; find out how often the dues have been raised during the history of the HOA; and determine if there are term limits for the Board, and if Board members have attended training sessions in efficient HOA management.
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Moving Day: A Checklist of What To Do
Arizona’s flirting with a dubious distinction: more people leaving the state than moving there.
For years, Arizona’s population has exploded with retirees and job-seekers attracted by a booming economy and a warm climate.
But now, a prolonged economic blood-letting, particularly in the housing market, is taking its toll, with Arizona facing a net outmigration in the not-so-distinct future.
According to Relocation.com data, 60% of all Arizona moves in 2005 were inbound. But that percentage has slowly dropped over the past four years, reaching 53.3% for 2009 year to date.
There are two bright spots for Arizona:
Bright spot #1: There are more people making in-state moves, suggesting that Arizonians are taking advantage of cheaper real estate to trade up: In 2009 year to date, 20.2% of long distance and local moves were in-state, up from 17.2% in 2008 and 15.6% in 2007.
Bright spot #2: It’s pretty bad everywhere, so if you’re going to be mired in a lousy economy, why not face it while taking in a Camelback mountain view?
Although the luster is off Arizona, Phoenix still appeals. Relocation.com found that 57.5% of all long distance moves involving Phoenix were inbound, up from 54.5% in 2008 and 45.5% in 2007.
Relocation.com utilizes real-time data from people requesting moving services, recording where people are moving from and to. It annually records over 500,000 moving requests in its database.
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Could California’s long slide be abating?
According to recent data from Relocation.com, the number of people leaving the state is shrinking compared to the number of people moving to it, a crucial gauge for measuring the state’s rebound from economic calamity.
As recently as 2005, 60.7% of the relocation activity for California was outbound – in other words, for every 2 people who were moving to California, 3 were leaving.
That kind of migration can decimate the local tax base and contribute to a further erosion in the state’s quality of life.
However, that outbound number has been slowly decreasing every year, from 58.6% in 2006 to 54.99% in 2009 year to date.
These numbers are reflected in the Los Angeles data.
We looked at the data for all moves in Los Angeles, including moves made within Los Angeles. We found that outbound Los Angeles moves accounted for 36.4% of all moves in 2009 year to date, down from 43.1% in 2008 (the earliest year for which city data are available).
However, instead of people moving to Los Angeles, we found that more people were making moves within the Los Angeles area, an indication that more people are taking advantage of housing prices to either ‘move up’ to a better home, or move to a better neighborhood.
Most importantly, of course, they’re deciding not to move out of Los Angeles.
The percentage of movers making a move within LA was 25.2% in 2008; it rose to 32.33% in 2009.
Relocation.com utilizes real-time data from people requesting moving services, recording where people are moving from and to. It annually records over 500,000 moving requests in its database.
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Looking for a new job – particularly when you don’t have a current job – is not a lot of fun.
Fortunately, there is a way to lessen the pain a bit, at least financially.
As you continue your job search, you are able to deduct certain job-hunting expenses. Most people know that they can deduct moving expenses for moving; I bet few realize they can also deduct these sorts of expenses.
1. Who Qualifies
If you’re a banker and wanna be a baker, you’re out of luck. The IRS only allows deductions for job searches related to finding a job in one’s current or previous occupation. It’s the nature of the job that matters; if you’re a journalist (ahem) who worked at a newspaper and now are looking at online opportunities, that’d qualify. However, looking at a marketing position would not.
It also doesn’t matter if you’re working a part-time position in another field while looking for full-time work in your chosen field; this is likely grounds for deducting job-hunting expenses.
However, you can’t deduct expenses if you’re looking at a job after graduating college (it’s considered a new occupation), or you’ve had a long period of time off for things like travel.
2. Expenses That Qualify
Some things you can write off:
* Headhunter or employment agent fees
* Travel expenses for interviewing, which includes 50% of meals while out of town. This includes airfare and lodging, but the primary reason for the trip MUST be job-hunting.
* Any expenses to do with resume preparation – a professional to help prepare them, paper costs, and postage costs.
* Driving expenses for interviews and such get the standard IRS business mileage allowance of 55 cents per mile.
* If you’re researching starting a business, that’s also an allowable deduction.
Some things you can’t deduct: Anything you might normally pay for if you weren’t searching for a job, like any personal health expenses (haircuts), or Internet or cellphone costs.
3. To get the deduction
You have to itemize the expenses as ‘miscellaneous itemized deductions.’ And these expenses (which also include other expenses like investment expenses and tax preparation services) must exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income.
In other words, you need a pretty significant amount of job hunting expenses to qualify. However, if you’ve been out of work for awhile, you might meet it because your income is lower than usual. Also, the first $2,400 of unemployment compensation benefits received in 2009 is not included in your AGI.
For more information, talk to your accountant or talk to the IRS.
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Negotiate a Relocation Package
Being transferred for work, or just accepted a new job in a new town?
Take some negotiating tips from a Microsoft executive who scored a pretty sweet relocation package.
Microsoft business division president Stephen Elop got a cool $4.1 million in relocation expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30. It included the usual goodies (movers, etc.), but also the sweetener that the company would take his Silicon Valley home off his hands if he couldn’t sell it himself.
Such relocation deals, while not uncommon, are becoming rare except for the upper echelons of management. It’s pretty clear why: In today’s housing market, corporations, relocation companies and moving companies that offer this service have lost of ton of money buying employee homes that have plummeted in value.
In fact, more and more employees are simply being handed a lump sum to handle their move, rather than having the company, or an outside firm, arrange it for them. Just too expensive.
And if you’re moving to take a new job, particularly if you don’t have a lot of negotiating power, you might be totally on your own for relocation costs. But depending on your situation — particularly if you don’t have a job currently — you might be completely fine with that.
But back to Microsoft’s Elop, who buy all measures did pretty well. Microsoft said it would buy Elop’s old house at a price equal to the average of three independent appraisals if he were unable to sell the home in a preset time.
If the average appraisal came in below what Elop originally paid and adjusted for home improvement projects, Microsoft agreed to pay the difference. He also was given a “tax gross up” – a reimbursement from Microsoft on any individual income stemming from the real estate sale.
Because the California real estate market tanked, Microsoft ended up owning Elop’s house, later selling it at a price “significantly below” the original purchase price. In addition to the $4.1 million in relocation expenses, the filing says he received a $1.2 million tax gross up.
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It’s the big question — OK, the only question — in real estate: have we hit bottom?
Hard to say for sure, but recent data from a Relocation.com survey, coupled with recent economic data, indicate there’s light at the end of the tunnel. In our September survey, more renters took the plunge to become homeowners. Granted, it was modest: this group increased from 14% to 17% from the previous survey in June.
However, an increase is an increase, and although this group doesn’t get much press, it’s important for the health of our real estate market.
The ‘move up’ crowd gets a lot of attention in the housing market. These are the folks who own currently but are looking to move to a better home or better neighborhood. This group’s been basically frozen because they can’t sell their home, or get enough for their home, to move up to a new home.
That’s created a cascade effect that’s kept much of the market frozen. So if the renters get off the sidelines and start buying homes, which in turn frees up those sellers to buy a new home, that’s a great sign, and one that bears watching.
Other findings:
* 70% of respondents said homes are more affordable today than in recent months.
* 69% indicated they believe the economy is improving
* 19% cite declining home values as a primary reason for this improvement.
* 26% of survey respondents took advantage of these more affordable prices to move to a bigger house or neighborhood, down 24 percentage points from our June survey.
* Moving due to job loss or foreclosure stabilized at 7%.
* There’s been a 16% increase in respondents who said they hired a professional moving company, which may be another indication of an improving economy.
Isn’t youth all about taking risks?
Not if you’re the Wall Street Journal.
It recently consulted a group of demographic and relocation experts and compiled its list of magnet cities for youth, and most of the obvious candidates are there: New York, Washington, D.C., Austin and the rainy redoubts of Seattle and Portland.
‘Post-Recession Boomtowns,’ is how the Journal described them.
But it had a glaring oversight: ’stretch’ cities. Most of the list are the obvious and safe, with large populations and solid economies.
That probably helped exclude a lot of cities that might have qualified, like, for example, ANY city in the South, and just a couple in the Southwest.
The article notes that Naples, Florida had been listed as a popular relocation destination for youth earlier this decade, but that its pummeling in the economic crisis helped keep it off the list.
Same probably goes for any city in Florida, as well as most large cities in California.
However, isn’t the very pummeling of a city a reason for youths in particular to take a look, particularly as a ‘post-recession boomtown’? The Journal’s list seems to focus on cities that are doing well now, not that might do well in the future.
For example, Portland probably wouldn’t have made this list a decade ago — it was dirty, gritty and didn’t offer much economic opportunity.
But you might say that very reason it’s on the list now is that it attracted youth. That youth helped revitalize the downtown and made it a much more inviting place to live. Inevitably, that helped attracted businesses that wanted to tap into what’s now an enviable lifestyle for people of all ages.
So when you’re looking to move, also take a look at the cities that are in the dumps. You’ll find cheaper housing and a cheaper overall standard of living, and perhaps less competition for entry level jobs as your peers flock to the more popular cities.
And if you’re intent on being an entrepreneur, you’ll probably find local government that would love to give you some financial assistance.
Make your decision for moving based not entirely on how things look now, but how they might look in the future.
Here’s the top 10 (er, 11 - there were some ties that apparently couldn’t be decided by a coin flip).
1. Washington, D.C.: Thank God for the stimulus — what happens when that ends?
1. Seattle (tie): I hear it rains there.
3. New York City: Financial industry not as hard-hit as expected, but let’s wait to see what greater government regulation (or more accurately, enforcement) does to it.
4. Portland, Ore.: See Seattle
5. Austin, Texas: I imagine even Austin is getting tired of making everyone’s top 10 list (including our own Best Places for a Fresh Start).
6. San Jose, Calif.
7. Denver: If you can’t work, you can at least ski (if you can afford to ski).
8. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.: Another fave on the top cities lists.
9: Dallas: Buoyed by oil, it will continue to do well.
10: Chicago: You don’t see this on many lists, and I don’t know why — great econ and Olympics tie should help.
10: Boston: Also not a city you see much on these lists.
Citing data that shows a slowing reduction in shipping volumes, the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) says the moving industry might be flashing the same signals as other industries that the economy could be on the mend.
“Although shipments overall remain significantly below historical levels, we saw much less of a reduction in shipment volumes in June, which in turn was less than the declines during the first five months of the year,” said Linda Bauer Darr, AMSA president and CEO. “In fact, shipments by our members for non-Defense Department moves for the federal government were actually up 14% from June 2008.”
A Relocation.com survey earlier this summer suggested an easing in recessionary pressures as well, with fewer people reporting the poor economy as a reason to move; rather, more people were moving to either a bigger/better home, or moving to a nice neighborhood.
The figures are from the summer issue of AMSA’s Industry Trends. The summer issue also says the drop in the average shipment weight since the industry’s peak year of 2006 has been greatest for individual household goods moves, and for non-defense federal government personnel (GSA) moves.
However, AMSA notes that the weight decline in the GSA segment may be caused by “split moves” when one spouse does not immediately join the other in their new location, which could occur when they are unable to sell their house or find a new job due to the economy.
Industry Trends, published quarterly, offers an overview of current trends and business activity within the sector, and offers data on shipment volume, both aggregate and regional; demand factors; timing; inbound/outbound data; and market-specific trends and outlooks. Industry data is based on information submitted confidentially to AMSA by its member companies.
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weeks ago I wrote how people who can’t sell their home are starting to mull renting it instead.
If you’re one of those on the opposite side of the equation — you want to rent a home — here’s a quick list of things to look for in a rental home. Even though you’re just renting, you’re still investing in a community, and there are some important things to consider:
• The quality of the neighborhood and area schools as well as school bus routes, schedules and stops. If you have kids, find out if their school schedule fits your own.
• Check crimes rates in the area, as well as the sex offender registry.
• Is the new place convenient for your work, and does it have ready access to services and businesses that you frequent?
Here’s what to check on the house itself:
• Who’s responsible for general maintenance and utility bills, you or the landlord?
• Can you get the landlord easily if there is an emergency? Some homeowners who rent are doing so because they are moving out of state. Check to see if that’s the case.
• Do a background check on the homeowner just as they’d do one on you, say experts — you’ll never know what secrets may be in their financial closet. You don’t want the house to get foreclosed on, leaving you having to find a new place. Make sure whoever you’re renting from is current on their mortgage — and looks set to stay current.
• Check for environmental hazards like lead paint, asbestos and mold, particularly older homes. Don’t assume that the landlord has done those checks for you. And don’t assume any defects you see in the house will be fixed in the months ahead — make the fixes a condition of your signing the lease.
• Go over the lease carefully, particularly the section about breaking your lease. Also, be sure to check out renters insurance — your landlord’s insurance won’t cover you for most things.
People mulling a relocation, whether it’s for a new job or to moving to a place with better job opportunities, face a dilemma — sell their home at a loss, or not move.
That’s bad. This nation needs for people to go to where they can find fruitful employment — that’s good on an individual level, and for the economy as a whole.
I’ve written about some signs that more people are willing to bite the bullet, sell their home and relocate for work.
And now there’s an indication of a willingness to take a different step to facilitate a relocation: The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about how more homeowners are willing to rent out their home. Even if the rent they’ll make is less than the mortgage, they hope that home prices will rebound enough in the longer term to offset those rental home costs.
Renting out a home is not an inexpensive affair.
If you’re using a property management firm to oversee the property, you’ll pay them a fee from 3% to 12%, and you’ll pay more to insure the place (about 25% higher than a homeowners policy). You’ll also still have the costs of upkeep, and the rental income can affect your tax situation.
However, more are willing to take on those expenses to get on with relocating their lives.
And it’s great for renters — they now have more options beyond just an apartment.
(Read more in Relocation.com’s rental home section.)
We get this question at Relocation.com a lot:
How much will I pay for local moving?
The answer: It depends.
If you’re moving locally, you’ll pay by the hour for a certain number of workers – many local moving companies charge around $90 an hour for 3 movers, but that varies around the country, of course, based on local labor costs.
As far as how long it will take, a good rule of thumb is one hour per room, using bedrooms, living rooms, family rooms, kitchens, and other whole rooms. The other areas usually even out, with the main rooms not always taking the full hour. Loading generally takes twice as long as unloading. Please note: Transit time will count toward the total, so be sure to keep that in mind.
The only way you’ll know for sure how much you’ll pay is to call local moving companies for moving estimates. Based on the stuff you need to have moved, they’ll give you a better sense of the costs you’ll be looking at.
And before you choose a moving company, check to make sure the local company is licensed.
I wrote a few months about Richard Florida’s assertion that Western cities that in the past have enjoyed huge influxes of folks from the ‘Rust Belt’ face significant challenges in this recession.
We’re starting to see just how significant.
An article in the New York Times points out some startling statistics for 2001-2007.
“About 20 percent of private industry growth in the United States was tied to real estate and construction. In the Phoenix area, almost 36 percent of growth in the private economy during that period — more than $34 billion worth — came from real estate and construction.”
I’m sure these areas have always had higher proportions of their economy tied to construction and real estate. However, it shows the danger in that overreliance, and it shows that these areas, more than most, will have a hard time digging out from the aftermath of this recession.
A recent survey we commissioned has found some optimism for the real estate and relocation biz: 50 percent of people who recently moved did so to improve their living situation, whether to move into a bigger home or move to a better neighborhood. It’s quite a change from a similar Relocation.com survey in March 2009, which found the recession played a much larger role in the relocation decision.
As the primary reason for moving, No. 1 on the list was to live in a bigger/better home (26 percent), followed by living in a better neighborhood or area (24 percent); to be closer to family/friends (12 percent); living in an area with a lower cost of living (9 percent); or a move that was sparked by a change in marital status (6 percent). Moving because of school, job loss, retirement or foreclosure each garnered 3 percent or less.
The change between the March and July surveys could indicate that consumer attitudes are shifting. With more people taking advantage of favorable real estate deals and falling rents, even as the recession continues to pinch most Americans, they suggest a boost in consumer confidence.
While finances still factor into relocation decisions, the survey indicates that fewer people were feeling the need to move due to job losses, foreclosures or downsizing to cut costs. The people who looked to improve their living situation were a mix of those buying a home or renting that were seeking to take advantage of lower rents and home prices to move smart.
Government incentives to buy a home, coupled with market forces lowering housing prices, have helped boost home sales in recent months.
The overall slowing of demand for housing has also produced lower rents in many major metropolitan areas, benefitting renters. Of the people who indicated they were looking to improve their housing situation in the survey, 54 percent were renters who moved into a new rental.
Nearly 42 percent were people buying a home or planning buy one: either renters who became homeowners (15 percent), homeowners who moved to a new home (16 percent), or homeowners who moved into a temporary rental as they continued their search for a home to buy (11 percent).
A similar survey in March found that people were more likely to list symptoms of the economic downturn as reasons for their move: 41 percent said that the recession had a moderate to strong influence on their decision to relocate.
Family reasons also played a larger role in the earlier survey: 23 percent said their primary motivation was moving closer to family or friends, while 13 percent cited looking for work or starting a new job. Only 14 percent listed moving to a bigger home or moving to a better neighborhood as a reason for their move.
If you’re like me these days, you’re reading more book reviews than actual books — it’s cheaper and much, much quicker.
But I recently came across a book that might get me to reading, and it might interest those in the relocation/moving industry as well: ”Next Stop Reloville” by Peter Kilborn.
Kilborn documents (lionizes?) a community of workers in the country for whom relocation is just another part of the job — here today, Detroit tomorrow.
They follow the job opportunities where they are, using the relocations to command a premium for their efforts, and often moving up steadily on the corporate ladder.
What’s so interesting to me about the book is its topicality, but not for the reasons you might suspect. It seems more history book than current social commentary. The way of the relocation specialist might be going the way of the dodo bird (and eventually Twitter, one might hope).
Companies are really backing out of the relo game — it’s expensive to relocate someone, even though many companies have moved away from handling all the aspects of the relocation themselves and instead just give the employees the lump sums to move themselves.
Even so, by all appearances, fewer employees are being relocated, for the obvious reasons –why would you need to relocate a skilled employee when there might so many eligible candidates in your own community?
People will still need to keep moving, but it’s doubtful that this class of road warrior will be the prominent variety, and those who are overly dependent on them should plan accordingly.
A recent report about moving holds some important glimmers of light for the moving industry.
The Boston Fed study found that housing prices have become a key determinant in whether people move - if people can not get the price for their home that they think it’s worth, they won’t sell and move. That’s a shift: before, if you needed to move, whether for retirement or a job, selling your current home wasn’t a roadblock.
Now that housing prices have fallen so much, that type of activity has stalled, and migration patterns have hit generational lows.
So where exactly is the good news in this?
The biggest hindrance to someone selling their home, or putting their home on the market, is the perception that they’re losing. The home that 4 years ago was worth $300,000 is now worth only $250,000. They sell now, and they’ve lost, even if they only paid $200,000 for it.
It’s a skewed way of looking at things.
Granted, there are many folks who are underwater on their mortgage, effectively shackling them in place unless they can either produce the cash to pay off the difference between the mortgage and the selling price, or convince their lender to do a short sale.
However, many people bought well before the housing boom. They’re not underwater. They have equity. They can move.
But the housing industry and government have beaten into our heads that your home is an investment. Expect a solid return year after year. Tap into your home to fund your retirement.
People are slowing catching a whiff of the the new reality.
That reality: Depending on where you live, that nice nest egg with a front porch is now 10%-50% less than what you thought it was.
That sucks, and you’re probably angry. But will that stop you from living where you want to live?
The longer the housing drag continues, this ‘I-shoulda-sold-in-2006 remorse’ will be less of a factor in peoples’ relocation decision. The regret over your ‘loss’ will lessen. You’ll feel better about selling.
The bursting of the housing bubble has been a painful process so far, and it’s still got a ways to go. But the sooner we get there, the sooner houses will be sold — and the sooner moving companies will see some daylight.
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Few cities take their real estate more seriously than San Francisco, so I figured I’d come across some outstanding real estate agent blogs when I poked around the offerings there from local agents.
I wasn’t disappointed.
I’m doing a virtual tour of real estate agent blogs nationwide, looking to see who’s doing the best job of building blogs that are useful for people who are thinking of relocating to that area.
Real estate agent blogs can be useful to learn more about a city, of course, but they’re even more useful when looking at particular neighborhoods in that city — these blogs tend to be micro-focused on neighborhoods that an agent serves.
It can be hard to find solid neighborhood content, other than the same old tired data you’ll find repeated on a lot of neighborhood Websites that aggregate this information. A good real estate agent blog can tell you a lot about a community.
A few other criteria we look at:
Market data. People who are relocating want to know average sales prices, sales volumes, days on market, etc. Agents need to give it to them.
Explanatory articles about real estate, whether the basics or current issues. People looking for a home come from varied backgrounds as far as real estate knowledge, so the agent should attempt to give them information about a variety of real estate issues. For example, blogs about buying a foreclosed home are very useful in this market.
So with that, here are the top real estate agent blogs in San Francisco:
The Front Steps
The Front Steps from Alex Clark is a great guide to San Francisco real estate, including market observations, interesting tidbits on the city itself, nice photography and a snarky style that makes for interesting reading.
This is definitely not your typical real estate agent blog – and we can be thankful for that.
Sometimes agents can take the blog thing a little too seriously and never dare show a little leg when writing. Clark has no problem with that. His walkabout category is a particularly fun and insightful read.
Lively comments section as well. It’s the kind of blog I’d read just to see what’s going on San Francisco real estate wise, even if I wasn’t moving there.
The Marin Real Estate Guide
The Marin Real Estate Guide from Ginger Wilcox is a solid entry point for anyone who’s looking at real estate in tony Marin County. Her Marin Neighborhood breakdown is helpful for folks who don’t know the area, and her market reports page is useful for someone who wants to check in occasionally to see how the market is doing.
Bonus points for solid design – not something you always find on real estate agent blogs, lamentably. (So many sites have good content but lousy design. Agents: spend a few bucks to keep people from feeling like they’re transported back to the late ’90s when they hit your site.)
Wilcox excels in explanatory articles, like this recent translation of a Fed statement and its effect on mortgages.
Absolutely Foster City Blog
Absolutely Foster City Blog from Jim Minkey gives you a nice feel for the community, with a great mix of local events including contests, local school ratings and discussions about local events. Again, consumers looking to move to your community want to get an idea of your community is about. A Christmas lights contest might seem goofy, but hey, it gives you an idea of the community spirit.
I like this little insight into real estate agent life, as Minkey recounts a debate he had with an overheated homebuyer.
Blogs are about personality, and Minkey’s has loads.
Living Well in San Mateo
Living Well in San Mateo from Raymond Stoklosa, Rebecca Williamson, and Chris Williamson does a nice job breaking down the local neighborhoods in San Mateo (like Hallmark), as well as some real estate basics stuff for novice homebuyers or just homebuyers who could need some brushups about current real estate issues, including this post on questions to ask when buying a short sale.
The White Oaks Blog
The White Oaks Blog (www.whiteoaksblog.com) from Chuck Gillooley focuses on the White Oaks neighborhood of San Carlos. In addition to the usual postings on market data and interesting properties for sale, Gillooley takes a particularly close look at issues affecting the community, especially the schools. He also does a very nice job writing about local community issues, as well as issues affecting the real estate market, like this post on home appraisals not meshing with sales prices, and the effect it can have on the transaction.
San Mateo Real Estate Blog
Vicki Moore’s “Official” San Mateo Real Estate Blog is an interesting, newspaperish-feel that does a good job in covering all things real estate (though we’re unsure how it attained its ‘official’ status, but let’s not quibble). This is a nice post on Pedro Point.
Marin Real Estate Blog
Marin Real Estate Blog from Mark Lomas offers good and frequent updates on market conditions, as well as some reports on goings-on in the community.
Read about the best blogs in:
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Minneapolis/St. Paul
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Today we announced our list of Best Places for a Fresh Start. I’m pleased with the criteria we came up with to rank the cities, particularly the angle on volunteerism — this was one of four criteria, the others included housing affordability, economic growth prospects and our own data of where people are moving to.
I’m a pretty staunch believer that you can tell a lot about a community by how much it volunteers to help out others. Using that list helped boost a lot of cities that might not have made the list otherwise, like Columbus, Ohio and Minneapolis.
Now, I don’t expect anyone to read this list and say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna move to XXXX for a fresh start!’ Instead, I hope it’s a springboard by which people think about the things in their life that matter to them, and how they can apply that to where they spend their lives.
Then you can go about drawing up your own list of things that matter to you, and formulate your own ‘dream’ cities.
Here’s our top 20 cities:
| City |
Popularity |
Job Growth |
Home Affordability |
Volunteerism Rate |
FINAL RANK |
| Austin |
3 |
1 |
23 |
5 |
32 |
| Dallas-Ft. Worth |
7 |
4 |
15 |
19 |
45 |
| Charlotte |
9 |
18 |
16 |
10 |
53 |
| Denver |
1 |
21 |
19 |
13 |
54 |
| Columbus, OH |
27 |
25 |
6 |
6 |
64 |
| Indianapolis |
31 |
11 |
1 |
21 |
64 |
| Washington DC, Balt |
4 |
13 |
30 |
19 |
66 |
| Atlanta, GA |
8 |
16 |
13 |
31 |
68 |
| Oklahoma City, OK |
36 |
14 |
12 |
11 |
73 |
| Houston |
17 |
3 |
25 |
29 |
74 |
| Las Vegas |
2 |
5 |
18 |
49 |
74 |
| Seattle |
12 |
7 |
51 |
4 |
74 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul |
40 |
24 |
10 |
1 |
75 |
| Raleigh-Durham |
6 |
8 |
28 |
33 |
75 |
| San Antonio |
19 |
2 |
32 |
32 |
85 |
| Portland |
16 |
23 |
45 |
3 |
87 |
| Cincinnati |
32 |
35 |
5 |
17 |
89 |
| Pittsburgh |
43 |
26 |
8 |
12 |
89 |
| Memphis, TN |
33 |
34 |
11 |
26 |
104 |
| Cleveland, OH |
30 |
50 |
3 |
22 |
105 |
The criteria:
‘Popularity’: We mined our own data to see where people wanted to move. We took that as an indication that these communities are seeing, or will see, an steady influx of newcomers. These newcomers bring with them new ideas, skills and outlooks that can help support the economy and that city’s sense of community. This type of ‘churn’ is vital.
We looked at the per-capita number of quotes for moving services requested to particular communities in 2008 and year-to-date 2009.
Economic prospects: We used Forbes.com’s list of the Best Places for Businesses and Careers to help determine the areas with the brightest job growth prospects over the next three years. This list was published in March 2009.
Housing you can afford: We used figures from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index. The report looks at the country’s largest metropolitan areas and the percentage of homes sold in the latest quarter that are considered affordable by the median average family.
An ‘Active’ Community: I believe people will be moving for different reasons in the future than they are now, and strength of community will be one of those factors. A strong component of a strong community is volunteerism — how active people are in helping out others in their community.
We used volunteer data from the Corporation of National Community and Service, an independent federal agency whose board of directors and CEO are appointed by the president.
Because of insufficient data on some cities, we were unable to rank them. The only city this might have affected reaching the top 20 was Nashville, for which we didn’t have data for housing.
Would love to hear more from you about the list!
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When helping put together a press release for our recent survey, I grappled with comparisons to the Great Depression — making historical comparisons is fraught with peril.
But I did it anyway. Why?
Well, compared to a study we performed in 2008, we found that more people nowadays are moving a long distance (we define a long move as one over 1,000 miles). In our 2008 survey, 36% said they were moving that distance; in our 2009 survey, 70% said they were.
When I heard this, visions of John Steinbeck’s ‘Grapes of Wrath’ leapt to mind — legions of the down-on-their-luck trekking halfway across the country in search of a better life.
Granted, there’s a significant factor behind our findings: people aren’t “trading up” anymore. This became sport during the housing bubble — take the big gain in your current house and leverage that into a bigger and more expensive house across town, or even in your own neighborhood.
That worked until housing prices crashed. People are much less able to tap the gain in their home (if they have one) and apply that to a bigger house.
But there’s something else afoot here — fewer people are moving, of course, but those who are, are moving longer distances.
Load Up the Jalopy
First, if you don’t have a job, you’re going to move to where your employment prospects are brighter. If that’s 1,000 miles away, you’re going to do that.
Second, our survey also found that more people are citing “family” as a reason they move — in 2008, 18% said they were moving for family reasons; in 2009, 28% said they were doing so.
Unfortunately, we didn’t dig into this stat very deeply (kick to self…), but we can make a few obvious assumptions.
First, maybe they were just moving to be closer to their family for personal reasons to be closer to them.
Or maybe reflecting harder economic times, people are moving in with relatives to save on housing costs. And if they aren’t moving IN with family, maybe they want to be closer to them for a support system to help with child care, etc.
After digesting all this, I start thinking about it historically.
Looking for a Better Life
And historically, periods of economic distress cause shifts in population. In the 30s, the economy exacerbated an already horrific econological disaster — the Dust Bowl. Millions fled.
The ‘Great Migration’ of African Americans from the South to Northern cities in the early 20th century was the result of several factors, including festering racism, but a primary factor was also the economy — again, migration over great distances for greater opportunities.
Finally, the recession in the late 70s/early ’80s helped spark an exodus of sorts from northern states to the South and Southwest.
So I think it’s inevitable that this recession will produce people who are moving longer distances for economic opportunities. We’re already seeing some of that — the migration from Detroit. Our own own data shows a pretty stunning outflow of people moving from Detroit and some other hard-pressed cities, and states like California are showing outflows of population, again backed up both by our own data and Census data.
As this recession unfolds, it will be interesting to see which other areas of the country see more migration out than in (Texas is pretty clearly attracting new residents). But it’s much less clear about other states and cities.
The question for those in the relocation biz — real estate agents, moving companies — is figuring out what this means for their business.
Does this change the way you market for your clients?
It should. And if not, it will.
– Tim Johnson, Relocation.com
So here’s a special kind of torture: Research Los Angeles real estate blogs from a dreary office in chilly, rainy New York.
All these blogs feature the things that make Los Angeles so special: sunny skies; beautiful, happy people; palm trees swaying in soft, ocean breezes. In New York we have cloudy skies; surly people; still-yet-to-bloom saplings nearly bent to the ground by hurricane-force winds off the Hudson.
So I enjoyed losing myself for awhile in these blogs.
As readers of this feature know, I’m doing a virtual transverse of our nation’s largest cities to find real estate blogs that are helpful for people looking to move to a particular community. I’ve looked at Minneapolis and Chicago thus far.
For people who are moving, these blogs are a great way to learn about neighborhoods, learn about real estate in those neighborhoods, and maybe even find a real estate agent who knows their assessments from their elbow (and is a likeable person, to boot).
I try to avoid blogs that are just a series of listings, and posts shouting ‘Now’s a great time to buy a home!’ (I assume that if people are on the blog, they’re ready to buy — and if they’re not, the plaintive cries of a real estate agent won’t convince them to do so).
So that said, here’s the best of the best that I found in the LA area.
San Fernando Valley Real Estate Blog
Judy Graff’s San Fernando Valley Real Estate Blog is really good. A nice mix of humorous pieces about real estate life, tidbits about the communities she serves, and analysis of the current housing market.
She even gets a bit snarky. This post rips overpriced homes near freeway off-ramps, and this one recounts a nightmare home showing (hint: naked guy!).
Judy’s blog gives me a very good idea of what kind of agent she is: open, honest, knowledgeable and funny. Not a bad combination for someone who’s trying to find me a home — and look out for my interests when buying it.
Pasadena Views
Pasadena Views from Irina Netchaev provides a good snapshot of the Pasadena area, with a nice mix of information about the area and its amenities — it even has restaurant reviews. This post on walking areas in Pasadena is a good example of a real estate agent who’s plugged into the community.
There are also market reports on Pasadena housing, and information about mortgages, including this humorous post comparing some mortgage brokers with the stingy “Soup Nazi” of Seinfeld fame. Anybody who likes Seinfeld is an agent I could work with…
Beach City Real Estate Info
OK, deep breath before pronouncing the next blog: Beach City Real Estate Info. Rolls off the tongue, eh?
Good blog, though. It focuses on Manhattan Beach and Redondo Breach, and the pictures on the homepage make me pine for sun and palm trees, preferrably together and even more preferrably with a fruity drink adorned with a little umbrella.
But back to the real estate. This blog has a thorough listing of homes for sale in the area and other market data for the would-be buyer. There are also posts that are helpful to first-time buyers. This analysis is helpful for people looking to buy in the area.
Malibu Real Estate Blog
Malibu Real Estate Blog from Michael Gardner has a homepage that makes me even more depressed to look out my window at a dark, soul-less monolith (aka, the Goldman Sachs building).
To drive myself further into depression, I tralloped over to a post about what to look for in a Malibu beach home. It’s a nice source of information about beach property in Malibu, and I’m figuring if anyone wants to live in Malibu they should aim for the beach and not with the Malibu low-lifes who reside inland.
This is an interesting article about how beach depth can affect the value of the property. In my case, it’s the difference between “There’s no way you can afford this,” and “There’s no way in hell you can afford this.”
Still, this is a nice site if you’re interested in moving to Malibu, or just interested in dreaming about moving there.
Um, the latter for me.
Red Square Homes Blog
The RedSquare Homes Blog focuses on Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo beaches (random new theory: life can’t suck if your town has the word “beach” in it).
Red Square has an array of listings and occasional posts on homebuying tips, including this one on what to look for when checking out agents’ Websites.
Phyllis’ LA Real Estate Blog
Phyllis’ LA Real Estate Blog is an eclectic mix of just about everything and everywhere in Los Angeles: market reports, tidbits about the community she serves, humorous observations about life in general, and tips for both home buyers and sellers.
Long Beach Real Estate
Laurie Manny’s Long Beach Real Estate offers market reports on the Long Beach real estate mark, along with things to do in Long Beach, tips for home sellers and homebuyers, and other notes about Long Beach communities.
I thought this post offered a pretty exhaustive overview of things to do and see in Long Beach — it’s geared for Valentine’s Day, but I think it’s useful year-round, for both residents and nonresidents alike.
Up2Date Real Estate
Deena and Doug Willis’ Up2DateRealestate is focused on Pasdena and is heavy on market report,s which it covers exhaustively, and features an active community of people who comment on posts. This is a particularly good (and smart) post on homes for under $400,000 and the kinds of repairs and costs you might face.
Palos Verdes Lifestyle
Norma Toering’s Palos Verdes Lifestyle is a good source of information about Palos Verdes, and also a source of tips for homebuyers and market stats about the area.
Terra Firma
Terra Firma from Christopher Hain is a great place to find the market data about communitites you’re considering. (BTW, I just learned this: Terra Firma translated is “Firm Terra.”) It’s written well and has an insidery feel that helps you trust that the author knows of what he speaks.
The analysis of trends is also top-rate — check out this post on foreclosures.
Other stuff to amaze and excite you in the Relocation.com Blog:
The Best Real Estate Blogs in Minneapolis/St. Paul
The Best Real Estate Blogs in Chicago
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This is a question and answer with Barb Brady, a life transition specialist. Click here to see Part 1.
Q: When people relocate, what is the biggest factor they overlook or misjudge in what will make them happy at their new place?
A: Not looking at the move holistically and how it will affect all areas of life, including friendships, finances, community, etc. Be clear about your most important criteria (the non-negotiables) and have a plan to make sure these are met. If someone moves for a new job, they may overlook the importance of their current connections are – e.g. family and friends – especially if they find it challenging making friends in their new place.
I’ve seen folks move to Asheville, NC because they love the city and mountains, then they can’t find work and end up suffering financially.
Years ago, when living in Massachusetts, I almost transferred with my then employer to San Diego, thinking climate was my most important criteria (as it was 10 years earlier). On a pre-move trip I realized that community was now most important to me, and this job would have been very isolating. I didn’t move.
Q: What’s the best way to explain to your family and friends that you’re leaving the area?
The key is, don’t tell your family and friends you are leaving until you feel at peace with and confident about your decision. Until then, talk out your thoughts only with supportive people who are not attached to whatever choice you make, but truly care about your well-being and will encourage you to listen to your inner voice.
Once you’re at peace with the decision to move, tell your family and friends. Focus on the positive aspects of the new place and your feeling “that it’s right.”
No one can argue with a gut feeling. Friends and family may take your leaving as a personal rejection. Avoid saying anything that’s personally negative about your current location, such as “I don’t like the people here.”
Talk in terms of preferences. “I really feel more energized in a warmer (sunnier, drier, etc) climate.” Let them know how important they are to you. Make a plan for visits and staying in contact – will you call each week? Daily? Use Skype or email? How often will you visit each other?
If you are not sure about the longevity of this move, let them know that too. “I’m treating this as a one year experiment, and if I like it, I’ll stay longer.”
Q: Fewer people are moving nowadays. Why do you think that is, and what does it mean for the future?
A: Uncertainty about the economy, job losses, foreclosures and difficulty selling homes have all contributed to more people staying put. There have been news reports recently that migrations to the Sunbelt and more remote suburban areas are slowing, while the exodus from major cities is slowing as well.
Factors contributing to this include more economic opportunities and shorter commutes in major urban areas. I think this will remain the same in the near future. In the distant future, I think more people will be re-assessing their values and priorities, weighing lifestyle and relationship factors more heavily in their decision on where to live than job opportunities that may not be here tomorrow.
“New urban centers” may emerge - smaller cities created on the village concept where people live, work, shop and gather in community. There are many such places in Europe and elsewhere – harder to find outside major cities in the U.S. due to the advent of the automobile, investment in highways verses railroads and the proliferation of sprawling suburbs.
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Even though fewer people are actually moving these days, studies show that people WANT to move because they just don’t like where they live.
There’s just this teensy weensy thing that gets in the way: a job.
However, taking that leap of faith can be a rewarding, fruitful risk.
I recently spoke about this subject with Barb Brady, a life transition coach who helps people figure out where they should live. She’s the author of Make the Right Move Now: Your Personal Relocation Guide
Q: Relocating without a job is a scary thing, particularly in today’s economy. Can moving just for the sake of moving and living somewhere new be a good thing?
Yes, and no. It really comes down to your reasons for moving. For example, if you’re feeling ready for a change in location, and there’s a particular place that’s drawing you, and you think it’s feasible to make a living, then why not?
Make sure you have enough money to sustain you for at least 3 months while finding work. Imagine the best and worst case scenarios with your move. Have a back-up plan for the worst case. You may want to rent out your current home initially instead of selling.
But if you are unhappy in your life and location is just a part of that, first address and deal with the other source(s) of your unhappiness. It could be that your location is fine, but your living situation, job, and/or relationship (with another or yourself) is not.
Get clear on what the real issues are, fix those, then make sure you’re going toward something you want, not just running away from something you hate.
Q: How can one separate a genuine desire for a new life and challenges, vs. just a ‘grass is greener’ mentality?
In addition to my response to Q1, two more exercises can help:
1: Get clear on the gaps between what you ideally want in your life and what you’re currently living. Set aside an hour when you’ll be undisturbed. Put on some music. Write a description of your ideal day and week, from the time you rise until you go to sleep at night.
Be specific – what are you seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting throughout your day? Whether you’re working or not, what does that look like? Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? How are you interacting? etc.
This vision needs to excite you!
Now compare your current life with your vision. What part of this vision are you already living? What needs to be tweaked or changed? Can this be done where you live now? If so, how? If not, what would your new location need to be like?
2. Do a gut check. Imagine it’s tomorrow and you’ve just moved to your new location. How does that feel? What’s your body telling you? Is it tired or energized? Imagine how it feels in 3 months, 1 year, 3 years. Now do the same for your current location.
Which “feels” better?
Q: Let’s say you decide a move would be good for you on many levels, but you don’t know where — what are the 3 biggest factors in helping you make that decision?
A. Ethical and legal considerations - Is there anyone to whom you are ethically or legally committed? It could be a spouse, children, elderly parents or someone else. What criteria is needed to meet to fulfill your commitment to them, and give you peace of mind? For example, if you have elderly parents, it may mean staying on the same coast.
B. Your top 3-4 non-negotiables - (In my book there’s an exercise to help you get clear on what you want in 12 key life areas. For example “strong open-minded community”, “sunny, warm climate”, etc.) Research places that may meet these criteria. Get a map, and highlight potential areas. Tell people what you’re looking for and get input. Surf the internet and peruse books. Visit prospective places.
C. Gut check – The most important! When it’s the right place for you right now, you will experience any or all of the following: relief, lightness, expansiveness, more energy, peace, smiling, excitement.
Click here to see Part 2.
Even if you’re happy where you’re living now, the current economic recession should force you to think about where you choose to call home.
Why?
Because history shows that major upheavals in our country spark huge demographic and economic shifts.
The Depression in the 1930s sparked an exodus from rural states to large cities; the 1970s recession saw huge population shifts from the Northeast to the Southwest.
Many people who didn’t make these shifts ended up in a region that remained economically handicapped for years.
So what areas of our country will be the winners — and losers — a decade from now?
If you work in real estate – or if you just care intently about your own personal financial well-being — you should be asking yourself that question.
I read an interesting theory in a recent edition of Atlantic Monthly. The author, Richard Florida, argues that many part of the U.S. have been stunted economically because of their overrealiance on ‘false’ drivers of growth — in particular, Southwest cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas.
“Although these places drew tourists, retirees, and some industry — firms seeking bigger footprints at lower costs — much of the cities’ development came from, well, development itself,” he writes.
Florida argues that these areas will be feeling the hangover effects for years.
”At a minimum, these places will take a long, long time to regain the ground they’ve recently lost in local wealth and housing values. It’s not unthinkable that some of them could be in for an extended period of further decline.”
Which areas will thrive?
Florida makes the case for population density as a driver of growth. Having people living in ’close proximity,’ Florida argues, tends to generate more ideas, which get formulated into business plans and help spark economic activity.
This self-regenerating creativity feeds on itself, particularly in an economy that depends more on information than manufacturing things.
“[The economy] depends on generating and transporting ideas. The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas, the highest density of talented and creative people, the highest rate of metabolism. Velocity and density are not words that many people use when describing the suburbs. The economy is driven by key urban areas; a different geography is required.”
The result of all this? The big — and dense — cities like New York and Chicago will maintain their economic vitality. Cities characterized by suburban sprawl — and its attendent waste of resources — will suffer.
Where does your community fit in this sort of analysis? What communities do you see in the future that will help support you and your livelihood? Would it affect your moving or relocation decisions?
I know it will affect mine.
Tim Johnson — Relocation.com
Although you’d be hard-pressed to name any region of the country that hasn’t had the recession sink its teeth into its hide, Texas has clearly been able to steer clear of the sharpest fangs. 
According to our data, Texas enjoys a health demand from people who are relocating or looking to relocate.
In particular, the cities of Austin and San Antonio are popular on a per-capita basis.
Our statistics look at where people are moving from, and where they’re moving to. We collect the data from consumers who request moving services from moving companies in our network.
Looking at Relocation.com data collected from 2007, 2008 and 2009, of all moving requests that involve Texas, 62% of those requests were people who expressed a desire to move to Texas; 38% were people who were looking to leave the State. To put this into some perspective: of moving requests involving Michigan in 2008, 71% were people looking to leave the state; just 29% were people looking to move to Michigan.
Texas cities also show admirable strength, particularly Austin. Its per-capita ratio is nearly twice that of the next city on the list, San Antonio. Most large Texas cities showed a great deal of demand for people to move to those cities. For this measure, we looked at interstate moves, as well as intrastate moves that do not include moves within that city’s MSA — we weren’t interested in someone who was simply moving from one side of town to the other.
The results: Austin: 60% of moving requests involved people wanting to move TO Austin; 40% involved people who wanted to move out of Austin.
San Antonio: 57% and 43% respectively;
Dallas/Fort Worth: 56% and 44%
Houston: 54% and 46%
The only city that bucked this trend was El Paso. Of all moves involving El Paso, 55% were people looking to leave El Paso; 45% were people looking to move to El Paso.
Other Relocation.com stats:
Tennessee Moving: Sign Me Up for the Volunteer State
Montana Moving: More Opt for Big Sky
Relocation.com’s 2008 Relocation Survey
I recently got an email that perhaps reflects a situation faced by many people. Her home sale had fallen through, even after she had lined up all the movers and was ready to get going in a new community.
She was conflicted — should she sign a lease and just rent for awhile? Or should we put her stuff in her storage and look for a home real quick-like? There’s really no way easy way to answer, and much depends on your personal situation.
A: Move into an apartment while you wait to buy a house.
Let’s assume you commit to being there for a year. Although some people feel any money spent on rent is a waste, the real estate and mortgage market is in a great deal of flux and you’ll have a better idea of what’s a ‘good’ deal in a year or so.
You’ll also have a better idea of what kind of help the government is going to give you. As part of the stimulus bill, the government’s granted an $8000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. However, if the housing market doesn’t get back on its feet pretty soon, I could see politicians rushing out another incentive to spark the housing market. In other words, waiting might pay off.
Will you miss out on price appreciation? I don’t know where you’re moving, but real estate prices don’t seem poised to take off any time soon, so I doubt you’ll miss much any appreciation. (Actually, I don’t think it matters where you’re moving — the market’s probably gonna be pretty moribund for at least another year.)
If you rent a year, you can get to know the area better, and really look at all your options. If you put your stuff in storage assuming you’ll buy pretty quickly, you might feel an itch to buy a place and get done with it — and make a poor decision.
The downside is that you’re moving twice. You’ll get settled in at your new place, and all of a sudden you’ll be looking to move. Even for people who move a lot, it’s a quick turnaround. You might spend a year living out of a box. For some people, that sounds like fun – for others, it’s torture.
B: Put your stuff in short-term storage while you hunt for a house.
The advantage to this option is primarily financial: you’ll save money on moving and rental costs. (You didn’t say where you’d be living while you look for a new home – I assume you’re crashing with friends or relatives or some other cheap, non-rent-paying option.)
The bigger question is whether you’re comfortable with living with just a few of your items while the bulk of your stuff is in storage?
Also, as I mentioned above, if you’re assuming you’re going to find a new home quickly, you might rush to buy a new home and make a bad decision. If you rent for a year, you have time to think things through.
The financial breakdown:
Option A: You pay rent for a year. You move twice (although your second move will be cheaper because it’s a local move, I assume the first one is long distance moving).
Option B: You purchase storage for a short period of time, while you hunt for a home. Talk to the moving company who moves you about them putting stuff in storage for you – it’s easier and you might get a better deal on storage from them, rather than a self-storage facility (although you probably won’t be able to get your items EXACTLY when you need them – it will depend on the moving company’s timetable for when they have moving crews and such to pull your items from storage). Also check out PODs.
So option A is more expensive, but there’s a lot more to this question than just dollars and cents.
You also have other options if you only need space for a short amount of time. One of those is corporate housing, which is generally used by employees who are on work assignment away from home and need a place to stay. A Website that helps people hook up with this kind of housing is Corporate Housing by Owner.
Despite the economic turmoil swirling in much of the country, Tennessee will likely continue attracting newcomers to the state, our research has found.
We analyzed nearly 500,000 requests for moving services in 2008 and found that 58% of all interstate move requests for Tennessee involved people who wanted to move to Tennessee from another state; 42 % involved people who wanted to leave Tennessee for another state.
Three major Tennessee cities showed similar numbers over the two-year span of 2007 and 2008:
Nashville: 56% of all interstate moves involved people moving to the city; 44% involved people moving out of the city.
Knoxville: 53% of all interstate moves involved people moving to the city; 47% involved people moving out of the city.
Chattanooga: 55% of all interstate moves involved people moving to the city; 45% involved people moving out of the city.
The only city bucking that trend was Memphis: Of interstate moves, 62% were requests to move out of the city to another state; 38% were requests to move to the city.
For more information the study and to see how other states and cities ranked, check out this article.
Montana is likely to continue attracting newcomers to the state if it sticks to recent trends, our statistics have found.
Relocation.com analyzed nearly 500,000 requests for moving services in 2008 and found that 59% of all interstate move requests for Montana involved people wanting to move to Montana; 41% of moving requests involved people looking to move out of the state.
So for every 100 people looking to move out of Montana, 145 were looking to move to Montana. The number is consistent with 2007 data, when 62% of moving requests for Montana involved people wanting to move there, while 38% were looking to leave the state. Our statistics cover roughly 3% of moves made anually in the U.S.
Click here for more information on the Relocation.com survey and which states continue to attract residents.
