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Relocation with no relocation package


Janeway
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One thing that concerns me is that we currently live in an area that is supposed to be a tech hub. And then we will pay to move to an area that is not. I worry that after paying all the money to move, if anything happens with this job, we will end up paying again.

But if he's working, he's more likely to get a job than if he sits there letting viable offers go by.

 

A lot of people are settling lightly and staying mobile these days, to follow the work. A lot of us know what it means to split up a family for awhile. These things are hard, but not as hard as unemployment. They are not as bad as poverty or diminished hire-ability.

 

The job offer isn't ideal, but the pay is enough and he's excited about it - the decision should be obvious! The rest is (necessary) fuss over details.

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One thing that concerns me is that we currently live in an area that is supposed to be a tech hub. And then we will pay to move to an area that is not. I worry that after paying all the money to move, if anything happens with this job, we will end up paying again.

That's one of the biggest reasons why I suggested that your dh take the job and move there on his own for at least a few months, to see if it works out before you sell the house and move your entire family.

 

I'm not sure what you're hoping for. You say you want him to get a new job, and it looks like he has been very successful at finding one, but now you're not sure if you want to move.

 

If you don't want to move, why is the poor man traveling all the way across the country to interview for jobs?

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I agree with what seems to be the consensus here. He likes the job, pay is enough and being employed is better than being unemployed.  I really think that unemployment and specifically being unemployed now that his severance pay is ending is a health hazard.  High levels of stress contribute to lots of illnesses.  So go for happier times for him.  Breathe and take it all slowly.  Consider renting your home out instead of selling if you think you want to come back to the area.  You can always sell later.  Consider renting for a year or six months over there to get a feel for the area and where you want to live.

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One thing that concerns me is that we currently live in an area that is supposed to be a tech hub. And then we will pay to move to an area that is not. I worry that after paying all the money to move, if anything happens with this job, we will end up paying again.

 

He has not found a job in 3+ months (or however long he has been out of work)  almost five months. At this point, the important thing is to have a job at all.

Also, that's why you should not move as a family, but have him move ahead and see how things go.

 

There are no guarantees. You might have to move again. But apparently, the job market in your area is not really so hot either.

Edited by regentrude
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One thing that concerns me is that we currently live in an area that is supposed to be a tech hub. And then we will pay to move to an area that is not. I worry that after paying all the money to move, if anything happens with this job, we will end up paying again.

Tech hubs shift. That's part of the risk with any job. Dh is in IT. We've seen the shifts as they acquire and sell and cost rises one place and lower with tax incentives in another. I wouldn't move anywhere on the prospect of future jobs. I would move where the current job is and where my spouse and my family would have the most benefit.

 

Example in TX- Austin was the be all end all for tech a few years ago. Not anymore. DFW now has the edge. Things shift fast.

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Why in the world would a realtor cost $30K?  That sounds outrageous to me.  But maybe I'm not understanding exactly what that pays for ....  

 

 

 

It's a percentage of the sale, so the higher the sale price, the higher the commission. 30k would be on a $450k home around here.

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Relocation packages are not as common as they used to be for new hires. Dh still got one on our last move but it was only for the actual move of household goods when previous ones including help with selling and buying houses. I'd still go if that was the only major stickler. Not worth not taking the job for....... overall salary package with benefits is more important....... and the longer you are out of work, the harder it is to get a job.

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Relocation packages are not as common as they used to be for new hires. Dh still got one on our last move but it was only for the actual move of household goods when previous ones including help with selling and buying houses. I'd still go if that was the only major stickler. Not worth not taking the job for....... overall salary package with benefits is more important....... and the longer you are out of work, the harder it is to get a job.

Very true. It is an employer's market right now so there isn't as much incentive to be generous.

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In that case, I might take the job (just because he loves it), and not get too terribly 'settled' at that place.  IOW, plan long-term to move again.  And next time, maybe your dh actively tries to find a job at a much higher salary, and on HIS terms.  But there is something to be said for being ready to move at a moment's notice, so to speak.  Especially when the economy isn't that great.  Every time we moved my dh's salary went up - even in the lower COL areas.  And, if I'm remembering correctly, your dh was in an occupation that was somewhat in demand (?  don't know) , so he could probably do that.

 

But, yeah, moving is a pain.

Not really, on the high demand. He used to be a computer engineer, which was in high demand. But in the last few years, he had been in management. Management pays more, which means his salary history shows he was earning more than what most people would want to pay for an engineer, and he doesn't really have current technical skills, which he is working on updating. At the management level, there are not as many jobs. IF he can get his skills up to date enough to go back in to being a SWE, there would be way more job listings.

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Not really, on the high demand. He used to be a computer engineer, which was in high demand. But in the last few years, he had been in management. Management pays more, which means his salary history shows he was earning more than what most people would want to pay for an engineer, and he doesn't really have current technical skills, which he is working on updating. At the management level, there are not as many jobs. IF he can get his skills up to date enough to go back in to being a SWE, there would be way more job listings.

 

With this information, I think it is advisable to take the job.  I live in a tech hub and know many people in your husband's shoes who faced chronic, longer-term unemployment because of their price tag and somewhat less current technical skill set.  After five months out, it's important for his resume and career trajectory that this period of unemployment end.  

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That's what my dh said after our last move.  The company wasn't going to pay anything, at first.  But dh kept 'talking' to them about it, and they eventually gave us something - grudgingly.  

 

I'm afraid it just might be the new 'normal'.   :glare:

 

My Dh started a new job recently. As my family knows we are going to move (once this place sells - to developers). My family also knows we are moving no where close to his new job. He is allowed to work from home most of the time. And when he does go in once a week he will spend the night at his sister's hosue visiting her and his father. So it works out perfectly. What I found odd was 4 people were surprised we weren't getting a relocation package. This is even after I re-explain we are moving even farther from the office. As in a 90+ minute commute away. 

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It's a percentage of the sale, so the higher the sale price, the higher the commission. 30k would be on a $450k home around here.

The seller is paying 7%?

 

Like a poster said upthread, the standard in many, many areas that I'm aware of is that the seller and buyer each pay 3%.

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The seller is paying 7%?

 

Like a poster said upthread, the standard in many, many areas that I'm aware of is that the seller and buyer each pay 3%.

No, the standard was that the seller pays 6%. 3% each to the buyer's agent and the seller's agent.

 

There are A LOT of discount realty offices though.

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If he is excited about it, and you think you could like living in the proposed area, I'd say yes in a second.  For him, the job+commute is probably what, almost half of his waking hours (at least)?  So if it is something he likes, and he's been out of work this long, I think it's a no-brainer.  1 month's salary (vs being unemployed for another month) probably covers moving costs, anyway.  (Unless you have a *lot* of stuff and don't want to do the actual moving work yourself).  Congratulations!  It must be such a relief for both of you just to have the option. :)

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No, the standard was that the seller pays 6%. 3% each to the buyer's agent and the seller's agent.

 

There are A LOT of discount realty offices though.

I think you're right.

We've sold 3 houses but it's been awhile since we sold the last one. I think we negotiated one to 3 & 2%

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I have not read all of the responses, but I took a quick glance at some  of them and some of them suggested 2 things I believe the OP and her DH should consider: (a) That he go there, by himself, for a minimum of 3 months and preferably 6 months, to try to get a feel for the department he is working in and the people he is working for/with and how he feels about his chances there and the possibility of his group/department growing in the future. . And (2) I think the idea of renting out the current house, for one year, minimum, before thinking about selling it is a good idea.

 

He is unemployed now and that's extremely bad for his resume and his skill set.  The longer he is unemployed, the harder it is to get back in.

 

"The grass is always Greener on the other side of the mountain" is not always true.  Sometimes there is no grass...  

 

However, when one is unemployed, it is a very bad thing and it is better to try to get back into the boat and not sink.

 

Things can go horribly wrong, if one is employed, leaves a position and goes somewhere else. Here's an example: I was on a Temporary Contract Assignment in Huntsville.  Our group hired a young Engineer who was living in San Antonio.  He was not from San Antonio.  He was from somewhere else and a company in San Antonio had hired him and moved him to San Antonio. 2 or 3 weeks after he began working in San Antonio, he was laid off.  Less risk for him moving to Huntsville, since he was both unemployed and Single in San Antonio.

 

GL to the OP and her DH and their family.

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He should take the job.  It could easily be another 5 months, or more, before he gets another offer.

 

I'd have him go ahead, or if not that, sell a lot of your stuff and rent someplace smallish for a while.  It's too hard to know the best places to live in a city you are unfamiliar with.

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The seller is paying 7%?

 

Like a poster said upthread, the standard in many, many areas that I'm aware of is that the seller and buyer each pay 3%.

 

I think you're mixing that up with closing costs. That's separate from the commission. In the various places we've lived, the norm is 6-7% of the home sale is paid by the seller. Half to the seller's realtor and half to the buyer's realtor.

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I must have missed the other thread.....congrats on a job offer an double congrats that your Dh is excited about it. I would take it in a heartbeat and let the details work themselves out.

 

Those generous relocation packages are going away I think. But you don't have to spend that much money to move. Just take one step at a time.

 

Has your Dh received a written offer?

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We moved 1000 miles for a job without a relocation package. Yes, we took a hit financially, but DH not having a job was hitting us pretty hard also. He loves his new job and it was a very good decision.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by bethben
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He doesn't have the offer yet. They want to fly him out. He has had three interviews. But they told him yesterday what the offer would be. And said someone would call him back next week to make further arrangements, travel arrangements for a final in-person interview.

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Having been in that same situation, I would say please let your husband take the job if it's what he really wants! 

When I was offered a job I had worked so hard to get, after years and years of pursuing a certain industry, it paid less than I 

had wanted, and offered no relocation. But I FINALLY had a job offer in the industry I had been pursuing for YEARS. This was my

"foot in the door" so to speak. And I turned it down because my spouse, evidently, did not want to move. It took me at least TWO YEARS to get over that and not be resentful. If you can make it work, please do!

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