How to Use a Relocation Company

If your move is job-related, your employer may use the services of a professional relocation company. PHH Homequity, one of the largest relocation companies, expects to assist in the transfer of 40,000 employees nationwide this year.

“Typically, we act to provide assistance to the transferring employee under a prearranged program of services,” said Mike Berry, vice president of PHH Homequity. ‘We’re usually hired to help them (the transferees) sell and buy their homes, move their goods, and sometimes we are contracted to help the spouse find a job in the new location.”

According to a study prepared by the Employee Relocation Council of Washington, D.C., the average cost of relocating a current home-owning employee in 1990 was $42,585. The cost to relocate a current renting employee was $11,234.

A typical job transfer with a professional relocation firm begins with an interview of the transferring employee.

“We interview them to see what they like and don’t like about what they have now,” Berry said. ‘We find out what special needs they have--do they have children and special educational needs? Do they require special recreational needs? We look at affordability.”

While relocation is considered a stressful event, using a professional relocation company may help alleviate some of that stress.

“Part of the cause of stress is fear of the unknown--not knowing how or where you are going to get the answers,” Berry said. “We draw a road map for them. We take away most of the unknowns and let the transferees know what is going to happen to them each step along the way.”