New Home Relocation in a Different City or State

Relocating: Singles and Dual-Career Households

Whether you're relocating to a new home with your family or going solo, moving to a different city or state is a major life change. Everything familiar goes to the wayside when faced with recreating one's lifestyle, let alone an entire family uprooting their familiar turf. But, with the right attitude, a move can be an adventurous experience filled with exciting opportunities and positive change.

In preparation for relocation, it's always prudent to research the area you're planning to move to. From trailing spouse employment, schools for your kids or finding the best gym, information can be accessed on the Internet ahead of time. The uncomfortable transition period that follows a major move can be minimized so that you and/or your entire family can move into your new surroundings with ease.

Dual-Career Households

A spouse's resistance to a move can have a severe impact on the success of job relocation. Fifty-one percent of survey participants cited spouse's employment as a main reason for a failed or aborted relocation, according to a survey conducted by the Runzheimer Reports on Relocation, a monthly newsletter. A failed relocation can cost a company close to $100,000, so companies are realizing they need to make provisions for trailing spouses if they want to attract and retain first-choice candidates. Moving to another city, state, or country for a job is a major life decision. This is a change that strongly affects every member of the family and ranks high on the list of stress-inducers right up there with death and divorce.

With an increasing number of women holding high-paying management positions, more companies are realizing that company relocation packages fare better when they up the ante and include spousal relocation assistance, industry insiders say. Moving expenses, house-hunting costs, and providing a list of good schools for the kids just doesn't cut it in today's corporate world where there are more than 51 percent dual-career households. Transferees are requesting that companies make a commitment to assist spouses in job-hunting and numerous firms are responding by providing some kind of career support for the relocating employee's partner.

Studies show that there's an increase in employee productivity and also a reduced risk of failed relocations in companies that provide some form of spousal job-search assistance. Here are some of the services available to career-interrupted partners as part of a relocation package:

• Résumé preparation
• Career and salary assessment
• Personal career consultant
• Individualized action plan
• Networking and interviewing training
• Research data on targeted companies

If you are fortunate enough to have your spouse's new employer pick up the tab for job-hunting services, be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. Professional career consultants paid for by the company are trained to address the special challenges that relocating spouses face such as looking for a job when you don't already have one as a safety net and not having a network of friends and colleagues in place who can provide leads and recommendations. By offering a comprehensive spousal assistance program, companies can demonstrate to candidates that they value their employees' needs and provide a family-friendly work environment, while boosting their recruitment and retention rates.

Relocating Singles

From digs to shopping treks to what to do when the sun goes down, singles have a different take on what's hot than their married friends. What's considered a nice crib to one is a completely different animal to another. And so it goes. Realtors and relocation specialists know what it takes to help unmarried newcomers feel more at home when they move to a new town for work: cool, affordable rentable space, a nice clime, fan-friendly sports venues, volunteering options, and a collection of hip shops, clubs, gyms, and eateries, heavy on the coffee houses. Online dating, utility service levels, on-premise food and beverage spending, cost of temporary housing and storage, and public university residency requirements also figured into the mix.

Nashville, Austin, Atlanta, New York, and Houston were at the top of the 2006 Best Cities for Relocating Singles list distributed by relocation industry group Worldwide ERC® and Primacy Relocation. For the third year standing, the two organizations hooked up with Sperling's BestPlaces to identify the most single-savvy U.S. metro areas. As the number of singles on the move continues to rise, companies are relocating an increasing percentage of renters, who are mostly unmarried. The survey measured factors that can influence a newcomer's experience during the months immediately following a transfer and the analysts suggest that employees who assimilate more rapidly into a community might also reduce their down time and increase productivity levels on the new job. Using statistical profiles of the largest 100 U.S. metro areas and the criteria most relevant to singles, the rankings reflect the probability of a smooth move and a successful relocation.

Here are some tips to help you get a new life:

Like Meets Like

Newcomers tend to be more open to developing friendships with other newcomers so put yourself in places where others in your same situation might gravitate, such as the local Starbucks, a volunteer position, or a health club.

If you were transferred as a group with your company, make an effort to reach out to others in your team and attend firm-related events.

Warm it up with a megawatt smile wherever you go. It's an easy way to break the ice if you're shy.

• Expand Your New Social Network:
• Make friends with your cube-mate.
• Get a roommate.
• Join the team-building committee at work.
• Sign up for classes. What's your interest? Investing, rock climbing, Pilates? Learn something new and mingle while you're at it.
• Get out and enjoy something fun. Take advantage of the new setting. Can you go horse-back riding on the beach, fish off a dockside pier, hit a divey club where up 'n coming country or hip hop stars perform, or sip vino with other professionals at a downtown wine bar?

Give Yourself A Makeover

• Join a gym and lose weight and sculpt those muscles.
• Women: Get a new, short do or splurge on extensions with highlights. Guys: Go find a stylist who can give you a GQ cut or a Brit-band rock look.
• Treat yourself to a new wardrobe ... a perfect mix of classics and the latest runway knockoffs.

Final Note: Relocating to a new home in an another city or state means pulling the rug out from under your comfy groove of familiarity. By following some of these tips on solo and dual-career household moves, your experience can be a smooth transition into your new home.