It’s About Relocation

Whether you’re trying to convince a candidate to take a job in a distant city, or offering assistance once he or she has decided to relocate, there are resources that can provide assistance. By pointing a candidate in the direction of websites that are packed with valuable relocation information, and using the sites yourself to answer questions, you can help with a candidate’s move. And best of all, you hardly have to lift a finger. Key, click, and your work is done. It sure beats hauling boxes. One location that’s a must visit when it comes to relocation is Homefair.com. Homefair provides interactive tools that can be used to answer financial questions. Their “Salary Calculator” lets you compare the cost of living in one city to another, while their “Moving Calculator” can help you approximate the cost of physically relocating from one place to another. Homefair also features a “Mortgage Calculator.” By entering income, savings, and debt information, it provides you with an estimate as to your maximum mortgage qualification. The “Find A Home” category, located under the heading “Moving Services,” leads to various resources relevant to the home buying process. It also includes links to Realtor.com and HomeBuilder.com, two worthwhile sites for those looking to purchase or build a new home. While Homefair is filled with valuable tools and sources of information, perhaps two of the most useful features of the site can be found under the heading “Free Reports.” Homefair offers “City Reports” that feature side-by-side comparisons of two cities. Among the information categories included in each report are demographics, climate, cost of living, education and health, major employers, and colleges and universities. These snapshot comparisons are presented in a way that makes analysis easy. Similarly, “School Reports” provides information about an area’s education system. School information can be obtained by city or county and includes student population, student/teacher ratio, and average class size statistics. Relocation Central, as the name indicates, is all about moving. The site includes a small desktop globe with the words “State Selector” below it. Choosing this category leads to a page where you can either click on a map of the United States or select from a scrolling list that ends with a button which reads “Go To My New State.” Once at your new state, you’ll find information about its climate, population, average income, and average home cost. Top employers and local government information are also listed, as well as other information categories. Relocation Central’s “Tools & Tips” includes an array of items. Among them are a mover’s checklist, and sites and software that can help you with administrative tasks like creating moving lists and automating address changes. There are also links to the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx. Virtual Relocation recently redesigned its site, which still abounds with information. “Real Estate,” “Job Search,” and “Schools” are among the more common of the main categories listed. But there are other less expected categories that also contain pertinent information. One of these, called “Parenting,” includes “Children’s Relocation” as a subcategory. Clicking on it returns a list of tips, articles, and reports that would be of interest to people with children. “Relocation Tools” offers the opportunity to “Compare Cities” and get “Tax Advice.” Under the category “Features,” you’ll find the subcategory “Mortgage,” which includes links to various financial information regarding auto, personal, and home loans. The many layers of information at Virtual Relocation are organized in a way that expedites searching. When a job involves relocation, having a suitcase of resources handy can make the difference. Although the decision to relocate is ultimately a candidate’s own, when it comes to providing information that might facilitate job placement, it’s your move.