There’s a new career and a new city waiting with your name on it…but first you have to sell your home.

You just got a new job and they want you to start as soon as possible. There’s just one small problem: the job is in a completely different state and your house (and life) is here in the Pacific Northwest.

Opportunity may be calling, but so is the stress of trying to pack up your belongings, sell your house, and tie up all the loose ends in a very short amount of time.

Selling your home for a job relocation requires a detailed game plan and a lot of work — or does it? As real estate investors here in the PNW, we buy houses on a weekly basis and are outlining our best tips for selling a house in the midst of job relocation.

 

Find out if your new employer offers job relocation assistance

If you haven’t already, we suggest talking to your new employer to learn if they offer relocation assistance (about 70% of companies do). This will give you a better handle on your budget as you plan for your move.

Often, a relocation package will include assistance for:

  • Traveling expenses
  • Moving costs
  • Storage
  • Temporary housing
  • Costs associated with selling your home and purchasing a new one

This last point can be especially helpful in determining your next steps. For example, the company may provide a down payment for you to purchase a new home, so you have more time and flexibility to sell your current home. They may also buy the home from you and sell it themselves, so you don’t have to worry about it.

Assistance in this way is viewed as the “holy grail” of relocation packages, so don’t be disappointed if your company doesn’t offer help in this way.

 

Start packing and organizing

 

 

As you’re evaluating your moving budget and determining how much time and flexibility you have for selling your home, get started on packing. People say organizing and packing up their things is often the most stressful and time consuming part of a move.

So no procrastinating! Even if all the details aren’t sorted out, as long as you have a signed employment contract, there’s no reason not to get started now.

Here’s a simple checklist to help inspire your efforts:

  • Purge and donate items that don’t spark joy in your life or you no longer need
  • Host a garage sale or list items on NextDoor or Craigslist
  • Tackle one area of your home at a time
  • Avoid packing heavy items in large boxes
  • Pack items by room or category, depending on your new living situation
  • Thoroughly label everything
  • Set aside all the items you’ll need as soon as you arrive in your new city
 

Schedule movers as soon as possible

Start contacting movers as soon as you know your new position’s start date. Depending on the time of year, moving companies can be booked up or have lengthy transportation times. Or, if you plan on hauling all your belongings yourself, contact truck rental companies to sort out the details.

Even if you don’t plan on putting anything in stone quite yet, calling around to get an idea of rates, terms, and availability will help you avoid surprises and stress.

 

Evaluate other options besides selling

As real estate investors, we must tell you to at least evaluate whether or not selling your home is the best option.

Here in the Portland and Vancouver areas, it’s been a seller’s market years. But you should still talk to a professional to consider the value of your home and whether or not it’s the right time to sell.

If you have the time and resources, you may also want to consider using your home as a rental property. This comes with its own challenges and drawbacks, such as managing tenants, risk of difficult tenants (not paying on time, trashing your property, etc), taxes, fees, and insurance, and more. But for some, owning a rental property can be successful.

 

Sell your house for cash, fast

 

 

When selling your home is the best option (as it often is), you have 2 options:

  1. Sell your house by working with a real estate agent
  2. Sell your house on your own to a real estate investor

We’ve outlined the difference between these two professionals in a previous post, but here’s the cliff notes version:

  • Real estate agent — Someone who arranges the buying and selling in real estate transactions for you. This person makes a profit by requiring a percentage of your sale/purchase amount.
  • Real estate investor — Someone who purchases, owns, manages, rents, and/or sells real estate for profit. Making repairs and improving of the property is typically involved as part of the real estate investment strategy.

When you need to sell your home quickly due to a job relocation, many choose to work with an investor. Why? It’s fast, simple, and there are no fees or commissions involved. Plus, you avoid all the other costs of selling your home (many which you might not think about ahead of time).

 

Working with a real estate investor to sell your house

There are a lot of real estate investors in the Portland and Vancouver area. Selling your home for cash is a safe and successful method, but you want to make sure you’re working with the right people.

Make sure the real estate investor has your best interests in mind. To ensure they give you a fair offer, ask lots of questions, evaluate online reviews, and only work with someone who treats you with respect and offers great service.

At Columbia Redevelopment, here’s how selling your house for cash works:

  1. Contact us and tell us about your home, situation, and any questions you have.
  2. We’ll schedule a time to come visit your home. If you’re too busy with the stress of relocating or have already moved out of town, no worries. You don’t have to be there when we come by. We’ll work with you to get access to the home.
  3. Within 24 hours of visiting your home, we’ll give you an all cash offer. If you accept, we’ll draft all the necessary paperwork and contracts, including a $10,000 earnest money deposit.
  4. We can close in as little as 2-3 days, if you’d like. Or if your move isn’t for another week or month, we can work out a flexible timeline to meet your needs.

One thing people often ask is, what’s the catch? There is none. Seriously! There are never any closing fees, hidden costs, inspection fees, or agent commissions. Just a fair cash offer and a fast sale when you need it the most.

 

Talk to us about selling a house during a job relocation

 

 

Columbia Redevelopment is a local, trusted family business. We buy houses in every condition, and for all cash. When time is of the essence, and a stressful move and the excitement of a new job is on the line, we make selling your home simple.

Want to learn more about our process and what it’s like to sell to us? Contact us and let’s chat.