BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation

Subject: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: NicoleC
Date: 07 May 03 - 05:15 PM

It is with much trepidation that I find myself invited along to relocate with my company to Southern California. Hey, I just LEFT there a couple of years ago!

But it's official now. They coughed up most of the money I asked for and an inflated relocation budget, so I'm stuck moving to Orange County. I have very mixed feelings.

Anyone got any tips on the logistics and timing of selling a house (in a hot market) and buying a house (where the hunting will be MUCH harder) without being homeless in between?

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: artbrooks
Date: 07 May 03 - 05:24 PM

Sounds like the company is anxious to keep you, so get them to fork out for 60 days in some kind of corporate housing, like Embassy Suites. Start house hunting right now...this is a good place to start. If you are in a hot market, you might be able to get away with surrendering possession of the house you are selling 60 days after closing. Good luck.

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Alba
Date: 07 May 03 - 05:28 PM

Good Luck Nicole.
Will it affect your Vacation plans? Youlle need one after moving Home (again!)
Whatever the outcome hope it all goes well for you.
A:>)

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: GUEST,heric
Date: 07 May 03 - 05:31 PM

Moving? Does this mean Europe is canceled?

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 May 03 - 06:36 PM

Art beat me to it. That site is an excellent place to start. There are so many search criteria, it's really helpful. I never came to Colorado to look at any houses. The agent and I worked together via email, with photos and such, as well as over the phone. when we found a likely one, Rog would go look and report back.

If you know anyone in CA, ask them to recommend a good agent, prfereably a woman who is known as a go-getter, who knows the market AND who knows a good mortgage lender. My ex recommended the one we used and she had a fav. mortgage lender girl friend, plus they had an woman insurance agent they preferred working with. I felt as though I was being cossetted, in a good way, by three incredibly powerful wimmin, all on my side. Within a month of contacting her, we had signed (well, Rog did with power of attorney for me) on a house and I was moved down within 60.

I agree, though, that the company should put you up in temp. housing if necessary AND, there should be some kind of buy-out of your odl place if it doesn't sell within a certain amount of time.

Congrats, even if you do have mixed feelings. It's a good thing to have an employer who wants you enough to make some concessions.:-)

kat

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Amos
Date: 07 May 03 - 07:03 PM

Nicole:

Orange County -- south? or North?

There are some excellent (relative) housing deals in the north part of San Diego county, which borders on Orange, as you probably know.

I can probably get you the right mortgage loan through a friend who is a professional in the field. PM me the details if you are interested and I will get you in touch with her.

And count on coming south for a Southern California welcoming bash with a bunch of reprobate folksingers who will welcome you as one of their own. Do you have a favorite beer or whiskey? *bg*

As a representative for Southern California, I have to offer you the warmest possible wlecome to the region!! It's the least I can do since you're bound to elevate the quality of life!! :>) When's the big move?

Seriously, do let me know if I can be of assistance in any way -- I am not in Orange County itself but only a couple of hours south.

Regards,


A

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Willie-O
Date: 07 May 03 - 07:10 PM

Geez Amos, you make it sound almost tempting.

Almost.

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: NicoleC
Date: 07 May 03 - 08:11 PM

Europe is most certainly NOT cancelled! I wasn't giving that up -- I leave the 17th, only to come back to the task of not only arranging my own relocation, but that of the company as well. Gak. The big move won't happen 'til August-ish. I think I can leverage enough to have a little bit of flexibility in the August to very early September range.

My relocation package includes a month or maybe two of temp housing, but I would much rather not use it. Fantasy relocation packages like having them buy my place are out of the question -- the fact that I got them to realize it was going to take more than a moving truck to pay for my relocation was a major coup. Small and mid-sized companies can't afford that kind of luxury.

A old friend of mine is a mortgage broker (and a very good one), who did my refinance only a few months ago, so I got that part covered. Our parent company is a title company, so I get free title services once a year, so that's a bit of savings there, too. And if I can find a buyer on my own, I can make my boss (a licensed real estate broker & attorney) do the paperwork, otherwise my friend's office can to the listing and paperwork minus advertising for a flat fee. My condo is in a very hot complex -- my problem will be that my condo will sell in two or three weeks and it'll take me 3 months to find a house in LA.

(If anyone knows someone in Sacramento looking for a small but comfy and very well-kept condo with all new appliances and fixtures from a very flexible seller, let me know...)

For online searching, I prefer ziprealty.com. Much better detail and tools to help you understand the neighborhood.

Amos -- very north OC, I'm afraid; La Mirada. I can go west and live in Compton, north and live in East LA, east and drive all the way in from Corona, or south to live in Anaheim/Santa Ana. I know which one sounds most appealing! I can stretch my search out to the south San Gabriel Valley, but I'd rather not be that far out.

Housing is a problem on one paycheck. *sniff* I really want a house, not a condo, but I don't think I will manage to find one I can afford. I WOULD make the drive for the right house.

I'll gladly take the welcome bash! I'm afraid I've been tainted with a taste for trendy No Cal micro-breweries, but I'm happy with a nice Brit or Irish amber ale :)

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Amos
Date: 07 May 03 - 08:51 PM

I'm happy with a nice Brit or Irish amber ale :)

We have some of the finest microbreweries in the nation inside our city limits. I'll have to look them up, but there will be some right stuff for your first Balboa Park gather. Bring your bodhran!! :>)

Willie O, when you get tired of those Northern winters, we'll do the same for you!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: NicoleC
Date: 07 May 03 - 09:51 PM

Awww... no one has every even pretended to offer to throw a party in my honor, and today I got offered TWO, both involving copious amounts of beer and music.

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Bobert
Date: 07 May 03 - 10:08 PM

Realtor.com!!!!!!

Start shopping tonight, Nicole. I've been toying with idea of movin' somewhere, heck, I don't know where, but have spend an hour or three bombing around this site. It's purdy up to date and real fun. You can even punch in what you want to spend, how many bedrooms, etc., which narrows the field.

Have a ball over there and... ahhhh, good luck.

Oh, BTW, Mexico is real cheap, except you gotta pay someone a few bucks a day to watch yer house from thugs and the government...

Jus' funnin'...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: harpgirl
Date: 07 May 03 - 10:38 PM

...gee whiz Nick, you'll be moving right into gargoyle's neighborhood!
that should be interesting!

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 May 03 - 12:19 AM

I'll PM with my brother's address and email. My sister-in-law is a Realtor in the south side of LA (Cerritos) and they run a small mortgage brokerage. It can't hurt to ask around! The housing market is NUTS out there. Not like anywhere else.

Realtor.com recently updated the features in it's browser. Some of the data imput folks haven't figured out the html so not all images of houses display properly. You might want to try their older search engine, via the map instead of the zip code directory (though searching by zip code is very efficient once you know where you want to look). Here is the basic California map at Realtor.com. Click on the part where you want to search, and narrow it down with each successive map.

I found two houses to buy through Realtor.com. The first, in a move I anticipated making about three years about to New Mexico, didn't work, but that had nothing to do with Realtor.com. (It was a gorgeous A-frame in the Manzano Mountains on .75 acres, overlooking a mountain with no logging or roads on it's timbered surface. Big Sigh.). The house I'm in now was one I located via Realtor.com and drove past several times. I thought "yuck" because of the lack of landscaping and the overgrown hedges, but when I decided I had to rule this one out because it did fit all of my criteria, I was blown away by the wonderful woodwork and proportions inside. Even needing work, it was still a stunner. The images and information at Realtor (or any real estate broker's web site) is like looking through a keyhole, and you need more information. But it is an excellent start!

As it happens, though I haven't finished all of my interior remodeling yet, I'm making serious inroads on the landscaping. This yard will be spectacular in a couple of years. I chopped out that hedge last month. ;-)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: It's official now: Corporate Relocation
From: Amos
Date: 08 May 03 - 12:20 AM

Yeah, but very different parts of the neighborhood.

A