While every corporate relocation is in some ways unique, for relocating families, there’s one shared objective: to make decisions that lead to happy, well-adjusted loved ones.
After all, relocation can be especially challenging for those who are leaving friends and all things familiar behind. When it comes to family relocations, it’s all about choosing the right neighborhood, school, and community—so the family can settle in easily and get back to “normal.”
In short, in order to ensure successful, lasting family relocations, smart employers give their employees the resources they need to make great real-estate decisions…for family members big and small.
The Significance of Quality Schools
For families with school-age children, the search for the right home usually begins with the search for the right school district. This quickly narrows the home-buying search to a more manageable number of areas and neighborhoods.
In addition to word of mouth, many relocating parents rely on national school ranking systems, which factor in criteria such as standardized test scores, student-to-teacher ratios and graduation rates.
How important is school quality? Very! According to a recent Realtor.com® report, parents are willing to pay nearly 80% more for the privilege of living in a top-rated school district—even when it means compromising on how much home they can buy.
Community Compatibility
The benefits of buying a home in a top-rated school district extend beyond academics—because who doesn’t want to live among like-minded neighbors? Chances are, there will be lots of similarly-aged kids to play with and nearby parks to play in. And as kids make friends with their neighbors, parents do, too.
Are there strong park district programs? Sports leagues? Places of Worship? Golf courses? What’s the overall community vibe? All of these contribute to a family’s comfort and satisfaction in their new home.
Choosing a community that feels familiar in the important ways, if not the specifics, helps both adults and kids feel at home more quickly.
How to Help Relocating Families Get It Right
Knowledge is power. The more relevant information you provide to your relocating employees, the better-informed decisions they can make. A strong relocation partner will do all the heavy lifting for you. This includes:
- Providing hyper-local info about the area, including community profiles, demographics, crime statistics, cultural highlights and more. (At UrbanBound, we do this in a variety of ways, including by providing access to Neighborhood Scout, a comprehensive database of local real estate data.)
- Offering access to detailed educational information, such as links to the leading school ratings platforms, such as GreatSchools and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (Of course, we do this, too.)
- Pairing employees with top local real estate agents, specifically those who specialize in working with relocating employees and know what it takes to make them happy. (This is another UrbanBound specialty.)
- Collecting tips and insights from your current employees about their preferred neighborhoods, commuting tricks, favorite places, etc. (At UrbanBound, we call these Co-Worker Insights.)
- Access to a team of relocation specialists, who will not only smooth the logistics of their move, but help employees find answers to their questions about the new area. (In addition to cutting-edge software, UrbanBound provides a team of specialists to support employees and their families throughout the relocation process.)
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Why It Matters
As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. Ultimately, taking pains to ensure family relocations are successful benefits the employer as much as the employee.
When families acclimate fully to their new environment, employees stay put, which helps lower turnover—a key objective in many industries.
In addition, when employees are happy at home, they’re more productive and creative at work, which benefits everyone, especially employers.
And when employers provide comprehensive relocation support, it makes them more attractive to potential long-distance hires, which can improve recruiting.
At the end of the day, a great relocation program does more than cover an employee’s moving expenses. It helps them make the best choices for themselves and their families. For more on how we make this happen, watch our quick video.
