The Shifting Real Estate Landscape and the Value of a Relocation Department

Relocation departments focus on training and selecting qualified agents, offering consistent partner communication, maintaining compliance with policies, and ensuring an efficient, high-quality transferee experience. 

Relocating employees, whether domestically or internationally, is a complex and stressful process. In fact, many say it’s one of the most stressful things that occurs in a person’s life. Partnering with a brokerage that has an established relocation department is crucial in ensuring that this transition is as smooth and efficient as possible. Relocation departments focus on training and selecting qualified agents, offering consistent partner communication, maintaining compliance with policies, and ensuring an efficient, high-quality transferee experience. 

Expert Leadership

Having a relocation director at the helm often brings extensive industry knowledge and leadership experience. Relocation directors oversee the entire relocation process, ensuring smooth operations, effective communication, and strategic decision-making before an issue arises. Working with relocation departments who have a dedicated leader, coordinators, support staff, and a trained team of agents is the first step in ensuring the transferee and their employer receive personalized attention and superior support throughout the move. 

Members of the Relocation Directors Council are some of the most seasoned professionals in the industry with membership requiring a peer recommendation and a commitment to continuing education, ultimately requiring achievement of the Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) or Global Mobility Specialist (GMS). 

Trained/Qualified/Selected Agents

Relocation departments are experts at identifying, selecting, and training the right agents. Agents who are specifically trained in corporate relocation understand the complexity and unique stressors associated with this process. They are well-versed in maintaining the integrity of relocation benefits and understand the duty of care owed to transferees. With the monumental changes brought on through the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement, agent selection has become even more imperative to the overall success of the move. 

Relocation agents are often the most skilled negotiators, possess a deep understanding of the market and its conditions, embrace long-term learning, and look for solutions prior to issues arising. Successful relocation agents also possess a special empathy for the transferee and family. Corporate moves are inherently stressful, not just for the logistical challenges but also for the emotional toll on the employees and their families. This stress factor is a key focus of the training provided to agents. Agents are keenly focused to recognize the challenges relocating families face and provide the necessary support to ease their worries. By fostering a sense of understanding and empathy, agents can build a trusting relationship with transferees and successfully settle into their new home. 

Selecting the right agent for each relocation assignment is a significant responsibility of the relocation department. Each agent possesses unique qualifications, personality traits, life experiences, and communication styles. Relocation departments handpick agents they know personally to ensure they are the best fit for each individual client. This personalized selection process goes beyond market knowledge and is often the “secret sauce” that guarantees the agent assigned to the transferee can provide tailored support and expertise, enhancing the overall relocation experience.

Leveraging the Overall Business

A powerful, but often overlooked, aspect of partnering with relocation departments is leveraging the overall business and referrals they oversee. Once an agent is assigned to assist a transferee, they are a reflection of the relocation department, their brokerage, and their city. Relocation departments work with a number of relocation management companies (RMCs), corporations, and referral sources, and value their industry reputation. In turn, the relocation department sets extremely high expectations for their agents. 

To continue receiving opportunities, agents must consistently deliver excellent service. This accountability is maintained through regular performance evaluations and feedback. Agents are aware that their ability to secure future assignments depends on their current performance, motivating them to uphold the highest standards of service. 

In the eyes of the agent, the relocation department is seen as their ultimate client because the department often provides referrals to the agent from a number of sources. This allows the relocation department and every referral it places to be cherished as a repeat client, no matter how many transactions or opportunities the specific RMC or corporation provides directly. 

Effective and Consistent Communication

Effective communication is the backbone of any successful relocation. It is imperative for the relocation department, and thus the agent, to maintain regular communication with the RMC or corporation sponsoring the move. This ongoing, consistent dialogue and reporting ensures that all activities are aligned with the established policies and timelines. Relocation departments act as a single point of contact for the brokerage’s entire coverage area and all its agents. Agents are often mobile and hindered by their schedule or commitments to always communicate in a specific manner. This is where a dedicated, properly staffed relocation department supports all parties to ensure communication is timely and accurate, and nothing falls through the cracks.

Quality Assurance – Issue Resolution

While customer experience and reliable communication is essential, in today’s shifting landscape, compliance with corporate relocation policies is non-negotiable. The trusted relocation department understands the broad strokes of corporate relocation and works diligently within the scope of benefits shared to make sure all requirements are met. This adherence to policy not only ensures legal and financial compliance but also builds trust between the transferee, the relocation department, the RMCs and their clients. From broker market analysis review to adherence to the 11 steps and beyond, relocation departments are the stopgap to enforce compliance at the brokerage level. 

Another fundamental responsibility of the relocation department staff is to have a thorough understanding of the relocation timeline and coordinate the agent’s and other local service providers’ involvement accordingly. From initial planning of the house-hunting trip, physical visit, offer negotiations, and the final move-in, each phase requires careful coordination and precise timing to avoid any disruptions. Understanding and adhering to this timeline is critical to prevent delays and ensure a smooth transition for the transferee. Relocation departments know the implications on all sides of a relocation and work with all parties involved to meet deadlines.

Despite everyone’s best efforts, there may be instances where the transferee is unhappy with their agent experience. In such cases, the relocation department has the brokerage level authority to intervene and reassign the transferee to a different agent if necessary. The relocation department is always the transferee’s advocate within the brokerage and can bring to bear the necessary resources to ensure success. This flexibility places the transferee’s needs and expectations at the top and maintains a high standard of service and satisfaction.

Corporate relocation is a multifaceted process that demands meticulous planning, empathetic support, and strict compliance. The relocation department and its hand-selected agents play a crucial role in orchestrating a successful move that ensures that the transferee and their family experience a smooth transition. By understanding the relocation timeline, empathizing with the transferee’s stress, maintaining regular communication, ensuring compliance, and providing creative solutions, the relocation department can significantly enhance the overall relocation experience. 

We value our relationships, embrace the role we play in the mobility space, and look forward to bringing increasing value in this dramatically shifting environment. 

Ryan Carrell is the president of the Relocation Directors Council (RDC) and director of relocation and client services for Carpenter Realtors.