change management process change management plan
So, you have decided to manage your own upcoming relocation to another area and this is the first time you are doing it on your own, maybe even out of necessity. I just did it and here is my advice; pay attention to details because that simple discipline will say you money, time and frustration; also it could be fun.
But here is the background for my experiences in a self-move. For the first time in my career I have managed the office and personal effects relocation on my own; well, including the help of my wife. The prior six moves were managed by my employer's human resource department and they took care of all aspects of the move. As everyone knows, in corporate relocations there are some hassles, but everything is generally paid for and managed by the company. Even temporary housing, taxes, realtor expenses and new home set-up allowances, were included. If the home did not sell right away the company might buy your former home, even pay the old mortgage and arra nge financing on the new home.
This economy has forced me into being an entrepreneur. That means that such a person must conserve cash while maximizing opportunities. In my case, maximizing business opportunities required a relocation. Therefore, to conserve cash, I decided to move myself. Let me offer some specific options that I learned along the way, mostly from mistakes and recommendation from others.
Put together an outline/plan and proposed timeline to attack the daunting task of a move. It is important to visualize all the major and minor task that you will need to accomplish. Along with the list develop a timeline when the task need to be initiated and accomplished. Such tasks might be: initiate contacts and interviews of realtors, time frame of site visits to the new location, contact moving vendors, define supplies needed, etc.Develop a proposed budget. Major budget categories are: real estate (current and new site), moving option costs, possible set- up cost at the new location and fixes that an inspector may find in your current home. It is important to always understand the maximum possible expense exposure.
Deal with realtors by asking the hard questions on both ends. Explore your choices of realtors by starting in your neighborhood. Spend some time looking at houses in your area that are for sale and ask a listing agent about the asking price. Basically, the seller needs to be realistic about the market. Then interview some agents and ask them to present to you: comps, their recent sales experiences, and most importantly, you want to see what they are willing to commit to as a marketing plan to sell your home. Most importantly remember, their planned commission is 6% but there is another 2% of fees you pay to get the sale closed. This is your money so make sure you negotiate wisely; even the realtor commissions.
Explore your choices relative to the actual event. Options for physically getting your belongings packed and moved range from renting a U-drive truck, to paying for a full service moving company. Over the last few years the portable containers have made quite a splash. The U-drive opportunity for a 1,000 mile trip can can be $1,500 for one truck. Most people who have a longer lifetime to accumulate 'stuff' cannot get their belongings on one truck and the physical demands of packing and loading is monumental. Full service moving company's expenses may be as much as $10,000 or more and is ultimately based on weight. The container, or pod option, was my choice and the move cost approximately $3,000 for 2- 16 foot long pods and included 30 days of storage while looking for a new home. I also hired the professional services of loaders. I had to do the packing but it was well worth the savings. As a perspective, our home had 2,700 square feet and 3 bedrooms and 44 years of accumulated belongings. The self-packing process took 3 weeks.
As the business adage explains--time is money and money is time. There are a lot of options of container companies to work with. Prices do differ, and a lot of services are dependent on zip code specific origination and destination. Take the time to estimate costs for each container company and know your limits when making the decision. One other consideration is knowing that you have time to find the right home and your belongings are not going to be handled multiple times--onto the moving van and off-loading into storage and then reloaded and off-loaded at the destination later. Plan, Plan, and then Plan some more. The rewards will be realized later when you look at the cash you have to put into the new venture in a new location.
Steven S. Lay has been in the travel and corporate meetings business for 30 years and is now focused exclusively on small luxury corporate gatherings in Wine Country. More information about his company, Symtrek Partners, is available at: http://www.symtrekpartners.com/
Mr. Lay has held "C" Level positions in large private and public companies. These companies, in addition to the travel corporate and leisure business, include the defense industry and e-commerce. Prior to launching Symtrek Partners, Mr. Lay was the Vice President of Exhibitor Sales for a major exposition company.
Symtrek Partners is a resource to any company contemplating a highly effective meeting, event or function for a small corporate group. Symtrek Partners is very interested in discussing ideas and options. To initiate a contact e-mail: stevelay@symtrekpartners.com or call 707-927-4205.