PREPARING YOUR EMPLOYEE FOR A SUCCESSFUL MOVE STARTS EARLY IN THE RELOCATION PROCESS

Departure services are designed to assist your employee in feeling comfortable leaving their home location while preparing them for their new home location.

Easily manage your rental

Lease Cancellation

Getting your employee free to move when in a current lease is in place can be a challenge. Odyssey can arrange for the services of a leasing expert to negotiate and manage an early lease termination. This professional will be well-versed in local and state regulations and experienced in interpreting pertinent provisions in the lease agreement to free your employee to move quickly and without worries about their old rental.

Feel confident your home is taken care of

Property Management

Effectively managing your employee’s home while they are on assignment can bring your employees peace of mind and comfort while away. Odyssey can coordinate property management of your employees’ home with our vast supplier network. Click below for further details on how Odyssey provides assistance with property management.

  • Establish a monthly rental payment schedule and collect rents
  • Process the payments of property expenses
  • Establish approved monthly maintenance expense criteria
  • Maintain Reserve Operating Account (ROA) to cover monthly expenses
  • Maintain account relationships with homeowner-requested professional service providers
  • Prepare a monthly statement of all ledger details and income statement
  • Provide a year-end statement structured for tax purposes

  • Coordinate interior and exterior maintenance and repairs
  • Determine discretionary property budget with homeowner
  • Prepare and deliver walk-through reports, including detailed comments and photographs
  • Conduct homeowner move-out / move-in walk-through
  • Conduct tenant move-in / move-out walk-through
  • Conduct quarterly walk-through (when tenant-occupied)
  • Conduct weekly walk-through (when vacant)
  • Coordinate owner’s return to the property

  • Document property condition at vacate
  • Coordinate comparative rental market analysis
  • Create marketing strategies to facilitate the timely rental of property
  • Negotiate and prepare lease
  • Collect and disperse all security deposit funds
  • Respond to and address tenant concerns
  • Coordinate lease extensions, tenant departure, and re-marketing of the property for timely re-rental
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VALUABLE AND FREE SERVICE

HOME MARKETING/HOME SALE

Getting your employee’s often most valuable and personal asset sold is a critical step in the relocation process. Odyssey’s Marketing Assistance program is a true differentiator for Odyssey. First and foremost, we view every homeowner, regardless of the benefits offered, as a candidate for this valuable and free service. Click to expand the below to read how Odyssey provides assistance.

  • The role of the Relocation Consultant is to help your employee sell their home quickly and for the highest return possible
  • Preparing the home for market (what works and what does not)
  • Selecting an effective listing broker
  • Reading between the lines (evaluating broker market opinions)
  • Importance of realistic, aggressive pricing (what this means and how to evaluate a property’s position in the marketplace)
  • Effective steps to increase the marketability of difficult properties or in sluggish markets
  • Coordinating the sale of the home with the purchase of a new home

How to develop the right strategy through realtor selection

We encourage the seller to complete a home inspection prior to listing to allow the seller, if desired, an opportunity to correct any needed inspection items before listing their property. We have found that performing a pre-inspection helps eliminates buyer objections and expedites the negotiating process.

Virtual Tour and 3D Matterport touring have become more relevant over the past year since it allows a potential buyer to walk the home virtually and decide if they will proceed to a showing. Drone photography that incorporates the entire property and surrounding areas; schooling, local attractions and businesses allows a buyer to virtually tour the overall area before considering a property tour and helps your property stand out.

Social media presence has become more important with most buyers shopping and exploring all online avenues before visiting a property. To give the property greater exposure, agents are required to use social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to promote your employee’s listing.

Timing and Technology Supplements Traditional Practices

  • List the property as “coming soon” in advance of the listing to increase interest in the property prior to the actual live listing
  • Agents create a website specifically for the listing, outside of the MLS. This listing can then be mass distributed across partner brokerages and to the agent’s network
  • Virtual open house has been vital during the past year and will continue as a trend to bring in a wider buyer pool outside of the subject property location
  • Language is added to the listing requiring potential buyers to provide pre-approval, and for higher end homes, a verification of funds, prior to allowing the buyer access to the property. This tactic weeds out buyers that aren’t serious about the property

Setting the expectations for maximizing the final results

In today’s hot market with multiple offers being the norm, sellers are typically contracting with the buyer that brings the highest price and who also waives the loan appraisal. The buyer ultimately agrees to bridge the gap and bring in cash as needed if the home doesn’t appraise to the contract value.

We advise to always shorten up the contingency time frame to benefit the seller; 7-10 days to remove all contingencies would be recommended. In some markets this timeframe may be predicated on inspector availability.

From the beginning, Odyssey approaches each case on an individual basis and develops a customized, targeted marketing strategy to address the specific challenges and opportunities a property may present to avoid the chance of a property coming into inventory.  Should a property come into inventory, the file is assigned to our dedicated Real Estate Manager who will directly own the inventory process to effectively market and strategize to dispose of the property as quickly and cost effectively as possible.

Minimizing the risk of a home coming into inventory begins with an effective home marketing strategy and ensuring the strategy has been followed by the transferee, which would include:

  • Home is effectively priced to sell based on confirming alignment of BMAs and listing within 105% of the BMAs and following the home marketing recommendations
  • Preparing the home properly for marketing and due diligence by the Home sale Consultant and the agent to confirm changes were made or accounted for in the price; and
  • Creative and strategic marketing using a relocation-trained, experienced agent who knows the market and has the knowledge to give quality exposure to the home.
  • The Odyssey Real Estate Manager will work closely with the Relocation Consultant and agent, based on location-specific market conditions, on strategies to prevent the property from inventory

Fast and safe

Household Goods Management

Moving your employee’s personal possessions comes with an enormous amount of responsibility. We are entering your employee’s home, moving their personal effects, and helping them settle into their new location. Odyssey has a vast network of providers that have many complex challenges to solve including:

  • Survey availability and accuracy
  • Seasonal shipment availability and accurate shipment times
  • Professional crews that expertly pack, inventory, and manage move-out day
  • Status updates on move progress
  • Managing storage in and out
  • Final delivery and unpacking
  • Claims management

Our Relocation Consultants help manage the overall household goods experience. They are free to recommend household goods providers for each transferee that aligns with their individual needs, benefits, and budget.  The Relocation Consultant reviews the performance metrics and products to objectively determine the best provider for each move.  For smaller shipments, we have Non-Van Line options that are more cost-effective than traditional Van Line programs and for limited budgets, we can assist with soft referrals to self-move providers.

For many of our clients, the move is only half of the conversation. We want to ensure that not only that the move goes successfully, but that from a financial standpoint the complex household good invoices that are received are correct.

Once the move is completed all HHG invoices are tracked and audited by Odyssey. We audit 100% of the household goods and automobile shipment invoices received by our company. The following components are included in our audit:

  • Compliance to tariff rates and transportation agreement
  • Estimate (physical survey) vs. actual weights and services performed
  • Weight ticket and inventory review
  • Storage and third-party party charges
  • Compliance to authorized relocation policy
  • Invoice accuracy

Get your people paid fast

Allowance Administration

You have many employees that are receiving allowances to make their relocation more comfortable and to cover move-related costs. Managing these payments can be cumbersome and your team isn’t designed to support managing reimbursement payments. We can manage all of your reimbursements, and ensure that they are have been audited against your policies for compliance. Most importantly we get your employee paid quickly and accurately wherever they are in the world.

ENSURE CONTINUED COMPLIANCE

VISA & IMMIGRATION COORDINATION

The most important step in any international relocation is ensuring that your employee is legally able to be in the country and working. Odyssey will work in partnership with your chosen Visa & Immigration firm to initiate their services, coordinate and plan around critical dates, and provide clear updates and guidance to you. We work to maintain continued compliance within the country your employee is located in throughout your employee’s assignment, ensuring that their legal status is never in doubt.

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