Selling Your House for a Job Relocation? How to Make the Move Easier

Getting a new job is exciting. Moving for it can be a little more complicated.

Once you accept the position, the clock starts ticking. You may need to find a new place to live, pack your belongings, arrange movers, change schools, and get settled before your first day.

Then there is your current house.

Selling a house does not always fit neatly into a job relocation schedule. You might need to start your new position in a few weeks, while preparing and selling your home could take much longer.

If you are relocating from Maryland for a new job, you have a few ways to handle the sale. The right one depends on how quickly you need to move, the condition of your house, and how much of the selling process you want to manage.

Start With Your New Job’s Timeline

When you are moving because of work, your timeline is different from someone who simply decided it was a good time to sell.

You probably have a date you need to be somewhere else.

Start with that date and work backward.

Ask yourself:

• When does my new job start?

• When do I need to arrive in the new city?

• How much time will I need to pack?

• Do I already have housing lined up?

• Can I afford two homes for a while?

• Does my current house need repairs before it could be listed?

• Am I comfortable managing a home sale after I move?

You may find that you have plenty of time for a traditional sale. Or you may realize that you need a faster and simpler option.

Option 1: List Your House Before You Move

If you have enough time before your new job starts, you can prepare the house and list it with a real estate agent.

This may make sense if the home is already in good condition and you are comfortable waiting for a traditional buyer.

But remember to leave time for more than finding a buyer.

A traditional sale may involve:

• Cleaning and repairs

• Photography and staging

• Showings

• Open houses

• Offer negotiations

• An inspection

• An appraisal

• Repair requests

• Buyer financing

• Closing

The challenge is that you can control your job start date much more easily than you can control when the right buyer will come along.

If your schedule is tight, that uncertainty can make relocation harder.

Option 2: Move First and Sell the House Later

Another choice is to make your move, start the new job, and leave the Maryland house behind to sell.

That gives you more time, but it can create a different kind of stress.

You may find yourself trying to handle showings, repairs, contractors, paperwork, and questions about the property from another city or state.

You may also continue paying expenses on the Maryland house while paying for your new home.

Those expenses could include:

• Mortgage payments

• Property taxes

• Insurance

• Utilities

• Lawn care

• Repairs

• General upkeep

For some homeowners, this works fine. For others, the last thing they want after starting a new job is to manage an old house from hundreds of miles away.

Option 3: Sell Your House Before the Job Relocation

If you want to finish the home sale before you leave Maryland, a direct cash sale may be worth considering.

This can be especially helpful when you have a firm moving date.

Instead of preparing the house for the market and waiting for a traditional buyer, you sell directly to a home-buying company.

At Dominion Properties, that means you can sell your Maryland home without repairs, cleaning, a realtor, open houses, or repeated showings.

Your House Does Not Need to Be Move-In Ready

A job opportunity does not always give you six months to renovate a house.

Maybe the kitchen is outdated. The carpet needs to be replaced. There is a leak you have been meaning to fix. Or the whole house could use some work.

You do not have to complete those projects before selling to us.

We buy houses as-is, in any condition.

That means there is no need to spend your remaining time in Maryland:

• Meeting contractors

• Painting rooms

• Replacing flooring

• Updating the kitchen

• Fixing cosmetic problems

• Deep cleaning

• Staging the house

We look at the home in its current condition and make our offer based on what is there.

You Don’t Have to Move Everything

Moving to another city or state is a good time to decide what you actually want to take with you.

Maybe that old furniture will not fit in the new house. You may have boxes in the basement you have not opened in years. Or you simply do not want to pay a moving company to haul things you no longer need.

When you sell to Dominion Properties, you can leave behind anything you don’t want.

Take the belongings you want for your new home and leave the rest for us to handle.

That can make packing for a long-distance move much easier.

What If You Sell Before You’re Ready to Leave?

This is an important question when relocating for work.

You may want to sell now, but your moving date might still be a few weeks away.

Dominion offers a Rent-Back Program that can help eligible homeowners bridge that gap.

You may be able to sell the house and stay in it for up to 30 days rent-free after closing.

That can give you time to:

• Finish working at your current job

• Pack without rushing

• Wait for your new home to be ready

• Coordinate movers

• Get closer to your new job’s start date

If you need longer than 30 days, talk with us. In some situations, we can work with you on additional time at fair market rent.

The idea is to let you sell now and move when you are ready, rather than forcing both events to happen on the same day.

Traditional Sale vs. Cash Sale During a Job Relocation

If you are not sure which route makes sense, compare what each one would require from you.

A traditional sale may still be the right choice if you have plenty of time and want to put the home in front of as many buyers as possible.

A direct sale may make more sense when certainty and convenience are more important to your relocation.

Don’t Compare Offers Based Only on the Sale Price

When you are selling because of a job relocation, there is another number worth looking at: what you actually keep after the sale.

For a traditional sale, think about possible costs such as:

• Repairs

• Cleaning

• Staging

• Agent commissions

• Seller closing costs

• Mortgage payments while waiting to sell

• Utilities and insurance

• Lawn care

Then compare those expenses with what you would receive from an as-is sale.

A higher sale price does not always mean a higher amount in your pocket after all costs are considered.

It also does not account for your time.

When you are starting a new job, having one less major responsibility to manage can matter.

What If Your Employer Is Paying Relocation Expenses?

If your new employer offers relocation assistance, find out exactly what is included before deciding how to sell.

Some relocation packages may help with moving expenses or certain housing-related costs, while others may be much more limited.

Ask your employer or relocation company:

• Which expenses are covered?

• Are there deadlines I need to meet?

• Is home-sale assistance included?

• Do I need to use certain vendors?

• Does accepting assistance affect how I can sell the property?

Get the details in writing when possible.

That information can help you compare your options more accurately.

How Selling to Dominion Works

If you decide you want a simpler way to sell before relocating, our process is straightforward.

First, contact us and tell us a little about your Maryland home.

One of our local homebuyers will schedule one walkthrough. You do not need to repair or clean the house before we come.

After seeing the property, we will give you a fair, no-obligation cash offer.

If the offer works for you, we will work with you to choose a closing timeline that fits your relocation plans.

If it does not work for you, you can say no. There is no obligation just for getting an offer.

Starting a New Job? Your Old House Doesn’t Have to Hold Up the Move

At Dominion Properties, we buy houses throughout Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and surrounding counties throughout Maryland, which can include Anne Arundel, Harford, Howard, and Carroll counties.

We buy homes as-is. You can leave unwanted belongings behind. There are no agent commissions or hidden fees, and you only need one walkthrough with one of our homebuyers.

Then we give you a fair cash offer and let you decide.

Your new job has a start date. We can work with you to build the home sale around it.