More to job relocation than moving; company helps ease transition

BOULDER — When it comes to moving, Judi Robin is no stranger to the process. Uprooting and moving from New Jersey to San Francisco to Boulder, she has had to put on her traveling shoes a few times. And she uses the knowledge and experience of these moves to help business executives and their families relocate.

For two years while living in San Francisco, Robin worked with Molly Dick, founder of Crossroads Relocation, an independent destination services company. Together, they helped thousands of executives and their families relocate to the San Francisco Bay area for corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley. Dick started Crossroads in 1987.

In 2001 Robin opened a Crossroads office in Boulder. Working as its director and only employee, she assists relocating employees, transferees and candidates with home-finding needs for companies and firms located in the Boulder/Denver metro area. She said she slowly has been growing her business ever since, but declined to reveal revenues or startup costs.

?Boulder is a dynamic corporate area, and I felt that I could fill a particular niche in this market,? Robin said. ?Compared to competitors who don’t always have individuals where their clients are moving into, I’m very familiar with the area. So when a new employee, candidate or transfer comes here, I can speak from personal experience about everything from the schools to where to get dry cleaning done.?

According to Robin, who is also a Colorado- and California-licensed real estate agent, this knowledge makes a big difference when helping someone ease into a new location.

To individuals, couples and families, Crossroads offers a range of personalized relocation services including pre-move counseling, area orientations, mortgage financing referrals, home-finding and personalized relocation packets.

As part of the pre-move counseling, after Robin receives information from a company’s human resources department, she calls new employees and candidates to help them determine their home-purchasing potential. She also sends them detailed information in advance of their visit on such topics as communities, schools, commute times and leisure activities.

?When I call them, I ask things such as: Where do you want to live? Do you want a house or a condominium? What kinds of schools are you looking for — private, parochial or public? Are your parents coming with you?? Robin said. ?These are the kinds of details that companies don’t often realize affect people, and we help resolve these issues.?

Then, when relocating employees arrive in town, she shows them a range of communities and homes available and is quick to address the high cost of real estate prices in the Boulder/Denver area to reduce ?sticker shock.?

?People who move from New Jersey, for example, who can purchase a 3,000- to 4,000-square-foot home with four bedrooms and a two-car garage may spend $400,000 to $500,000 there,? Robin said. ?But in San Francisco and Boulder, they may pay $800,000 to a $1 million-plus for the same home.?

By addressing the higher costs of real estate upfront and highlighting other amenities that the area offers, Robin said she is able to help make the transition easier and smoother for those relocating.

Prior to joining Crossroads in San Francisco, Robin worked at Pacific Union Residential Brokerage in Marin County, Calif., specializing in executive luxury sales and rentals. Today, from the Boulder office, she targets working with relocating presidents, chief executive officer’s and senior-level management.

When working with corporations, Crossroads charges a flat fee of $1,250 per transferee, whether it takes a week or two years to accommodate the move. In addition, Robin also receives numerous inquiries through the Internet from people not affiliated with a corporate relocation who are moving to the area. For these clients, she does not charge service fees because she receives referral fees from various vendors such as Realtors, moving companies, short-term housing and mortgage lenders.

Robin and Dick only work with personally selected Realtors who have been interviewed and found to agree with Crossroads’ vision to offer personalized service to relocating employees on 24-hours-a-day/seven-days-a-week availability.

?If (a company) decides to look outside the Boulder/Denver area, it’s because they are looking for that key strategic fit — someone who has qualifications they can’t find locally. By using Crossroads, it sends a compelling message to the client that this company not only cares about me, they care about all my needs and the lifestyle change I would be going through,? said Robin. ?When someone starts a new job, they have to devote themselves 150 percent to it. If the move is taken care of, they will be less distracted and able to focus more on their job.?

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