In celebration of Earth Day, a dozen employees from Paragon’s Texas office participated in Clean Coppell, Keep Coppell Beautiful’s annual city-wide cleanup event.

For the second year, employees picked up litter but this time the designated area was Paragon’s office plaza and surrounding area. On April 18, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., employees wearing volunteer t-shirts meticulously combed the area picking up approximately 10 bags of trash while generating immense satisfaction and sweat.

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Paragon Relocation, a leading provider of global relocation management services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Williams as Director, Global Client Accounting at Paragon’s Coppell, Tx service center. In this newly created position, Williams will be responsible for expanding Paragon’s Global Client Accounting team and executing client contracts, guidelines, policies and procedures.

“Everyone at Paragon is delighted to bring Steve on board to provide an extraordinary financial experience to our clients and customers,” said Craig Selders, President, Paragon Relocation. “Steve brings decades of client accounting and global compensation knowledge and education to Paragon.”

Prior to joining Paragon, Williams previously worked for Cartus and Primacy as Director, Expense Services. In his most recent role, Williams managed a team handling new client implementations as well as providing on-going support for existing corporate clients. His experience also includes managing Solomon and Equus software applications.

Williams has more than 20 years of industry experience and holds a Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) designation from Worldwide ERC^®.

Filed under: Announcement, Blog Post, Paragon Press, Press Release, Uncategorized |

Paragon Relocation, a leading provider of global relocation management services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Myers as Director, Global Client Accounting at Paragon’s Coppell, Tx service center. In this newly created position, Myers will be responsible for expanding Paragon’s Global Client Accounting team and executing client contracts, guidelines, policies and procedures.

“Susan’s industry experience and knowledge will undoubtedly make an immediate and substantial impact on our company,” said Craig Selders, President, Paragon Relocation.

Prior to joining Paragon, Myers previously worked for Prudential Relocation as Global Compensation Manager. During her time at Prudential, Myers significantly expanded the Compensation Service offerings, building a global center of excellence in the Phoenix office. During her tenure, Myers’ responsibilities also included oversight of the cost management function for key clients. She also led the financial operations of Liquid Production as their controller.

Myers holds a bachelor of science in Accounting and an MBA both from the University of Phoenix.  She has also received the Global Mobility Specialist (GMS) designation from Worldwide ERC^®.

Filed under: Announcement, Blog Post, Press Release, Uncategorized |

Corporate Relocation is an investment. It is an investment of time, money and human capital. When an employee is tapped to take a corporate relocation their company is ready to make a big investment in that person to share their expertise and knowledge with another office. The reasons to relocate an employee is often twofold, 1) the company needs to use that person as a resource in the new location and 2) it gives an opportunity for a deserving employee to bolster their experience with a relocation, which as we noted in the past is becoming an essential quality of corporate leadership.

The cost of the relocation is often the number one factor used to decide which candidate is right for the job. Understanding what benefits are needed to relocate an employee and their family prior to a move will significantly help to determine if the employee is a good fit for a relocation. Often times, companies rush into choosing a candidate for a relocation and then it turns out they weren’t the best choice in the first place which leads to frustration, excessive costs and even a failed relocation. This is why Paragon’s standalone service, Pre-Decision Consulting, is so popular. Pre-Decision avoids the mistakes before they happen significantly increasing the return-on-investment of a relocation.

To determine how much a relocation will cost it is important to understand the employee’s family and housing situation because this will dictate the amount of benefits they will need to successfully relocate to the new location. For example, relocating a Senior Executive with a family of five with a large home is going be a much larger investment than relocating a single new hire recent grad who lives in a one bedroom apartment.

What are the Average Relocation Costs?

In a recent Mobility Magazine, they published the Worldwide ERC 2011 US Transfer Volume & Cost Survey which included the below data on the average corporate relocation costs by move type.

Breaking Down Relocation Costs by Move Type

• How much does it cost to relocate a homeowner? – On average it costs $90,081 to move an existing employee who is a homeowner. An existing employee homeowner relocation costs more because it relates to the size of their home. Existing employee homeowners typically have larger homes which increases the costs of relocation benefits that relate to real estate and because their home is larger they also often have more stuff to ship using a household goods company which increases the price of the overall relocation as well.




• How much does it cost to relocate a new hire homeowner? – On average it costs $69,020 to move a new hire employee who is a homeowner. Similar to an existing employee homeowner relocation, a new hire homeowner relocation costs more than a renter relocation because it relates to the size of their home. The new hire homeowner may not always need the full array of benefits that an existing employee homeowner needs on a relocation and the costs to relocate these employees is less.




• How much does it cost to relocate a renter? – On average it costs $23,497 to move an existing employee who is a renter. An existing employee renter relocation typically costs considerably less than a homeowner relocation because benefits related to real estate are not needed for these employees and because often times renters have less household goods to be moved which results in smaller moving costs.




• How much does it cost to relocate a new hire renter? – On average it costs $20,168 to move a new hire employee who is a renter. A new hire employee renter relocation very closely resembles an existing employee renter relocation but with a little bit narrower scope of benefits.

Paragon Relocation uses complete transparency in pricing and reporting to show our clients the true costs of each relocation. We bring the average costs of relocation down with smart relocation program design that aligns our client’s relocation budget goals with their corporate talent goals. Relocating an employee is a big investment for any company to make, and while relocation management fees are a very small part of those costs, Paragon is always thinking of new ways to save its client’s money. In terms of reducing overall costs, the inclusion of the Pre-Decision Consulting as well as other cost cutting services such as our preferred household goods provider bidding engine, Partner Select, have saved our clients well above 10% on each participating relocation. In addition with the full launch of our industry leading Relocation Information Management System, PRISM 2.0, we are also saving our client’s time touching relocation with its user friendly features and robust reporting suite.

Would you like to save time and money on relocation? Contact us today for more information on how you can save time and money on your relocation program!



For more information on how much a relocation costs, please see this previous post: How much does it cost to relocate an employee?

Filed under: ERC, The Best Thinking..., Uncategorized |

Please join Paragon Relocation in congratulating:

• Brad Bianucci,
• Kristin Eubanks,
• Patrick Fleming,
• Judy Hammel,
• Sean Ireland,
• and Jennifer Morabito

for earning Worldwide ERC’s Certified Relocation Professional (CRP®) Designation. The Certified Relocation Professional™ is a highly regarded designation for all those within the U.S. domestic relocation industry who are dedicated to the successful mobility of employee transferees, and who consistently seek to better themselves and the service they offer through continuing education in this specialized field. Paragon Relocation has always held in high esteem those that posses the value of being life long learners, earning this relocation designation perfectly exemplifies that attitude. Way to go!!!

Click the facebook “like” to celebrate our CRP Designates!

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Moving can often be one of the most stressful experiences in life because you are picking up all of your belongings and trusting that they will safely make it to your new home.

Lifehacker.com has writen an excellent article on the Five Essential Tools for Moving which could help make your move a lot easier for you.

Here is what they recommend having around to make the move easier:

1. Labels - labelling boxes when you are packing will save a lot of time and energy when you arrive in your new location.
2. Ziplock bags – these are good to put odds and ends in. The larger ones can be used for the contents of drawers, like pens, pencils, and even silverware.
3. Zip ties – these are great for keeping cables and wires organized so that you don’t need to spend time untangling them when you arrive.
4. Furniture Sliders – these make moving furniture a lot easier because it allows you to push the furniture across the floor without having to lift it.
5. Movers Stretch Plastic Wrap – this can provide extra padding around furniture to make sure that it doesn’t get scratched during the move and to help keep things in place.

At Paragon Relocation we want to do everything we can to help make your move easier. If you have any moving tips that you would like to share please post them below or share them with us on our Facebook page.

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There may be a plethora of reasons an employee may decide not to take a relocation on behalf of their corporation but as the Worldwide ERC graph below indicates the overwhelming amount of turned down relocation opportunities relate to the adjusting real estate market.

In addition to assisting employees wade through the tough waters of this current real estate market Paragon’s Relocation Consultants specialize in helping employees who are considering a relocation achieve each of their goals for relocating.

Also, Paragon Relocation’s consulting group provides an increasingly valuable service called “Pre-Decision Consulting”.

Pre-Decision Consulting provides a transferring employee and their company all the tools necessary to determine if a transfer is the right fit for that candidate given the current real estate market and other factors which may determine the success of the relocation. We have found this service to provide Corporate HR and Global Talent departments a protection against the risk of possible short sales and loss on sales which can often amount to dissatisfied employees and their managers.

In conclusion, because of the costs that can result from these types of moves, Paragon Relocation recommends using Pre-Decision Consulting in conjunction with a Program Design that is attuned to the realities of the New Normal.

To hear more information about Pre-Decision Consulting, please contact Paragon Relocation today!

Filed under: Blog Post, ERC, The Best Thinking..., Uncategorized |

As if convincing existing employees and coveted new hires to uproot themselves and their families and accept transfers was not challenging enough, current economic conditions are making these candidates increasingly gun-shy about accepting moves if it means selling a home in a down market.

On the flip side, the cost of workforce mobility continues to escalate, even as it becomes a more integral component of a successful corporate growth strategy. To avoid a failed move or assignment, employers must be confident that they will receive the best possible return on their mobility investment.

In response, a growing number of employers are bolstering their programs and recruitment efforts with pre-decision services. Pre-decision is a sort of “fact-finding” mission conducted before a move takes place, enabling the employer and employee to better assess the potential costs of each move (particularly the value of the employee’s departure home), ensure that the employee is a good fit for the new job and destination location, and make informed decisions.

Pre-decision services can help recruiters close qualified candidates more quickly, boosting acceptance rates, and can help employers overcome employee reluctance by providing critical information and counseling that demonstrates the company’s culture, alleviates concerns, and motivates employees for heightened productivity in their new roles. They also can save employers from wasting valuable time, money, and effort on candidates or transitioning employees who cannot afford to move.

While a pre-decision program is not a crystal ball, it does give the employer a better handle on the potential cost of a move and helping to identify situations that may prove too costly. It also can be useful in educating employees who may have made poor homebuying decisions in the past, so that these decisions do not haunt future moves.

What constitutes a well-rounded pre-decision program? Research indicates that regardless of the type of homesale assistance offered, a program that addresses the concerns of both employees and employers may include the following:

• Proactive counseling to assess any unique concerns and requirements. It may yield that it is simply not cost effective to transfer certain employees based on personal, familial, or financial needs in the new location.
• Mortgage pre-qualification for the destination home. Knowing in advance how much home an employee can afford is critical in targeting potential destination communities.
• Expert valuation of the departure home. If it is a home that is going to prove challenging to sell or is worth far less than what the employee owes, the employee will want to know about it.
• A comprehensive marketing plan that identifies target buyers and incentives most likely to result in a sale within the specified time period.

Pre-decision not only addresses one of the biggest obstacles to mobility today: the difference between what employees think their homes are worth and what their homes actually are worth; but it also enables the client and transferee to make a decision based on these differences. Specifically, a Broker Market Analysis (BMA) can be ordered to establish a baseline in determining an employee’s equity position in their home, revealing potential burdens such as the need for loss-on-sale support.

According to Worldwide ERC®, the value of the departure home is most often the greatest importance to a transferee. Enlightenment should come before the transferee is already in the process of a relocation. Since the sale of a home has a considerable financial impact on mobility decisions and budgets, obtaining an estimate of value can provide a credible benchmark for an employee to assess how their home may have been affected by the current economic downturn.

Pre-decision consulting can also help employers overcome employee reluctance and boost acceptance rates by alleviating employee worries, addressing their needs, and motivating them for heightened productivity in their new roles.

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We wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2011!

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With the housing market in its current condition many relocating employees are choosing not to buy in their new location. This is for a combination of reasons, perhaps relocating employees do not want to take the risk that the housing market has not hit the bottom yet and they could lose money on their new home or possibly they do not want to sell their current home due to a decline in the amount of equity available in their current home from which they would apply to the purchase of a new home.

As a result there has been a rise in the amount of Homeowners choosing to rent in the new location after they have been relocated. As the chart below summarizes, 67% of companies have either seen “a significant increase” or “somewhat of an increase” over the previous year of Homeowners who have decided to rent rather than buy in the new location.

Source: Mobility Magazine

In addition to the reasons listed above a Relocation Management Company, such as Paragon Relocation, would be able to facilitate Property Management services which help with the upkeep, and rental management of the employee’s home in the old location while the employee rents in the new location. This option is often a positive alternative to having the sell the home at a loss for both the employee and the employer because both can be shielded from what could amount to a large loss on the sale of the home from what it was originally purchased for.

Paragon Relocation designs policies for client’s to meet their needs in the New Normal offering the flexibility needed to address a dynamic workforce. For more information about our relocation services please visit the Paragon Relocation home page.

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In 2009, Paragon issued a Relocation Client Advisory to owners of homes that were built with Chinese Drywall. During the housing boom, new construction was at an all time high and domestic producers of drywall were unable to keep up with the demand. To keep up with the overwhelming demand for drywall due to new construction during the housing boom, China offered a viable solution; the necessary supply of goods, as well as lower costs to builders. In 2009, Chinese Drywall joined the ranks of radon, synthetic stucco, and toxic mold as red flags in home inspections which are detrimental to a homeowner’s ability to sell; impacting both marketing efforts and the value of the home.

In September, 2010 the IRS issued guidance providing relief to homeowners suffering property losses due to the effects of the affected drywall. According the Revenue Procedure 2010-36:

• Individuals who pay to repair damage to their personal residences or household appliances resulting from corrosive drywall may treat the amount paid as a casualty loss in the year of payment.
• Taxpayers who have already filed their income tax return for the year of payment generally have three years to file an amended return and claim the deduction. The amount of a loss that may be claimed depends on whether the taxpayer has a pending claim for reimbursement (or intends to pursue reimbursement) of the loss through property insurance, litigation or otherwise.
• In cases where a taxpayer does not have a pending claim for reimbursement, the taxpayer may claim as a loss all unreimbursed amounts paid during the taxable year to repair damage to the taxpayer’s personal residence and household appliances resulting from corrosive drywall.
• If a taxpayer does have a pending claim (or intends to pursue reimbursement), a taxpayer may claim a loss for 75 percent of the unreimbursed amount paid during the taxable year to repair damage to the taxpayer’s personal residence and household appliances that resulted from corrosive drywall.

Paragon will keep you informed of any new developments.  If you would like further information please visit the IRS website: www.irs.gov and search Chinese drywall.

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Recently WallStreetJournal.com posted an article about relocating employees in the “New Normal” which has had a dramatic effect on the current housing market. Among other aspects of Relocation being discussed the author also breaches the topic of how the Loss on Sale benefit seems to be an essential element of any comprehensive relocation program during this recovering housing market.

Peggy Smith, CEO of Worldwide ERC, discusses the option of using Property Management as an alternative to Homesale Assistance:

[Smith] has seen some employers offer property-management services to employees who can’t sell their old home and choose to rent it out. Other times, employers will see if an employee can work from home or an alternate location, she says.

Barbara Denison, relocation manager for CSX, discusses the effectiveness of CSX’s Loss on Sale program:

Other companies have expanded their relocation policies to help employees who are considering a transfer or promotion and need to sell.

If a management employee must relocate for a transfer or promotion and can’t sell her home within 90 days, railroad company CSX Corp. offers a guaranteed buyout of the home for its appraised value, plus a portion of the employee’s loss if the home was appraised for less than the price the employee bought it at, says [Denison], of Jacksonville, Fla.

In January, CSX expanded the loss on a home it is willing to pick up and lifted restrictions on the policy that required the employee to have bought the home in the past three years, says Ms. Denson. She declined to disclose the size of the caps.

Still, some employees have had to turn down promotions or transfers because the loss they’d take on their home would be too great, says Ms. Denson. “Going into management is a plus, but sometimes the difficulty is too great,” she says. “The policies make it easier for employees to accept transfers and for us to fill positions.”

To read Luring Employees to New Locations in its entirety please visit the Wall Street Journal website.

How is your company approaching transferring talent to new locations with the current housing market the way it is? Have you included a Loss on Sale provision in your relocation benefits package? Have you considered offering Property Management services as an alternative to Homesale Assistance?

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments bellow or on Twitter!

Filed under: Articles, Client Advisory, ERC, The Best Thinking..., Uncategorized |

Paragon Relocation, a leading provider of global relocation solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Waters as Director, Global Business Development covering the north central United States plus much of Canada.

“Anna brings a wealth of human resources experience and knowledge with her into this new position. We are very fortunate to have someone with her global mindset on our team,” said Glenn Chapman, Global Vice President of Business Development with Paragon Relocation.

Waters has more than 11 years of experience partnering with mid/large-sized, multinational organizations to identify and develop global human resource strategies. As Director, Global Business Solutions with Shepell·fgi, Anna spent almost seven years specializing in global health and productivity solutions for international clients. She also worked as a consultant for Hewitt Associates LLC where she focused on linking people strategies to business objectives, as well as initiating and managing consulting engagements on a project by project basis.

Waters has a Masters degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota and is fluent in English and Spanish and conversant in Italian, French, and Danish. She lived abroad in Europe for 18 years and holds dual citizenship in Denmark and the United States

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Paragon Relocation, a leading provider of global relocation solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Williamson as Manager, Global Business Development covering the southern United States region.

“We are excited and proud to bring Scott on-board to focus on expanding our reach throughout his territory. His knowledge of the area as well as his background in the industry will no doubt prove instrumental to our success,” said Glenn Chapman, Global Vice President of Business Development with Paragon Relocation.

Williamson brings 25 years of sales experience and has relocated over 2,000 customers by serving in various capacities in the mortgage, real estate, van line and corporate relocation industries throughout the span of his career.

Williamson has an undergraduate degree in Marketing from West Georgia College. He holds the Certified Moving Consultant (CMC) designation from the American Moving and Storage Association, the national trade association for the professional moving industry, as well as earned Texas licenses as a REALTOR® and as a loan officer.

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Stop by booth #415 at the ERC Global Workforce Symposium Exhibition Hall for an opportunity to win the $200 value Starbucks gift basket giveaway above!

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