Corporate Relocations Are Booming, but Fewer Involve a Home Sale

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09 Jul 2026

Real estate professionals watching companies pour into Florida, Texas, and other business-friendly states may be overestimating how many of the arriving employees will need mortgages. Corporate relocation activity is higher than it has been in decades, but the profile of who moves has shifted in ways that compress the real estate transaction opportunity on both ends.

Scott Ferree, Chief Marketing Officer at MiniMoves, Inc., a company that handles interstate moves for employees with smaller shipments, says the frequency of senior manager relocations involving home sales has declined noticeably compared to five years ago. MiniMoves draws 52% of its business volume from corporate relocation, either directly from corporations or through relocation management companies.

Companies are increasingly relocating mid-level managers and entry-level hires, people who are often renters and can be uprooted without triggering a home sale or mortgage origination on either end. “The frequency of large home sales and transfers of senior managers is on the decline,” Ferree says. “The frequency of transfers of mid-level managers who may be homeowners, but they may well also be renters, they’re the attractive ones because they’re more easily relocated.”

For buyers’ agents and mortgage professionals who view corporate relocation announcements as a leading indicator of purchase activity, the implication is direct: a company moving 500 employees to a new market no longer means 500 potential home purchases.

Revenue Model Under Pressure

For relocation management companies – the firms that coordinate the full suite of services a transferring employee needs – the shift away from senior-level moves carries financial consequences. Those large relocations historically bundled home sale assistance and mortgage origination, generating percentage-based fees that funded overhead. With fewer such transactions in the pipeline, relocation management companies are restructuring how they get paid.

One emerging approach is the file fee: a flat charge for managing an employee’s relocation journey regardless of whether a home sale occurs. According to Ferree, relocation management companies are adopting this model to stabilize revenue against the declining volume of home sale commissions.

Service providers across the relocation supply chain, realtors, movers, lenders, and destination service providers, are all adjusting to a model where fewer transactions flow through traditional channels. For real estate agents who have relied on relocation referrals as a steady source of purchase-side clients, this means the referral pipeline itself is thinning, not just shifting to a different price tier.

Companies Are Moving

Corporate relocations at the entity level appear unusually active. Companies are relocating headquarters and operations from one state to another, driven by tax environments, political alignment, and workforce preferences.

Charles Schwab, CBRE Group, Caterpillar, and Goldman Sachs are all moving their headquarters to Dallas, while other companies are choosing Florida as their new home state,” Ferree says. “Those sort of mass moves create opportunity for all of us, whether we’re in real estate or moving.

Ferree distinguishes this from the traditional model where relocations were driven by operational needs, expanding into a new market, staffing a manufacturing plant. That type of deployment, which sent senior managers with full relocation packages into new territories, is slowing. What has accelerated is the wholesale movement of companies motivated by political and tax considerations, according to Ferree. The employees arriving in destination markets are often renters selected for relocation precisely because they lack the encumbrances of homeownership.

The Rise of Build-Your-Own Benefits

The old relocation model operated on scripted benefits packages tied to employment level. That structure is giving way to flexible arrangements where employees choose how to allocate a fixed dollar amount across house-hunting trips, moving services, temporary housing, and other needs.

“For someone who doesn’t have a large home and is not moving a lot of furniture, having a home sale benefit means nothing to them,” Ferree says.

A related trend is the lump sum payment, a fixed amount that must cover everything from lease-breaking fees to travel expenses to moving costs. According to Ferree, companies offer amounts such as $5,000, $7,000, or $10,000 to cover the entire relocation. The approach gained momentum after employee relocation expenses became taxable income rather than a deductible expense. The logic from the employee’s perspective became straightforward: if the money is taxable regardless, just hand it over directly.

The simplicity appeals to corporate finance teams, but Ferree notes it can strip away the support mechanisms employees need during a stressful transition. Without guided referrals to vetted service providers, employees making infrequent moves often lack the knowledge to find reliable partners, whether that means a moving company, a real estate agent, or a mortgage lender.

Where the Opportunity Still Exists

For real estate professionals interested in the corporate relocation channel, each major relocation management company maintains a supply chain management team that actively seeks vetted local partners who can deliver consistent service to transferees. These teams evaluate and onboard agents who demonstrate reliability and follow-through with referred clients.

“Each one of those companies is going to have a supply chain management group that’s looking for good quality people to connect with,” Ferree says.

Tech companies currently lead relocation activity, followed by pharmaceutical firms. Shorter lead times and around-the-clock availability from a younger, more mobile workforce are reshaping service expectations. MiniMoves has adopted AI-powered virtual survey tools and virtual assistants to meet employees who expect the speed and convenience of consumer delivery services applied to their interstate moves.

The opportunity for real estate professionals has not disappeared; it has redistributed. Agents positioned in destination markets where companies are consolidating operations can still capture purchase transactions from the subset of relocating employees who own homes. But the ratio of relocating employees who will buy versus rent has shifted toward renting, and agents who build relationships with relocation management companies’ supply chain teams will be better positioned to capture the transactions that do occur than those waiting for inbound purchase inquiries that may never arrive.

About the Expert: Scott Ferree is Chief Marketing Officer at MiniMoves, Inc., a company specializing in interstate small-shipment moves that draws 52% of its business volume from corporate relocation.

This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.

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