Finding A House That Will Become a Home

Late last year I was retained by a relocation client to manage international corporate employees transferring to San Diego from all points around the world. I am tasked with finding them housing and orienting them to the general area. After a few emails back and forth before they leave their home country, I must set out with finding them a home. It always feels like an awesome obligation because through my searching and deciding which properties I think would be a good fit for them, I am helping to dictate their first experience in the United States. I can’t help but think back to 2000 when I landed at Heathrow Airport in London and I waited in my University of San Diego sweatshirt for a man named Tony King to walk up to me and introduce himself. I had been hired to work in the UK for 5 months and when I landed I didn’t have a clue on where i would live, what the experience would be like or who my friends would become. I see that some wonder in the clients I work with. Tony made sure I had several housing options to look at on the day I arrived and he became my guardian angel while I lived in London. He made sure I was alright. As a Destination Specialist, it’s my job to make sure my clients will be alright. I’m always surprised at the awe in their eyes when they see the size of the houses we have here, the opulent landscaping or wonderful communities with pools and gyms. My clients today are from South Korea and they couldn’t believe that they could find a free standing house with a yard instead of an apartment building 57 stories high in the heart of the city or the size of the closet in the master bedroom that the wife thought was big enough to be a home office. In their native language, I could tell they were ecstatic about the hardwood floors they have never been lucky enough to have or the possibility of a house with both a living room and a family room – She asked “why both? doesn’t that mean you just have to buy the same furniture twice?” Yes, I said. It does seem rather ridiculous when you think about it. Although the biggest house I showed them was out of the price range, I could tell that the husband was trying to do the rationalization dance in his head on how they could afford it because he fell in love with the size and the amenities. He’s been in the US for 2 days and he is already trying to live beyond his means – they will fit in very well! As I wait for the phone call from them indicating which house they would like to rent, I feel privileged that I will be part of their journey and transition to San Diego. I’m intrigued with which house they will choose and always hopeful that in the end it will become the right place for them to call home.