This real estate market is still crazy, but it depends on where you live!

Research shows that in many markets, home prices have reached their pre-recession peaks when adjusting for inflation. As an HR and mobility program leader, it's important to consider what's driving the continued rise in prices and how best to ensure your mobile employees can effectively (and affordably) relocate for their new roles.

Did your employees buy during the bubble or use up their equity with a Home Equity Line of Credit or HELOC, and now are challenged to buy in the new location (i.e., can't afford the down payment.)? This is a great reason to continue providing some type of pre-decision assistance to flush out these issues in advance.

Are there more career opportunities in your employees' departure location (with your company or a competitor) that will allow them to stay put and advance their career?  This is a perfect time to review your policy and ensure you're being competitive with home sale and purchase benefits to entice mobility.

Lastly, there's been plenty of talk about limited homes for sale in many U.S. markets. Not surprisingly, popular destination cities and towns continue to have slim pickings for choice homes, which further increases pricing pressure. Little can be done about inventory until builders create more first-time buyer inventory to stimulate the "buy up" market, and existing homeowners' equity increases to cover the mortgage qualification process and down payment requirements in the destination location. 

Every market is different, so this is a perfect time to review your mobility patterns (in conjunction with your relocation policy) to ensure you're offering the most effective provisions to address each market.