Relocation ROI & Feasibility Guide
Before scoping vendors, answer the real question: does moving create more value than staying? This guide frames the feasibility analysis and points to the tool that sizes it.
Start with the stay case
The honest baseline is what you pay to not move: current rent or carrying cost, renewal escalations, the cost of an outdated or oversized layout, and the productivity drag of your present space. Quantify it before comparing alternatives.
Then model the move case
- One-time relocation cost — model it with the Commercial Program Budget (office, equipment, facility, and employee scopes in one view).
- Recurring savings — lower rent, lower operating cost, or space right-sized to headcount.
- Incentives — state and local programs can offset a meaningful share of the one-time cost (see the State Incentives guide).
The decision metric is payback period and net present value, not the move’s sticker price. A larger upfront move that cuts recurring cost or unlocks capacity can win even when the stay case looks cheaper on paper.
Go / no-go checklist
- Stay cost modeled with renewal escalations?
- Program ROM built and sensitivity-tested (contingency, headcount, fit-out)?
- Incentive conversations started with the target state/locality?
- Downtime and productivity risk quantified (highest hidden cost)?
whrg.com, www.crowell.com, www.kpmg.com, www.calt.iastate.edu, www.congress.gov, www.irs.gov, finance.yahoo.com, jilaniplace.com, www.vectorinstallations.com, www.vectorinstallations.com, ocnjdaily.com, agmoving.com, lincolnmoving.com, www.dir.ca.gov, sam.gov, www.fmcsa.dot.gov, www.bls.gov, www.worldwideerc.org, www.atlasvanlines.com, www.cbre.com, www.irs.gov. Figures are model benchmarks, not quotes. ReloFig never sells your information.