Buying a new home is a very big decision that can be filled with excitement and fear, even if you're just moving across town. When you're coming to New York from another city, state, or even country, however, the task becomes much more challenging. Unless you know exactly where you want to live, relocating to the city means searching through over 300 miles of neighborhoods spanning five boroughs to find the right home. Manhattan alone breaks down even further into hundreds of little communities with homes for all budgets, each with its own special personality.

Navigating the metropolis can be tricky for those who aren't familiar with the area. In many cases, an employee who's part of a corporate relocation may only have a short period of time to visit and find a residence - and that's not counting the paperwork. Here, it isn't simply about plunking down a deposit and proof of a former residence. The financial requirements to become a Manhattanite could include employer letters, pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, listings of assets and liabilities, reference letters and more.

Gathering this information for the application process is enough to leave even the most seasoned homeowner breathless. Without professional assistance, the entire process of finding a home can become an overwhelming and exhausting experience. Moving is generally recognized as one of life's top stressors, but even if you're trying to settle in a take-no-prisoners town like New York, there are professional relocation specialists who can make the transition easier. These pros are trained to complete many of the tasks needed to settle you in your new apartment, or your all-new city.

"Someone who is a relocation expert will be well-versed in all angles of the real estate market, not just one segment of it," says Gary Malin, chief operating officer of CitiHabitats, Inc., a brokerage firm in New York City. "When taking an area tour, the expert can knowledgeably move from one neighborhood to another."

"Part of what we do is prepare the individual and their family for the moving process," adds Sharon Michnay, relocation manager for Halstead Property LLC in Manhattan. "We give them a starting place so they aren't walking into the situation blind. It can be expensive to stay here on a home-finding visit, so we get the stumbling blocks out of the way before they arrive so by the time someone gets here, they know what to expect and have some knowledge about the market."

Relocation experts can help you locate mortgage lenders, attorneys, and other players in the home-buying transaction, conduct a home search, offer school information for your children, and even assist with culture and language if you're an international relocator.

Your relocation specialist's efforts don't end when the movers have dropped off your boxes and pulled away. His or her responsibilities not only include finding you an ideal residence, but also assisting in all the mechanics of moving, right down to finding a mover and knowing who to call if the phone doesn't work.

According to Mark Rutigliano, director of relocation services for Manhattan's Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy - a real estate and relocation company that offers an array of services to people moving into and out of the city, "We offer settling-in services to expatriates relocating here to the States, property management for expatriates leaving the United States, who need someone to look after their property while they're away, area orientation and tours of the city, and home-sale programs from every aspect to make sure clients are in compliance with the IRS."

The process begins once an individual - or the company that is transferring an employee - contacts the relocation expert. Most are affiliated with a local brokerage or realtor's office. First, the specialist conducts an in-depth assessment of the individual's needs; a process that can last an hour or more. "We need to know the size of the apartment they want, their budget, desired occupancy date, pets, school information, and so forth," says Malin. "Once we know that information, we send them a "˜Welcome to New York' informational guide that breaks down each neighborhood, commutation issues, average rental and sales prices, and all the documentation necessary to secure an apartment."

These welcoming packages may also include current apartment listings, photos and prices. However, relocation experts advise that, since listings rapidly change, these listings should mostly be used as examples.

"How much we do for the client all depends on the needs of the individual; we can counsel and assist in setting up services, or just find a place," says Karen Dillinger, CRP, vice president and director of corporate relocation services at William B. May in New York. There is a limit to even the most thorough relocator's efforts, however. As Dillinger jokes, "We won't just sit in the apartment waiting for the phone company to show up."

Says Rutigliano, "If you need household goods, or transportation, that's not a problem. We also offer a total concierge service that's totally free. We have a list of vendors pretty much at our beck and call to work on customers' homes, whether they're a rental or a purchase. If you're leaving the city or just moving in, we can get custom closets made, get painters and electricians to come over, and it's all free. We have such a volume of customers, contractors work with us, even on small jobs."

Relocation experts do not generally charge fees for their knowledge, research and tours. "Hopefully we've done a good job, our client will enjoy working with us and they will come back and buy a home from us," explains Dillinger. When an apartment is purchased or rented, the experts then receive a commission, but there is not a guarantee of that.

What if an employee or individual cannot locate a permanent home during their brief visit? One option would be to find short-term housing.

Short-term housing is a temporary solution - from a week to several months - allowing an individual to rent a furnished apartment until they find permanent residence. "Sometimes an individual will come to the city, rent a furnished apartment for three months and wait for their family before they search for permanent housing," says Malin.

Malin continues, "In New York City, there is no multiple listing service and no broker-sharing information, so it's important to have a pool of people working in the company who understand all relocation needs, including the short-term housing market."

The average time needed to find a home in New York is usually four days, although experts have found a home in as quick as a day. "Make sure agents are available for a good amount of time," says Michnay. "These short visits usually require a lot of attention and good listening skills."

It might be a nice place to visit or work, but experts agree that not every relocating individual wants to live in Manhattan, so there are area tours and information provided about the surrounding suburbs as well. "Thankfully most people want to be in Manhattan, but we are going to have individuals and families who are considering Westchester or New Jersey too, and we have to explore different options to fit their lifestyles," says Michnay. "We can also work quite closely with brokers in those areas to satisfy our client."

Not all transfers are moving into Manhattan. Another responsibility of a relocation expert is to help those individuals who must transfer out of New York as well, either to another domestic or international location. "When we have customers who are leaving, we also rely on these relationships with other relocation experts to have our customers get exceptional service wherever they are going," says Michnay.

Although certification is not required to be a relocation specialist, most experts are part of trade associations such RELO and the Employee Relocation Council. In the U.S., RELO includes more than 700 independent real estate firms specializing in relocation, including the Employee Relocation Council (ERC), a professional membership association concerned with workforce mobility around the globe. The ERC's current membership includes corporations, government and military agencies, individuals, and companies that provide relocation services targeted at both domestic and international moves. These organizations offer certification programs that include months of study and passing a rigorous examination. "Those who are certified understand and agree to abide by a high level of service," says Michnay.

This high level of service is vital for the company transferring an employee. According to a 2000 report by the ERC, the average cost to relocate home owning current employees and new hires increased six percent and eight percent respectively between 2000 and 2001 to $60,831 and $49,469. Renter costs also increased; the 2001 average cost to relocate a renting current employee was $18,564, up 11 percent from 2000, while the corresponding cost for a new hire renter was up four percent to $14,001.

Unfortunately, even considering the high cost of relocation, including training a new hire, 11 percent of employees transferring domestically leave the company within two years of relocating, according to the ERC. It is vitally important that a transferring company settle an individual in without complication. Hiring the right relocation expert is vital to this transition. "Traditionally in the past, companies weren't spending as much time analyzing this cost of relocation, so companies would hire third parties to bring in services and the third party would recommend a broker," says Malin. "Today, we don't need to use third parties to do all of these services and we don't charge for settling the individual in. It's better for the client."