House Can Be a Drag on Job Seekers

Back in the pre-bust days, big companies paid to move their new hires to wherever the job was located. In some cases, the company would even buy the new employee's house outright, knowing that it could plant a "for sale" sign on the lawn and have the house resold in weeks, if not days.

And then came the recession. Companies today have all but eliminated their once-generous relocation packages. In fact, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction: Now companies give an edge to job applicants who already live where the job is located. And hiring managers may think twice about offering a position to someone with a house to sell.