Casualty of Down Market

[Rich L]

I was recently laid off or rif'd (reduction in force) from the homebuilding company I was VP of Land Development & Acquisition for here in Tampa and am having a helluva time getting back in the saddle. I've been sending resumes all over the country and not only am I competing against people in those other markets, but also against people I worked with here that can't find anything locally either.
I just flew out to Dallas last Thursday for an interview and when I submitted my receipt for travel reimbursement, they said there may have been a misunderstanding, that they don't reimburse...***??? I've never interviewed anywhere that didn't! If they had been clear on that, I would not have shelled out $500 to fly out for an hour interview!
I know it's not me, it's the market but it is a bit depressing nonetheless.
So if you happen to know anyone looking for a good Land guy, please let me know! Thanks for allowing me to vent.

[crazyguy832]

Come to Manitoba. You can find a job with construction in a matter of minutes, and I'm not joking.

I've had guys offer me (when I was 16) $14+/hr jobs, randomly, off the street. The construction market here is ridiculous, especially for experienced people (and especially with homes!).

Now, I know what you did was a little different... but the house market here is ridiculous and I'm sure you wouldn't have trouble finding a job.

But, I'm assuming you'd rather stay in Florida where... ummm... it's warm... all year.........

<_<

>_>

*Cough*wuss*cough*

Even in summer, I manage to find a job where I get to work in a -20C freezer.

^_^

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by crazyguy832

Come to Manitoba. You can find a job with construction in a matter of minutes, and I'm not joking.

I've had guys offer me (when I was 16) $14+/hr jobs, randomly, off the street. The construction market here is ridiculous, especially for experienced people (and especially with homes!).

Now, I know what you did was a little different... but the house market here is ridiculous and I'm sure you wouldn't have trouble finding a job.

But, I'm assuming you'd rather stay in Florida where... ummm... it's warm... all year.........

<_<

>_>

*Cough*wuss*cough*

Even in summer, I manage to find a job where I get to work in a -20C freezer.

^_^

I second moving to Western Canada. Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon are all booming housing markets and only going to keep going up due to the proximity to the oil sands. Warning, it gets cold.

lowsound

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Rich L

I was recently laid off or rif'd (reduction in force) from the homebuilding company I was VP of Land Development & Acquisition for here in Tampa and am having a helluva time getting back in the saddle. I've been sending resumes all over the country and not only am I competing against people in those other markets, but also against people I worked with here that can't find anything locally either.
I just flew out to Dallas last Thursday for an interview and when I submitted my receipt for travel reimbursement, they said there may have been a misunderstanding, that they don't reimburse...***??? I've never interviewed anywhere that didn't! If they had been clear on that, I would not have shelled out $500 to fly out for an hour interview!
I know it's not me, it's the market but it is a bit depressing nonetheless.
So if you happen to know anyone looking for a good Land guy, please let me know! Thanks for allowing me to vent.

The developers in my neck of the woods started laying off large numbers of people over two years ago and haven't stopped yet. A lot of VPs and Senior VPs, especially in Land Acq, are history. I run a fairly large engineering consulting company, and we've had 30- to 50-percent reductions in force in various markets over the last two years. With all the unbuilt inventory out there, I don't think folks are going to be looking for land deals for at least a year. I ran into the president of one of the local developers last week, and he thinks they may start doing some stuff next year, but my bet is that it'll be 2010 before we see any significant movement in the residential side.

Good luck in your search.

[CTbass&birdsong]

Good luck in your search

+1

[peterbright]

Good luck. You might try banks...who could really use someone who understands land values!

[heroincredible]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I second moving to Western Canada. Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon are all booming housing markets and only going to keep going up due to the proximity to the oil sands. Warning, it gets cold.

lowsound

+1. Lots of people moving here for work. Construction is fricken everywhere in this city.

[MakiSupaStar]

These are crazy times. Keep your head up and stay positive.

[Bass Thunder]

I wish you the best of luck because it's going to be a rough patch for real estate in general. And I agree with your assessment that finding a job may be even tougher because of all the finance professionals also looking for positions now.

Make the best of every interview you get, and keep thinking creatively and don't close any doors or burn any bridges, and network where ever you can (like Talk Bass).

In addition to the usual real estate resources, I follow the building permits being issued monthly here in California and they are at an all time low. Permits are needed before any construction begins so it is a very good leading indicator of the future activity. The next 18-24 months look very stormy, but sometimes opportunities arise when you least expect them.

[Rich L]

I appreciate all of the positive responses! I've been searching the Canadian CareerBuider site and have found several viable positions and applied for them.

Have a few friends that moved back to Texas and that does seem to be one of the few places that is still ok. The Carolinas and North West are still thriving. One of the few positives in recent years has been that the wife and I sold at the top of the market (late '05) and have been renting ever since, so relocating will be much easier for me than for someone with a house to sell! Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good

Again, thanks to all of you for helping me keep my chin up!

[MoD_Scotty]

Yeah man, FL is such a fickle market anyway, plus the heat sucks. I live right on the GA/SC border (in Augusta, GA), and not only are they still building a bunch of houses, but the weather is usually significantly cooler than down in FL. Plus the cost of living here is INSANELY cheap.

If you would prefer staying in FL, you might want to check out the Clermont area. It's really close to Tampa, and they're building tons of stuff out there. They're about to get a new exit off the FL Turnpike, so the area will grow even more.