Corporate relocation · Chicago · Nashville · Omaha
Your new hire’s first thirty days, handled.
Abode plans and runs relocations for HR teams moving people to Chicago, Nashville and Omaha: the home search, neighborhood tours, negotiation and settling in, with one local point of contact for every move.
100+
employees relocated over the years through corporate partnerships
Fortune 500
relocation partnership experience
Buy or rent
home purchases and rental placements
3 cities
licensed Abode agents in Chicago, Nashville and Omaha
Why it matters
Housing is why people say no to a move.
A relocation that falls through costs you the hire, or the start date. The biggest reason it happens is the one we handle: finding the right home, in a city the employee doesn’t know yet, in time.
46%
of companies saw more employees turn down a relocation in 2025
49%
of those turned it down over housing, at one end of the move or the other
34%
cited family ties, which is why the whole household is part of our search
Source: Atlas Van Lines, 2026 Corporate Relocation Survey (2025 data).
Built on our own data
We know what a home costs, because we measure it every month.
The Abode Rent Index is calculated from homes that actually leased, MLS-listed rentals and managed apartment communities combined, not asking prices scraped from listing sites. It is published monthly, by neighborhood and home size, with what renters pay after concessions. When we tell your employee what a two-bedroom in the West Loop costs, or how fast homes go in the Gulch, the number is ours, dated and sourced.
Neighborhood finder
Where should your people live?
Type your office address. We’ll show the nearest neighborhoods, what renting there costs, how fast homes go and the weekday commute, then turn it into a brief with your company’s name on it.
How a move runs
From offer accepted to settled in.
Most people are housed within a week or two and settled within thirty days, with one contact and a status update at every step. Your team’s part is the first line.
- Day 0You send us the employeeName, start date, budget and the program you’ve chosen. That’s the whole hand-off.
- Days 1–2Intake callWe learn what home means to them: commute, schools, pets, parking, must-haves and deal-breakers.
- Week 1Area tourA guided look at the neighborhoods that fit, in person or by live video before they’ve moved.
- Weeks 1–2Search and shortlistHomes picked for them land on their own page; we tour, compare and narrow together. Most people choose within a week or two of the first call.
- Days laterNegotiated and signedRenters usually sign three to four days after their first tour; purchases follow the inspection and closing timeline. Applications, terms and paperwork, handled.
- Move-inKeys and set-upUtilities, internet, parking permits and the first-week essentials.
- Day 30Settling-in check-inWe ask how it’s going and fix what isn’t. You get the answer too.
| Your team | Employee | Abode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approves the budget and program | ● | ||
| Shares needs and preferences | ● | ||
| Search, tours and shortlist | ● | ||
| Chooses the home | ● | ||
| Negotiation and paperwork | ● | ||
| Status updates and day-30 check-in | ● |
Case study · Fortune 500 relocation partnership
More than 100 employees over the years, each move handled personally.
Over several years, a Fortune 500 company has relied on Abode as its local relocation partner for employees moving to Chicago and Nashville.
The brief
Every relocating employee housed around a fixed start date, whether they were renting or buying, with the same standard of service for each of them.
What we did
A dedicated Abode specialist for each employee: an intake call, neighborhood tours, a shortlist matched to budget and commute, then negotiation, paperwork and move-in.
The result
Over the years, more than 100 employees placed in homes, most of them renting and some buying. Every move went smoothly, and the feedback from the people we worked with has been consistently great.
100+
employees relocated over the years
1–2 weeks
typical time from first call to housed, depending on when the tour happens
Rent or buy
mostly rentals, with home purchases too
Relocation guide
Chicago
$2,483 median rent · 16 days to lease
Relocation guide
Nashville
$1,955 median rent · 21 days to lease
Programs
Three levels of support. One standard of care.
Choose a level per employee, or set one for the whole program. Every move gets the same local agents, the same live home-search page and the same day-30 check-in.
Essential
Expert home finding, without the full concierge.
- Dedicated relocation specialist
- Personalized home finding, rent or buy
- Tours and scheduling
- Lease or purchase negotiation
- Move-in coordination
Best forIndividual moves, or companies with relocation support already in place
Most popular
Comprehensive
The full Abode experience: home finding plus orientation and settling in.
- Everything in Essential
- Neighborhood orientation tours
- School and commute research
- Temporary housing coordination
- Utilities and services set-up
- Local recommendations
Best forEmployees moving to a city they don’t know
Executive
A complete concierge for senior leaders and their families.
- Everything in Comprehensive
- Spouse and partner career resources
- Family transition support
- Private school placement help
- Premium temporary housing
- A dedicated mobile concierge
Best forSenior hires and leadership moves
A live home-search page
Homes picked for the employee, updated as we find them, with photos, floor plans and the map.
Local agents in each city
Licensed Abode agents who live and work in the neighborhoods they show.
A day-30 check-in
We ask how it’s going a month in, fix what isn’t, and share the answer with you.
Pricing is set per program, based on the number of moves and the level of support. After a twenty-minute call we send a written proposal the same week.
Where we move people
Three cities we know street by street.
Chicago
Relocation guide →$2,483
median rent · +12.1% yr/yr
16 days
average time to lease
Nashville
Relocation guide →$1,955
median rent · +5.1% yr/yr
21 days
average time to lease
Omaha
Local Abode agents on the ground in a smaller, fast-moving market where the right agent matters most. Omaha joins the Rent Index once it has enough leases to publish.
Abode Rent Index, September 2026: median rent after concessions, all home sizes; average days to lease over the last 90 days.
For your HR team
Everything you need to plan a move, before you call anyone.
Neighborhood finder
The neighborhoods nearest your office, with rents and commutes. Turns into a brief with your name on it.
Open →
Per-move budget
A worksheet with today’s rents filled in, for a policy or a single offer letter.
Open →
Quarterly market report
What renting in Chicago and Nashville cost last quarter, and what it means for relocation budgets.
Open →
For your employees
What the move looks like from their side, to send with the offer.
Open →
Corporate relocation · 2026 edition
The Relocation
Playbook
How we move your people to Chicago and Nashville, and have them settled in their first thirty days.
The Relocation Playbook
Everything your team needs to plan a move, in one document.
- How a move runs, week by week
- Who does what: HR, employee, Abode
- City briefs with our own rent data
- Programs and what’s included
- A relocation policy checklist
- A per-move budget worksheet
Updated every month with the latest Rent Index figures. We’ll email you a link to read it on screen or save it as a PDF.
Questions HR teams ask
Straight answers.
How long does it take to find housing in Chicago?
Chicago rentals leased in an average of 16 days on the market over the last 90 days, according to the Abode Rent Index (September 2026). Good homes go quickly, so we line up tours before the employee arrives and plan the search around their start date.
What does it cost to rent in Chicago and Nashville?
In September 2026 the median rent after concessions was $2,483 a month in Chicago and $1,955 in Nashville, across all home sizes (Abode Rent Index). A typical one-bedroom ran $2,409 in Chicago and $1,427 in Nashville.
What does a corporate relocation partner actually do?
We find the employee a home and get them settled: an intake call, neighborhood tours, a shortlist matched to budget and commute, lease or purchase negotiation, move-in set-up, and a check-in thirty days later. HR gets one contact and a status update at every step.
Can an employee choose a home before they move?
Yes. We tour homes by live video and send a shortlist to the employee’s own home-search page, so many sign before they arrive.
Do you handle buyers as well as renters?
Yes. Our agents represent renters and buyers in Chicago, Nashville and Omaha, and the program works the same way for both.
How is a relocation program priced?
Pricing is set per program, based on the number of moves and the level of support. After a twenty-minute call we send a written proposal the same week.
Are relocation benefits taxable?
Relocation payments are generally taxable income to the employee under current federal rules, and many employers “gross up” to cover the tax. Check the specifics with your tax advisor.
Which cities do you cover?
Chicago, Nashville and Omaha, with licensed Abode agents in each. We publish our own rent data, the Abode Rent Index, for Chicago and Nashville every month.
Moving someone soon?
Let’s talk this week.
Twenty minutes is enough to understand who you’re moving, where to and when, and to send you a proposal the same week.