For those moving for residency, there’s a new free service from a couple of fellow docs called Backlode.
The idea is based on the fact that moving companies can often be persuaded to give a discount for the return leg after a long-distance move (because they need to drive back to their home base anyway, and an empty truck doesn’t earn them squat).
The idea of the site is that you put your info in and see if you can link up with another graduating medical student or resident who is doing the opposite move and then coordinate your moves together.
Founder Arun told me this:
The idea stems from my own experience moving from Saint Louis to Ann Arbor for residency. I found a moving company in Ann Arbor that was moving an incoming fellow to Saint Louis within my time frame. Because they otherwise would’ve been driving home an empty truck, they discounted my move and saved me about $1,500.
My goal is to leverage the collective network we have as medical professionals and mitigate their relocation expenses by recreating this for others.
Neat. This isn’t even a money making thing, it’s just a cool way to potentially reduce the financial hit of moving when you’re already broke.
On a related note, most residents should probably be renting and not buying houses. But if you’re even considering it, LeverageRx is a totally free platform I recommend that will let you rapidly comparison shop multiple physician loan lenders (yes that’s a referral link, but check it out). It’s never a good idea to just call a company or two and go with whatever they offer on something as big and high-stakes as a mortgage.