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Transition necessary - job loss is not the end of the world

Things were looking pretty grim when I last posted. In Michigan, nobody is going to deny that things are sad. Ask Congress.

My husband lost his job in the auto industry on October 28, 2008 after nearly 20 years as a dedicated and continually valued professional. At first it felt devastating but then with the severance package we felt empowered. A huge bonus to leave? Well, I guess that is better than, soooooorrrryyyy. Or a note on the door when a person arrives for work one day.

We paid down debt and allowed ourselves many months of expenses, not even allowing that I would make a dime in real estate - that is a pretty iffy proposition in Michigan as well. Tomorrow is a new day and it started the day my husband lost his job. Amazing what adversity will do to the spirit!

I felt I needed this bridge blog, husband with salaried job no more, wife with commission only job, as always. My husband has had numerous responses to his highly qualified resume and he evaluates all of them. Looking for a job is almost as difficult as having a job, except it can be done in sweats and occasionally allows for loading the dishwasher midday. Sadly, no job offerings have been in Michigan.

ford model t The quandary of the bailout of the auto industry is evident to all of us here in Michigan. No one wants to bail out private industry, but is the banking industry not private? We just bailed them out; if I were a better mathemetician, I believe that might equate to the auto industry bailout, to some power of whatever. OK, again, not a mathemetician; let's see what that bank bailout really costs us in the end. P.S. Homeowners are still losing their homes in record numbers.

Bottom line? I spoke to two people in the last two days who are or were auto industry suppliers. One person plainly stated that the loss of one job in the 'big three' auto industry equated to 7 jobs total in the greater auto industry, suppliers included. Can our nation afford this industry defeat?

So it is looking pretty clear. We will probably be leaving, though I will stay until our daughter finishes high school in 2010 and of course her braces need to come off - we relocated once mid-braces and it was starting all over again, expense wise. We are not doing that again. Funny the things you value.

Should there be no commutable offer for my husband, we will dearly miss our home. It is a treasure that has been enjoyed by many, particularly our children and their friends. We will miss Ann Arbor, the bastion of liberal thinking, always pushing the envelope. We prefer to stay for now, but I don't know if that is reality.

The ocean is calling, probably eastward. Family and familiarity will be near. Time will tell.

Posted by Susan Walters on 12/15/2008 10:02 AM

Comments (47)

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job loss, auto industry, bail out, michigan, family, bank bailout, relocation

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47 Comments on Transition necessary - job loss is not the end of the world

DEC

Sorry and good luck with it all. Most often thes kinds of things make us stronger and better. I was amazed that the unions wouldn't budge on wages to make this whole bailout thing work. Wouldn't a little less pay be better than having the whole thing shut down? I don't understand the whole picture but it seems like if given the chance to make it work I wold be on board in a hurry.

I had the chance to list a home by a union worker who had taken a buyout many months ago. From the outside his home looked great but once inside it was so dated that I knew I couldn't list it with his demanded price. In our conversation he somehow noted that it was long known that the union benefits were carried by the salaried personnel. It secretly infuriated me. My husband, with his engineering degree, was earning less than this uneducated union worker and my husband had fewer benefits. Clearly the auto industry needs an overhaul, and it includes bringing back education as a measure of worth - not the only measure - but time does not equal value. Only the union believes that. I am not anti-fairness but I think I may be anti-union. Our nation wouldn't tolerate sweatshops anymore. There are enough protections in place. Time for change.

unfortunate about his job loss, but perhaps it is a sign of opportunity and good things to come for him. Maybe he has had some deeper aspirations or a calling which he has been unable to pursue. Tell him to find what makes him happy and then make that into a job.

Susan, we may be joining you. My husband works for a GM supplier. I don't know about you, but when I go out and about lately there is a sense of grief and doom hanging over the area.

No matter which path your husband and you have to take, I wish you nothing but peace and happiness.

Susan: I feel such pain in your voice. What you are going through must be terrifying. I am all for what they are calling a "bail-out." I think to allow the auto industry to fail will inflict such psychological damage (in addition to the concrete damage) to the economy... that it may not recover for tens of years. My thoughts are with you and your family. PS... if you are thinking of relocating... I hear the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill triangle of North Carolina has a pretty active economy. Look up Carol Smith... who moved there from Toledo about a month ago. Take care...

Susan,

Many years ago I made a decision to leave California (which I loved) and come back home to raise my son in the middle of a very ugly custody battle. My son flourished, my business flourished and my life flourished.....The move may be hard but life changing in a positive way...

You are in my prayers.

My husband is a builder so you know we both are down in volume and income. Some lifestyle changes were all we needed. But if things dont get better he will have to find something else to do. I hate that as he loves building custom homes!

Two things I am pretty sure of..."this too shall pass" and the "sun will come up tomorrow". With that there are opportunities out there and there are sales out there...perhaps not many but as long as i can get my share. And when opportunity knocks (and it will eventually) be open to new ideas and opportunities.

But then again that is all nonsense when iot is your job and your lively hood

Best of luck!

Susan, the whole thing sucks. Mike and I were talking about this ALL week. The problems are so intrenched it is not any one solution. However, I told him, if I didn't live here and have so many friends, co-workers, past clients, clients effected I would be on the NO Bail out band wagon.

The Bank Bail out was ludicious with no accountability and hense everyone is turned off.

Don't get me going on the Unions and their unwillingness to negotiate. They were voted down because they refused to budge. Of course that is not unusual to us here as they never budged and we have watched it for years.

There was a time and place for them in our history but that day is over.

If I had the opportunity I would be moving to Nashville in a red hot minute.

Please call me...I need help and you need leads. This is crazy, we can go talk to Chet together, worse case scenerio you can quit and I can hire you back. LOL

Susan, just rotten! My husband is in the casino business - one of 4 casinos here is closing, it is the biggest one, too. Directly impacts our local economy. Scary. We relocated once with a kid with braces, not good results, try to avoid that one!

Good luck - maybe you and Missy can do something.

Robert, my husband is very interested in green energy and as a design engineer he is stating that as his primary new job wish. You are right, this may well be the best opportunity to make a change - among the contacts made so far, two are companies that are in green energy. We'll see if those contacts amount to anything.

Kris, people are scared and every new shoe that drops seems to come as a surprise, as if to say, NOT AGAIN! I cannot tell you how many buyers have discontinued looking because of job uncertainty and at least three of my buyers lost their jobs while they had offers on the table this past year. Funny, I wrote this post so I could start writing again about 'normal' real estate stuff - success stories, funny stories, congratulations to my kids stories - but I seem to have hit a big nerve here.

Karen Anne, thanks for your concern. We are strangely calm about our situation - but ask me again in about April when the health and dental coverage extension runs out, if my husband has no new job. I hear North Carolina is lovely but I doubt we would like being even as far south as Virginia - too hot, not enough winter, and too many snakes! :)

Julie, we are practically gypsies so I don't fear moving - these ten years in Michigan are the longest I have lived anywhere in my entire life, or in our 32 years of marriage. It is the way this job loss has happened, the lack of integrity by the company, the mismanagement through the years. At least my husband didn't jump ship (as I thought he should have) and THEN get laid off by the new company as happened to someone we know. That man got no severance after 5 months on the job. My husband did the right thing it turned out - nearly 20 years with the company resulted in a decent payoff - not enough, never enough, and only 18 months before significant retirement benefits would kick in. Do you think they knew who to let go for maximum savings? Now there seems to be no help for the auto industry despite the pittance they are asking for. Those are the shockers.

Laura, I talked to a woman the other day whose husband went to Afghanistan for a year since he couldn't get work in the construction industry in their state. People are doing desperate things to make ends meet. Agreed it is sad when someone cannot pursue the career they love - for me it really is real estate, and my husband went into engineering because he loves it, not for the money like so many other kids in college. Sadly for both of us, our state isn't very supportive of either of those professions right now.

Perrin, there is plenty to be grateful for in our lives and maybe my next post will include those things - stories about my children, how my marriage is changing and growing through this time of trial, and a return to watching pennies and not caring what the proverbial Jones' have or are doing. We got off track, not just us personally, but much of the nation too - this correction was needed. When the dust settles we will look back and realize that simpler really is better.

Missy, I have so much to say on so many topics you mentioned that I wouldn't even know where to start. It is probably why I dropped out of blogging for several months - there were so many big issues to deal with that blogging seemed trivial by contrast. I'm sure we will talk but at the moment I have things going on, listings and buyers, and an emerging opportunity with a startup real estate related company (not contractual or jeopardizing my KW position). I'll call out for a lifeline if those things dry up but thank you sincerely for the offer.

Virginia, I know your state is suffering too. As for the braces, nobody wants to pay twice to correct the issues in one mouth - that is what happened when we moved here in 1998 - no orthodontist would pick up with the hardware that was already in the mouth. Off it all came, new documents to sign and the same big bill again. My current daughter in braces had a sense of humor about her situation - "Will dad need to take me out into the back yard, have me bite on a stick while he pries them off?" It was a moment of hilarity in the early days of November. Thank God for kids and cats. What welcome distractions. :)

DEC

Susan: I remember all the way back to 1982 when I moved to Fort Worth from Northern Ohio. For the five or six previous years up there... we saw our yearly income drop by 10 to 12% each year, and finally became convinced of the futility of it all. Sure we felt like traitors when we left... but it was either support our family... or drown. Me moved. Not an easy thing to do no matter what is going on.

DEC

Karen Anne, move we will if it becomes necessary. I have learned through many diverse life experiences that loyalty should be questioned, second opinions should always be valued, and sometimes third opinions are necessary too, as tie-breakers. I welcome my clients questioning me but the answers better reflect them as well as me - there are two, or maybe three, sides to every story. My husband and I look at our history together over more than 34 years ( 32 married) -when we were at our worst, sometimes we were at our best. We survived. We are survivors - period.

Good luck to you Susan but this could be the start of a whole new adventure for all of you.

Susan.

I have feeling that there is an opportunity for you around the corner. God Bless!

Sorry to hear another story about how the auto 'slowdown' has affected a good AR'er...but you are right....it's all about having the will to go on knowing you will figure out a way to make it work. Good Luck to you- make sure you update us all....

Sorry to hear about your husband's job loss-I am a firm believer everything happens for a reason. I know it doesn't seem so now but he will find something better for him. Hang in there.

Nicley written. A great reminder for us to keep so many people in our thoughts and prayers. These are difficult times.

Susan - I am very sorry to hear about your position -- It does sound (from your post) like you and your husband have very clear and mindful heads on your shoulders -- These adversities in life are what make us stronger (as hard as they are at the time) -- You and your family will be in my prayers -- I wish you the best of Luck and Fortune in the New Year!

I found your first follow up comment insightful (as auto industry family) --

I have been watching the bail out hearings on TV and am struggling with these Union guys -- I don't understand it completely but it looks as if they are going to have to make some concessions if they want help! JE

Hi Susan,

This is a new adventure for you. The positive and hopeful attitude you have decided to adopt will indeed take you far.

Have a healthy happy holiday with your lovely family, and know that the best is yet to be!

Tamara

Hey Susan- I'm very sorry to hear about you and your husband. I've been following the bailout news for a while now and I feel bad for the families out there. I know something will come around for you and your husband. As a realtor I'm effected the news from the amount of foreclosures we see day in and day out.

I knew you were picking up business and we all here would like to see that take off for you. Though you have to do what's best for your family.

I'll be pulling for you!

Susan, I grew up in Madison WI. I have relatives in the upper peninsula. Its beautiful country! I moved to Texas in '87 for greater opportunity and haven't regretted a minute of it! I still miss the rolling countryside, the farms, even the snow but the opportunity I have been blessed with here has made it worth while. One of the rules of our lives is that the only constant we have is that there will always be change. Those who can adapt and embrace it will flourish. It sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders! I believe you'll do well! Good luck and God Bless!

I'm so sorry your husband was caught up in the auto industry mess. It seems like everywhere you go, there's a new story. I do hope you look at relocation as an opportunity for a better life. Bet it will all work out okay. Good luck!!!!!

Susan, we will be praying for you. Hang in there and good luck!

Hi Susan, I'm so very sorry to hear your saga. At least he got his buyout. That is some comfort. What is that saying? What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. I'm pulling for you, my friend.

The Horse Girl ~ Marian

Susan, your post is actually empowering. I remember going through this scenario several years ago. It wasn't easy, but afforded so many unique opportunities. Your attitude is the biggest asset you have. Take care of it. Blessings to you for good surprises in the unfolding of 2009.

Hi Susan:

This is one of those times we need to keep saying that "change is good".

Good luck to you!

Bankruptcy is not as bad as it sounds. The bankruptcy code has been changed in past years favorably towards those seeking it. What the auto industry needs is a total makeover to be competitve with the rest of the world. The unions have destroyed the airlines and now the car industry. We wish you the best of luck along with your husband but sometimes prolonging the inevitable is not the right answer although i believe our government will bail out the industry forever as they see ford especially as one company that should never fail. We don't have such high hopes for chrysler though. Anyone whos' owned a jeep cherokee over the years will know those cars broke down all the time. We'll see what happens in the upcoming days.

As a former Michigan resident (now in Illinois) I can tell you from experience that the best thing you (and your husband) can do for your family is to move wherever a new job takes you! So many people insist on staying put until they go broke or lose their homes. Relocating is not a bad thing...in fact, it can be a very positive thing indeed, even for the kids. My husband's first job out of college took us to Massachusetts, then we moved back to Michigan, then on to Illinois...all thanks to the job market such as it was at the various times in our lives. Change is good, a chance to start over fresh. Best of luck to you and your family!

Susan -

Here in the Chicago Lincoln Square Keller Williams Market Center, we feel for you, and understand your situation.

Despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation sometimes, it was a positive thing that your husband did get some severance pay - although he will have to quickly look for a replacement job.

Keep up your good attitude and you will make some money in real estate over the coming year - although it will be hard fought business, knowing what the market is like.

Let us know if there is anything you need down this way!

Enjoy the holidays, and focus on things to be thankful for, rather than the bad stuff.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Susan, I'm so sorry for you and all the people around our nation who are losing jobs and homes and lifestyles. These are really hard times for us too. I hope a new door will open for you and your family that allow you to keep the things that really matter to you. Good luck and God bless you.

Wishing you the best in the year to come. You can get through this.

Consider getting a Life/Health Insurance License. If you leave the state in most state it can be transferred without any testing requirements. Also consider Pre-Paid Legal, there are many people offering the plans on a group basis to businesses. There are many different products that can be marketed with a Life/Health Insurance license and as for Pre-Paid Legal many, many people have the need for assistance from an Attorney or just need an answer for legal questions.

The opportunity is there just do some due dillegence. "Who moved my cheese"?

I like all the others feel sorry for the folks most effected by this mess. I feel the CHANGE coming and it isn't pretty either. I went a seminar the other day and the CPA said this market barring a natural disaster will last at least another 7 years before we see increases. That is freaking scary.

State insurance departments http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm

To check licensing requirements check agents or producers sections...

Hi, Susan--My heart goes out to you and your family. I cannot even begin to comprehend what you are going through. You all will be in my thoughts and prayers. The best to all of you.

Hi Susan,

So sorry to hear about your situation...yet you certainly have the right attitude! Who knows, you may be off to an exciting adventure!

BTW, I know what it's like to be the sole family support based on commission, unfortunately you have the added burden of being in a location suffering most. Sort of a double-whammy! Stay strong, something good will come out of it1

Susan,

As all of seem to be saying, 'we are sorry'. I know that you and your family see adversity but I also believe that you see hope and a brighter future. Life does go on and it seems that you and the family are becoming prepared for that brighter future. If you will allow me, I will offer up some prayers. Enjoy the season as best you can for a brighter day is just around the corner. When and if you make the move you can help others who faced with the same decisions.

Wow, what a challenge for your family. I never knew you could have to start over with braces, that is a big expense! I hope things work out better than you even expect!

Good luck on your move and finding a job. It is a little rough here in Michigan

Evening Susan, Wow, you and your family have sure had some challenges. Sorry it is playing out like this for you and really hope 2009 is the best ever !

For such a loss there is an opportunity waiting. Just read a story about two guys laid off last year in Austin, and their start up company just got a major backer and is taking off. Look for the silver lining....

WOW - you are just the greatest group of people here at AR! So many of you said this is an opportunity and that is definitely the way my husband and I are looking at it. We have always gone where we needed to go to be gainfully employed. Ready for this?

Biloxi, MS (1), Montauk, NY (2), Philadelphia, PA (3), Souderton, PA(1), London, England, UK (1), Ann Arbor, MI (1) and now, ????? The numbers in parentheses are the different residences in each locale, many quite different than any other.

This new adventure is actually kind of exciting. Once the shock passed it was just about making an action plan - ready the house to sell, if necessary, clear out the clutter, if possible, start making decisions about what we want to do rather than taking whatever comes along.

I can't wait to see where we will next hang our hats. As others have commented, everything that happens in life makes us the people we are. This is part of our journey so let's get on with it - it's going to be a great new year!

Thank you all for your support and prayers - I'll keep you posted. :)

So sorry to hear about your hubby's job loss... this is hard times for so many people. All the best. We will keep you in our thoughts..

DEC

Susan. I believe that you're mistaken about the bank (Wall Street) "bail-out".

That wasn't a bail-out. That was a pay-off.

You hit on a very important matter. The auto industry hasn't committed one case of mortgage fraud, sold one piece of fraudulent off balance sheet investment, foreclosed on one property or forced a family to lose their equity through a short sale.

In fact, the failure of the financial houses on Wall Street and the concomitant loss of credit is likely the proximate cause of the nature of the problems with the auto industry.

I don't believe that the government should give the auto industry $15 Billion Dollars. I believe that we should be giving them $115 Billion Dollars.

Further, I believe that we should be buying down the mortgage balance of every American home owner who has, through the perfidy of Wall Street and Fannie Mae and Congress, to the assessed value of their home.

How's that for radical???

What is going to happen in this country if we have to go to a true war footing and need to build military equipment and we have no industrial manufacturing base.

All the computers in the world cannot build a tank.

Lenn, I couldn't agree more! Tonight I was re-thinking the word 'bailout' after listening to my favorite liberal talkers while driving - both the serious/sane/angry and the serious/sane/humorous. One of the radio personalities noted that the bank bailout/payoff resulted in a lot of very healthy institutions receiving money - that they don't need! There is no help for 'main street' since they consider that a liability rather than an investment.

I don't want our nation and credit industry to fail (well, I want all the excessive fee/interest-rate-accelerating credit card companies to fail - bring back regulation!!!) but a lot of us surely knew something was fishy with that incredible rush to get the rescue done NOW. Aren't we as consumers warned about deals that must be done immediately or else the sky will fall and won't we be sorry? Well, a lot of us are sorry. The bank bailout has soured the public on the very real need for the auto industry rescue. Excuse me, it is a bridge loan they are seeking rather than a rescue...a loan, not a handout, not a bailout, a loan, which would not be needed if the credit industry would take their payoff and put it to some good use!

I am not a fact-oriented person in many regards but I always get the gist of things. The auto industry is not competitive for many reasons, health care costs being primary among them. Other auto companies outside the USA are able to compete because they are in countries with universal health care. The burden of health care is on the government, not on industry. If people in this country would get past their fears about not getting adequate care under that kind of system and do a little research, they would see that it is superior to what we have here now, superior in that everyone gets care and the insured among us are not paying for emergency room visits for the uninsured when they have an earache. There is always the option of supplemental health coverage, which our family did when we lived in England in the late 1990's, if quality of care is a concern. (It was really not a concern - you just got more time to whine to a better dressed physician.)

The strength of the UAW undoubtedly plays a role though I think they have made concessions through the years. I question the need for unions in the USA today. Unions are needed in those countries our manufacturers are short-sightedly outsourcing the work to - you cannot get something for nothing. Your point about not having a manufacturing base and not being able to convert to defense is well taken. I would love to live in a world without the need for defense whatsoever but that is a long way off and probably never attainable - how dare we leave ourselves so vulnerable? It was the auto industry and other manufacturers that converted their facilities to the war effort in past wars/conflicts. If we have no facilities left, and no willing allies, we have no defense.

This response could be a blog in itself but I must go now to www.dictionary.com to look up 'perfidy'. I have been there twice already in writing this but I really must know what that word means....

Thanks again, Lenn, I really appreciate your response. I was a little wary of your first line sarcasm - I know how to dish that out but am always shocked to be on the receiving end. What a delight - we are on the same side. :)

Lenn, you are absolutley right (after having been to dictionary.com). Now I just need to learn how to use it in a sentence.

Perfidy: deliberate breach of faith or trust; faithlessness; treachery

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