Thirteen places that will pay you to move there

Moving can be an expensive endeavor. Besides the costs associated with hiring a moving company or renting a truck, housing costs, especially when selling and buying, can put a nice dent in your wallet. However, a growing number of localities have launched programs to help abate the financial burden with the hope of attracting new blood to their communities. From Marne, Iowa to super-isolated Pitcairn, check out this sampling of programs that will pay you to move:

Vermont: The state of Vermont will pay remote workers up to $10,000 for relocation expenses and/or one or certain, necessary business related costs as part of its Remote Worker Grant Program. Vermont defines remote workers as someone who performs the majority of their employment duties remotely from a home office or co-working space.

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Like the Vermont program, Tulsa Remote also offers $10,000 to remote workers but in a shorter period of time with less strings attached. Visit here for more information on Tulsa

North Platte-area, Nebraska: The Work NP program offers individuals $10,000 ($5,000 from the program and $5,000 from participating employers) when accepting a full-time, $20-plus per hour position with a participating, qualifying employer.

Topeka/Shawnee County, Kansas: Similar to the Work NP program, Choose Topeka will award (in concert with a participating employer) up to $10,000 for renters and $15,000 for homebuyers that move to the Topeka area for a full-time job.

Newton, Iowa: Newton’s housing initiative will give homebuyers $10,000 (plus a gift package) when purchasing a new construction home with a home value greater than $160,000.

Lincoln, Kansas: Lincoln city officials have created a fully improved subdivision and are giving away free lots with accompanying tax incentives for those who agree to build a new home on the site.

Curtis, Nebraska: Officials in Curtis, Nebraska also are giving away free, improved residential lots for those that will build a new home on the land. And if you want to build a commercial structure elsewhere in town, they are giving away commercial lots as well.

Marne, Iowa: Not to be outdone by Lincoln or Nebraska, Marne, Iowa is also giving away free lots.

Alaska: While not technically a relocation program, Alaska straight-up divvies its state’s oil royalties to each resident (children included) through an annual Permanent Fund Dividend. In 2018, this dividend came out to $1,600 per person.

Hamilton, Ohio: Hamilton’s Talent Attraction Program will award up to $10,000 to those with an approved degree of technical certification (STEAM degrees preferred) within the last seven years.

Dotham, Alabama: Among the most generous programs, the Family Relocation Project is also among the most restricted… you have to be Jewish. The program aims to help repopulate and sustain Dotham’s dwindling Jewish community with grants up to $50,000.

Italy: If you ever dreamt of riding your bike over cobblestone streets with a loaf of focaccia and fontina cheese in your bike basket, small towns all over Italy are giving away houses for one euro to those willing to rehabilitate the homes abandoned by former residents, many who sought the bright lights of bigger cities. This website has one of the more comprehensive lists of towns offering this incentive, plus lots of other very helpful information.

Pitcairn: Among the most secluded islands in the world, Pitcairn is home to the ancestors of the mutineers of the Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty, six Polynesian men, and twelve women from Tahiti. The number of residents once grew to the hundreds, but now is fewer than 50. If you can get past (or crave) the isolation, the Pitcairn Island Council will grant you a plot of land to build your own home.

Howard Handler is a real estate matchmaker. Using a highly personalized approach, he connects real estate buyers and sellers with highly qualified real estate professionals -- all at no cost. A licensed real estate broker since 2004, for 12 years he served as a lobbyist for the Illinois Association of REALTORS®. If you need the services of an exceptional real estate agent, please visit: www.AgentMatch.realestate