Temporary Housing

When my family first moved to MD I was in high school and my parents were building their house...they rented a home for 4 months. My dad got here a month before we did and the building process started shortly after he got here. If that's what you mean by temporary housing, then yes...I have.

The house belonged to the realtor that showed my dad around when he first got here. She rented it short-term on a regular basis because a lot of people build homes in this area.

What you should look for depends on what you need...

My in-laws lived in an extended stay motel for about 5 months after my FIL was laid off one job, and searching for another. (The house they lived in was pAid for by the company.)

They really quite liked it. They didn't need much space, so that wasn't an issue. They paid waaay less for the room (one bedroom suite with a small kitchen, cable, and wifi) than they would have for a one bedroom apartment with the same amenities... Plus, housekeeping once a week. :) The hotel they stayed at went up to 3 bedroom suites. There were several families staying at the hotel as well.

Maybe that would be a better option, if money is a concern. :)

what the.......?
baby, you are all over the map! what's going on now?
i think you'd be pretty miserable trying to homeschool in an extended stay hotel. i'd definitely look for a short-term house rental.
but i think this constant state of upheaval and uncertainty and back-and-forthing have got to be affecting your family. for your kids' sake, i wish you and your husband would just make a decision.
khairete
S.

When we sold our first home much sooner than expected while building a new home, we moved most all of our things to storage and leased an apartment.

The apartment was close by and they knew were were temporary because we were building a house. They worked with us and we had a month to
Month lease.

It was only hubby, me and 2 dogs at the time.

J.,

Honey. I'm sorry. With all the houses you have looked at - you don't think you'll find one before your house sells???

Girl...you've been looking for MONTHS...I know it doesn't happen in one day - well, for some it has - but really. Get your dream home FIRST - then put yours on the market. You are putting the cart before the horse here, in my opinion.

If you think it will take you EIGHT months to find a home??!?!?! OH MY GOD!!! You've already spent 8 months looking.

You say you are a planner and researcher...this is NOT rocket science. I'm REALLY trying NOT to be mean. I'm trying to understand and express myself.

Put a list of what you want in a home - make sure you and your husband are on the same page.

Find out how much you will be given a mortgage for.

Then call a Real Estate agent - give him/her the parameters for buying your next home - then ONLY see homes that fit your list.

If this means you need to build a home - then find a lot and a builder and build. Stay in your current residence until the build is 4 weeks out and then put yours on the market. Bada-Bing. DONE.

If you are serious about this home purchase? You WILL be proactive in your search and you WILL find it. Especially if you are the planner and researcher you say you are...this is RIDICULOUS....find out WHAT you want, WHERE YOU WANT, and what you can afford. Then MOVE...GET ON IT.

I don't think you should be looking for temporary housing. You need to find your home first - if your home is priced right and as good as you have repeatedly said - then it will sell fast. So put the horse in front of the cart and find your dream home FIRST....

Make sure that there is sufficient storage for all your extra stuff, or you'll need to rent a Pod or storage space to hold your stuff.

Short term leases are usually easier to get in a condo/apartment, but some landlords might be willing to do a single family home short term. We currently have one of ours on a 6 month lease--tenants sold their house much faster than they anticipated and they're trying to find a house in a warmer climate before the winter.

Be prepared to pay a premium for any lease that is less than 1 year. Our tenants paid us all 6 months up front.

We were in a similar situation. We sold our house and were waiting on a sale of another (which fell through), but we knew we needed two months. We were all set to rent these month to month apartments but then found somebody who was subletting their apartment on Craigslist so we did that instead. It worked out well since we didn't have to put down a deposit and all that. We also rented a large storage unit for our furniture. I guess just see what's in your budget, I don't know that there is much for temp. housing, usually those require a lease.

I don't know how long you think/expect you might be needing the temporary location, but like another poster, we rented while we did new construction.
Sell first, then go from there. Research short term rentals (including 3 or 6 month leases).

Then, put everything you can live without into a storage unit, and only move what you need into the short term rental.

--
For the record, I think MOST people need to sell first before they buy. Unless you can afford to pay 2 mortgages outright, for a long period of time, then you would be foolish to buy without selling first. (In some cases, it wouldn't even be an option in terms of qualifying for a loan.) The fact that your local market is moving fast is just one more reason, but the primary one would be that you do not want to find yourself carrying 2 mortgage payments. It is RARE to find buyers willing to accept a purchase offer that is contingent on selling the buyer's home first. In fact, in some places, it will garner laughter.

Since you've said your house is extremely desirable, you likely can negotiate a rent back. So the buyer allows you to stay and rent from them for 1-3 months. That would make it simple and is not uncommon.

It can be difficult in this area. Of course, it depends on if you are in the city or burbs. Be prepared to put non essential furniture and other items in storage. When looking, make sure you let the person know you are looking for temp, maybe month to month Also, it may help find a place if you offer more than the rent is listed. A former coworker needed temp housing for a few months. She had trouble at first but was able to get an apartment on a month to month basis by offering to pay $150 more per month. One thing to remember is you are looking for temp so you won't need all of the room you would want in a house. You can be less picky.

My sister is in this situation now...she sold her co-op in Brooklyn and bought a townhouse but is remodeling the townhouse, which could take 6 months or more, so they're in a short-term apartment now. The market for temporary housing is very location-specific so I would ask your realtor. She or he will know what's available in your area. I think that while a house would be ideal, especially with small kids and the fact that you home school so spend a lot of time there, for something temporary it's probably not a deal breaker and you'd manage just fine in a condo or apartment for a few months.

ETA: I have been looking at homes for about a month, in many areas too. There is nothing!!! Houses are selling so fast and with multiple bids. The house 3 doors down from me had 3 bids, they sold for $12,000 more than the asking price, and it was priced on the high end. This is not going to be easy for you!!

Original:
This is very common in our area right now. Your realtor should be able to direct you. There are so many different ways people are renting temp housing, you just need to call around and pick your best option.

ETA - you keep talking that your home is a quality home and your realtor says it will sell fast. If you are so confident that it will sell fast, find your dream home and list yours.

Original:

When Tyler, the boys and I moved here to Georgia, we were going to live with my in-laws, then decided it was a huge change in their life to have 6 people and 2 dogs move in.

We found a month-to-month home while we were searching for our home.

We are considered a large family so when you are looking you need to make sure that the space works for your family, schooling, commuting and all those other considerations. Six to 8 months is a long time. Why do you need that long?

Take a look at any extended stay hotels in your area.
Do have a lot you'll have to store or would a year long lease suit you better?

http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/about/why.html

I imagine it varies by region, but a lot of people around my area have done what you are doing - they've gone for a 3-month lease in a town house or apartment complex, with an option to renew. The advantages are you have a management company to take care of maintenance and services, and you have the right of first refusal at the end of the 3 months so that they won't rent to someone else and make you move to another apartment.

Sometimes you can find a house or condo and rent from the owner. People do that when they haven't been able to sell but have moved to a new place - they're happy to get some kind of income for a place on which they are paying a second mortgage. In that case you have to be sure you have renter's insurance and also that you have some protection if they sell. There may be the added hassle of them showing the apartment while you are living there, so be sure you have adequate protections re notice and that all showings will only be with a licensed realtor. The advantage is, it's usually cheaper because you aren't getting the level of management services. The disadvantage is, it's not always so secure in terms of length of time. Be sure you have a really good contract.

Of course there are extended stay hotels but if you have kids, those are tight quarters with limited kitchen space. And you are paying to have your furniture in storage all that time. On the other hand, you don't have to pay to move things into a temporary apartment and then move them again when you find a new home.

Good luck.

I'm enjoying reading the responses here, because we found our dream home unexpectedly, and when I asked whether to put a bid on it here, most people here thought I was crazy and asking for two mortgages if we didn't sell first. We did it anyway, got the house, took three weeks preparing our house, and got an offer in 4 hours. And that wasn't even in the spring. These responses say the opposite of what they told me. Only you know your area and what sells and what doesn't. The only thing I don't understand is why you want temporary housing before you've actually sold your house. Are you wanting to move out in order to show it? And I agree that with the amount of time you've already been looking, I can't imagine it's really going to take you another 8 months to find a house. Again, only you know your area, but are you being so limited in what you'll consider that the "perfect" house is completely eluding you? Of course you should have high standards, but it shouldn't take you a year and a half....