Getting a new home built just for you and your family can be very exciting, but have you thought about where you will live while the building is going on? If not, you might need to find some ideas to prepare yourself for the journey.
If you currently own a home, you could choose to stay put, or sell it and move into a rental property. Extended stay hotels, crashing with friend or family or even short term rental properties like an AirBnB or VRBO can be good options also.
Want to learn more about the best options on where to live while building a home? Keep reading to learn more.
Where Do You Live While Building a Home
Depending on your financial situation, staying somewhere while getting a house built might be a lot to handle. However, there isn’t just one option for you to choose from.
Thinking about all the options you have can help you find the best solution for you and your family, and you don’t have to pick just one either. So, let’s get into the different options you have and how to go about making your decision.
Staying in Your Current Home
If you can keep your current home while paying for your new home to be built, then that is the easiest solution. Staying among the comforts of home will allow you to feel more at ease about the whole process while the construction is being done.
Choosing this option takes the stress off of having to move multiple times before your final move to your new home. Additionally, it can be helpful to keep adding equity to your current mortgage.
The downfall for this option is the added pressure to try and time the sale of your current home with the closing of your new home.
Not selling by the time your mortageg is finalized means you wont have the cash to put into the new home, and you may be stuck carrying two mortgages. Yuck!
Selling to soon and you may be out of a home for a short period of time. You can try to rent back from your buyer but this isn’t a guaranteed option.
Overall, be sure to work with an experienced realtor to make sure you list your house in a timely manner and for a realistic price.
Rental Home or Apartment
One way to keep the comfort of home without changing your lifestyle too much is by selling your current home and renting a smaller home or apartment.
Custom homes can be expensive so saving a little bit in mortgage or rent can go a long way.
Don’t have an existing house to sell? No worries, you can still chose to downgrade to optimize your savings.
Keep in mind that if you are selling your home, it may be difficult to find a lease that is not for 12 months. You will need a lease that is short term or flexible in case your construction schedule goes long.
A month to month lease may be your best option, however these can be more expensive than a normal 12 month lease.
Hotel
Another option for where to stay during construction is to book a stay at a nearby extended-stay hotel. Sometimes getting a short-term lease for a house or apartment is not possible, so staying at a hotel could be the best option.
Hotels often have the same amenities that apartments and homes do, but they also come with other positive additions like room service. Yes Please!
This can cost you quite a bit if you choose a luxury hotel, but speaking with a manager about a six-month to year stay may give you a discount rate for rooms that are not booked.
There are hotel brands dedicated to longer stay guests. These will normally have the best rates and they come with small kitchenettes to make your stay more comfortable.
If you have a large family this may not be a great option for long. Being cooped up in a small space can take a toll emotionally.
One perk of staying in a hotel for a longer duration… the reward points!! Don’t miss out on an opportunity to rack up the points. If the hotel doesn’t have a reward program, use a credit card that also earns rewards.
Temporary Rental Properties
With the introduction of cheap rental options like Airbnb and other short-term rentals, you can use a service like this to find a temporary place to stay for the duration of the construction. This is often a service that allows you to find places that cost less than what you would pay for a hotel stay and offer long-term rent for larger places.
Through apps like Airbnb, you can find apartments, houses, beach houses, tiny homes, motor homes, and even Yurts. This will offer a long list of places that you can choose from with reviews and feedback from other renters that will show you which rentals are what they claim to be.
With these apps, you can choose your parameters for what you are searching for and pick the range that you are willing to spend on the place. This allows you to be more precise in what you are looking for, however, you will be subject to the availability of the options, which can change rapidly.
If you would like to have the same rental for the entire construction build, then you might need to contact the owner to see if they will use their nightly rate to make a monthly rental payment for you. If they are willing to do so, then you will be able to have the place for the entire time your home is being built.
Staying With Family
When you have exhausted other options, then you might be left to rely on help from friends or family. If you think that this could be a possibility, then speaking to someone ahead of time will ease the transition.
Asking family members if you could stay with them for a portion of time, or the whole time, that the house is being built can be a burden on them and you. Make sure you have an open conversation prior to making this decision.
If you go this route, be a good house guest. Chip in for groceries, utilities, or even pay rent on your room.
Having constant house guests can become annoying very fast. Don’t overstay your welcome. Your main goal, besides saving money, should be to maintain your relationship.
Staying in the New House
Don’t do this! I’ll say it again for those in the back, this is not an option!
You cannot live in a new construction home prior to receiving the certificate of occupancy. This can cause you to be fined or prevent you from receiving your certificate of occupancy.
In many cities and HOA’s you cannot even set up a temporary structure (tent or RV) on your property until construction is complete.
It may be tempting to try to move in early but don’t do anything that could delay your official move in. It’s not worth it.
Final Words
Getting to design a custom home for you and your family is an exciting endeavor, but there are some things that you need to think about before you start getting things ready for construction. Finding a place to stay while the house is getting built is one important thing to think about.
Whether you need to find a place to stay for the entirety of the construction of the house or just for a few months of that time, you want to know what you will do before the time comes. Also, preparing for these changes will allow you to feel more confident that you will handle things well until you get your new home.
