Housing Gap Between Moves

We went through this and it was just as terrible as it sounds. We used a Pod for our stuff but were really unhappy with them. We couldn't fit all of our stuff into the Pod size that they recommended so we ended up paying top dollar at the last minute to find someone else to help us move the rest of the stuff. They couldn't put the Pod in our driveway like we had arranged. They are really particular about where the things are parked. So they took it to their lot and then lost it. We went days with them having no idea where almost all of our possessions were. I was not happy! They wouldn't bring the Pod back to our house so we had to pay another mover to go to the lot where the Pod was stored, move everything from the Pod to their truck, bring it our house, and then unload it again. Never again. I would contact a real moving company and see what they can do for you with the storage. By the time all was said and done we probably spent about $6,000 having our stuff moved from El Cerrito to Kensington.

For your mailing address, I'd use the address of your new house. I'd make putting some kind of mailbox in a very high priority. Much better to only forward your mail once. 

For housing, we stayed with my mom for 10 days and then at a hotel for a couple of weeks. Embassy Suites in Emeryville allows dogs on one floor and the rooms have small kitchens. If you talk to them, at least one of the rooms on the dog floor has an oven in addition to the other kitchen stuff that is in all of the rooms. We were able to cook meals there. 

As far as staying sane, good luck. I'd talk to your spouse and child about the fact that this is going to be a challenging time and you all need to give each other a lot of slack. The worst part will probably be getting out of your current house and settled in the hotel. Then you won't be able to do too much so it won't be as stressful. Then the stress starts up again when it's time to move into the new house. We viewed our time in the hotel as an adventure and used the pool a lot and went to the movies often. It was fun!

We were in a similar situation when we last moved. There were two adults, a baby, a dog and cat. Here's what we did: 1. We had two short term rentals through airbnb; 2. We moved with uhaul's U-boxes (many moving companies have these--they are variations on pods) that we paid to store and then we arranged for their delivery; 3. We picked up our mail at our new home (because we were staying nearby) but you can place a hold on your mail through USPS or change your address to a P.O. box. 

I would try airbnb, vrbo, or sabbatical homes for the short-term furnished housing.

Can't speak for 1 (Airbnb? Craigslist?) but the rest is fairly easy. For 2 use a pod (or several pods) to pack everything you won't need that month, have it shipped to the driveway (or street) of your new home and unpack it once the place is ready. Much more streamlined and cost effective than moving in and out of storage. Some company will also store. I suggest shopping around (pods, upack, etc) as prices can vary dramatically. For three transfer your mail to the new address on the USPS website then immediately either hold it for pick up at the end of the month or have it temporarily delivered to a friend's house for a month or a PO box that you can rent. Sans PO box the cost of these two steps will be precisely $2. As for 4, I'd recommend taking with you to the Airbnb all the little luxuries that make your home a refuge (for me it's probably our comforter and espresso machine; figure out what would make your day/night good whilst living out of a suitcase). Good luck!

Suggest the use of a POD or similar movable storage unit during the gap. Move (or have movers move) everything into the POD at the sold house, stage it at your new house (if possible), and unpack when construction is done. They can also store the POD for you if there isn't room on your new property. My mom had several months between selling and the new place being ready and she stored pretty much everything except clothes and dishes in the unit. 

1)    Check VRBO or AirBnB
or do a search for "dog friendly travel california" -- lots of resources like:
https://www.bringfido.com/destination/state/california/
https://dogtrekker.com/Destinations

2)   About 6 years ago, we had a good experience with Payless Storage in Richmond: good prices, friendly, clean, secure.  If you're in the East Bay:
http://www.paylessstorage-marin.com/

3)  Get a PO Box ASAP!  Or one of those private mailboxes if your PO has nothing good available.  Otherwise, there's a good chance some of your mail won't make it.  Also, leave a big stamped envelope at the old house for the new owners to forward mail on to you. 

4) The owner of Bellam Self-Storage (named Andre) in San Rafael wrote a practical good book about packing and moving.   You can buy it for around $10 or maybe get it from your library.  (BTW, Bellam Self-Storage is a GREAT facility--sparkling clean, great box options and prices, super secure and great service, but it's located in Marin County, not the East Bay.) 

Bellam Self-Storage
24 Bellam Blvd
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 454-1985

Congratulations on selling your house! And even better that you have a new home to move to (eventually).

Last summer we (two adults, two kids, one frog that did not survive the moves) moved out of our SF home to prep it for sale. At the same time, we were looking for a house to buy in Berkeley. Because it was unknown how long this would take, we put our stuff in storage (Berkeley Self-storage on San Pablo). We couch surfed with friends and family for a few weeks, but then had a series of sublets -- one from a friend, and one found on Craigslist. It was extremely stressful to not know where we would be ending up and not having a permanent home. So you're two steps ahead in that you have a place to go to... eventually!

What made it bearable was having some really great close friends and family nearby who were willing to put up with us. We used my uncle's address to forward mail to and stored some stuff at friend's houses. And I spent many hours on my friend's couch complaining about how in limbo we were. So I guess I would suggest to rely on a few close friends, be flexible, and look for sublets on BPN or CL. If you can swing it, plan a trip away -- since you are in limbo anyway, you may as well be somewhere nice! Don't forget a sense of humor!

I realize this is not super specific advice -- if you have more questions, send me a message. And good luck!

-Kate

Can't speak for 1 (Airbnb? Craigslist?) but the rest is fairly easy. For 2 use a pod (or several pods) to pack everything you won't need that month, have it shipped to the driveway (or street) of your new home and unpack it once the place is ready. Much more streamlined and cost effective than moving in and out of storage. Some companies will also store. I suggest shopping around (pods, upack, etc) as prices can vary dramatically. For 3 transfer your mail to the new address on the USPS website then immediately either hold it for pick up at the end of the month or have it temporarily delivered to a friend's house for a month or a PO box that you can rent. Sans PO box the cost of these two steps will be precisely $2. As for 4, I'd recommend taking with you to the Airbnb all the little luxuries that make your home a refuge (for me it's probably our comforter and espresso machine; figure out what would make your day/night good whilst living out of a suitcase). Good luck!