Where do we live while we look for a house in the Twin Cities?
You have more in-between options than the twelve-month lease everyone defaults to. Corporate housing — furnished, flexible terms — if your employer's package includes it, and sometimes negotiable even when it doesn't. Month-to-month and short-term furnished rentals. Extended-stay arrangements that carry a family through a focused search without locking up a year.
The right runway depends on which search you're actually running, so be honest about it. If you already know the area and the budget, a short runway keeps the pressure productive. If you're still choosing between city and suburb, give yourselves more room — a rushed neighborhood choice costs far more than three extra months of rent. (Nobody picks well from a hotel room with two children and a dog.)
Tell me your start date and I'll tell you what's realistic. DM me RELOCATE for the guide, or call.
I wrote this answer, and I stand behind it. I'm Chris Deutsch, a Minneapolis Realtor (MN #20382264). Twenty-five years of walking these neighborhoods, checking basements, and sitting across kitchen tables from people making exactly this call. I re-check every answer and date it — this one was last verified .
If your situation is more specific than the market, that's the one worth talking through. Email me at chris@lakesarearealty.com.