Selling and buying a home can feel like a juggling act, especially if you have a family to manage. In a perfect world, you'd close on your new house around the same time you close on the home you're selling. But a perfect world doesn't exist, and there's a good chance that you'll have to deal with a transition period between selling and buying.

Use these tips to find temporary housing and survive that awkward in-between period.

Finding Temporary Housing

The first step is to find temporary housing. Depending on where you live, this may be a challenge.

Here are a few ideas:

Vacant Houses for Sale

Someone else may be in the opposite position as you: they moved out of their home before they could sell. Many people in this situation are more than happy to rent out their home temporarily, as it helps pay the mortgage while they find a buyer.

Plus, your furniture will help stage the home, making it more appealing to buyers.

One drawback to consider here is that you could lose your home at any time. If you anticipate the transition period being brief, this option may work well for you.

Extended Hotel Stays

There may be hotels in your area that offer extended stay packages. The rooms are typically bigger than the average hotel room. Many have kitchens and free Wi-Fi.

A nice benefit to going this route is you get to take advantage of the hotel's amenities, like housekeeping service and possibly a pool.

The drawback? Living in such close quarters may start to feel claustrophobic after a while, especially if you have a larger family.

Post-Possession Agreement

Another option is to sign a post-possession agreement with the buyers of your home. This may be a good option if the buyers have a flexible time frame.

A post-possession agreement would allow you to stay in your home for a certain period of time after your closing date.

The nice thing about this option is that you'd only have to move once. But you may have a hard time getting buyers to agree to this option – it's risky.

How to Maintain a "Normal" Life During the Transition

Living in temporary housing can be stressful for everyone. It's difficult to make it feel like home when you know you're going to be moving again soon.

But you can still maintain some sense of normalcy even when you're in this awkward transition period.

Try to Maintain Your Normal Schedule

Do your best to maintain your normal schedule. Do the things that you normally do with your kids. If you usually go the park on Tuesday after school, keep that routine going.

Maintaining a normal schedule will help make the transition a little easier on the kids because they'll know what to expect. Save the big changes for when you move into your new home.

Rent Furniture

If you don't like the idea of having to unpack and repack again, you can rent furniture until you move into your new home.

Keep in mind that renting furniture can be costly, so this may not be a good option if you plan to be in a transition period for more than a month or two.