Weekly Motel/Short-term housing in Eugene/Springfield (Portland, Bend: sublets, apartment)

[swegs]

Hi all! I've been lurking on the Eugene and Bend threads for a while as my husband and I have been planning our move from Central Pennsylvania to Oregon. Our timeline has moved up, and we will now be starting our lives in Eugene in late June. We both have jobs lined up but no place to live.

Since we have never visited the area and won't have a chance to before moving, we would like to find a weekly motel rental or a month-to-month apartment that we can stay in while we scope out the area and work up our verifiable income history. We have both been steadily employed throughout our time in PA, but I assume we will need to prove some stable income in the area before being approved for an apartment or a loan on a trailer. (We are not ready to purchase a home just yet.) I did locate the Stardust Motel in Curtin, which runs $200/week. I realize is about 30 minutes away, but this type of commute is something that we are already used to and are certainly willing to put up with for a temporary period of time. However, I wondered if there was anything closer in either Eugene or Springfield. We do have a 30 lb dog, so it would have to be pet friendly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Metlakatla]

Try Air B and B. I'm in Eugene right now getting supplies for my business in Alaska, and I'm staying in a small apartment located on a farm about five miles out of Eugene. I can PM you the info if you want. This place was described as a dog paradise, which it is -- plenty of room to run. I'm here with my 10-pound Pomesky. However, it's about twice as expensive as the Stardust, but maybe they'd give you a break on a monthly rate. Also, it's got a fully equipped kitchen, and the Stardust doesn't -- having a place to cook saves money. I did see another place that was less expensive that the Stardust that looked okay.

Steer clear of the Stardust if possible. I spent one night there on a road trip -- the vibe was spooky. Maybe it was just an off night, idk. Also, the place advertises wifi, but it doesn't work well. When I commented on that, the manager practically bit my head off and asked what else did I expect in a place that's out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains. Well, all I knew is that they advertised that they had wifi. Maybe they should have made it clear that it didn't work. Also, there were plenty of sketchy looking people around the place, as in people smoking and drinking right in front of my window, using foul language, and generally behaving in an unpleasant manner. I didn't feel that safe, actually.

Also, keep in mind that most temp. rentals don't want you leaving pets alone in them for any period of time for any reason (such as when you work).

ETA the rental market in Eugene isn't nearly as tough as the one in Portland. I think you can probably find a place fairly quickly.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I don't know about Eugene, but most towns have older courtyard motels that will rent by the week and are fairly reasonable. I suspect that most of them do not have webpages.

Craigslist has a roommates wanted section and maybe you could find a room in someone's house. It's worth taking a couple of minutes to look.

Have you tried googling "cheap places to stay in Eugene/ Springfield"?

[swegs]

Thanks to both for your replies.

@Metlakatla - I did look into Air BnB which, you're right, is about twice the price of the Stardust. However... the more I looked into the Stardust, the more it really did sound like a bad idea, so I appreciate you sharing your experience. I wonder if the place you are staying at now is the one I was checking out yesterday. I don't remember seeing that it was a "dog paradise" but it sounds pretty similar to one I was looking at. If you don't mind, please do PM me the info. I'd love to check it out. Based on what I've seen, I think you're right that we won't have too hard of a time finding a place fairly quickly. I just want to make sure we aren't living out of our cars or spending a ridiculous amount of money on hotels for the first week or two. As far as leaving our dog alone goes, my husband and I work mostly opposite schedules. I work nights (generally 4-10 pm) and he works first shift. At the most, our dog would be left alone for an hour at a time, but I suppose this still wouldn't be acceptable to some landlords. Perhaps I'll be able to work my schedule out so I can go in a bit later until we find a permanent living situation.

@oregonwoodsmoke - That is how it is here in PA as well - most of the older hotels that offer cheap weekly rentals do not have websites, so I was hoping that perhaps I could find a local that knew of one or two that I could call ahead of time. Maybe we'll just have to scope it out once we get there. That just makes me a little uneasy since I'm very much a planner. I did try Google and didn't have much luck. A lot of the cheap places are either student housing or cheap-ish hotels ($75+/night). I did check out Craigslist for sublets and roommates wanted... most of the ads I saw were college kids looking for one person to fill one of the bedrooms in their 3+ bedroom apartment or house. We are a married couple with a dog, so we are not particularly looking to move in with a crew of college kids... but I suppose it is a good last resort option to keep in mind.

[Metlakatla]

Oh, they didn't say on their thing on air b and b that it was a dog paradise; they said that in a conversation after I arrived. And it is. We walked around the apple orchard today, and my Pomeski is pretty worn out from all the exercise.

As far as older motels offering weekly rates, I've never seen anything like that in Eugene proper (I used to live here), but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I know there's one in Junction City because I've driven past it -- going out that way in a bit so I'll get the name. I think I've seen something like that in Springfield. I think it was on Main Street. I may be around there at some point next week so I'll keep an eye out. I know there's one in Springfield that advertises on CL, but I've heard it's full of druggies.

I'll PM you the air b and b info later on tonight when I get back.

[theoaks]

The motel 6 in Albany is independent and very clean. Its 45 minutes from Eugene. I would suggest staying there at first.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by theoaks

The motel 6 in Albany is independent and very clean. Its 45 minutes from Eugene. I would suggest staying there at first.

I wouldn't. They're working in Eugene, not in Albany.