Has anyone sold their home to go full time in an RV?

[docj]

Over the years, several of our members bought a lot for living in their RV as an exit strategy. Some eventually built a small home on the lot and sold the RV.

The groundrules for our park prohibit building a house, but our 140 sq ft casita and 80 sq ft storage shed give us a lot of extra space.  We have a fridge with water and ice, a microwave, a TV and all my wife's sewing gear in there which permitted us to offload a lot from the MH.

 

[Lou Schneider]

I agree, but I think the strategy we have devised is often overlooked.  A couple of years ago we purchased an ownership RV site in a park in Rockport TX.  We had been spending our winters in that area any so now we have our own place to come back to.  On our property (~3,000sq ft) we erected a heated and cooled sewing/TV casita along with a storage shed.  We can easily pay off this purchase in ~5 more years if we choose to.

I did essentially the same thing, except I bought into the Escapees co-op park in Pahrump, NV. Escapees help build 13 independent co-op parks in the western and southern states, stretching from WA to FL. 

Not having any home equity to reinvest, I chose one of the simpler parks.  Buying a membership share in the co-op gives me a lifetime "lease" on a space in the park.  My initial cost was about $10k so I was able to pay cash.  Basic prices to buy into one of the co-ops (plus any lot improvements) range from $6k in rural west Texas to over $30k for the fanciest co-op in Southern California that's a destination resort in itself.

After the initial investment all I have to pay are the annual maintenance fees (currently $880 a year) and electricity.

The park has a large activities building, laundromat, a basic woodworking shop and an oil change pit you can drive your car or RV over for maintenance.  Plus a couple of fenced-in doggie parks for the furkids.

What distinguishes this co-op from most of the others is the buy-in price includes a 20x28 ft. building that's shared with my neighbor.  Many of the other co-op prices are just for the bare lot with any improvements such as a casita or outbuilding added onto the base price.  Each of us has a 10x14 room and 10x12 covered patio in our half of the building, plus a concrete patio between the building and the RV.  The building is fully insulated with interior drywall and electricity and a small air conditioner turns it into a refrigerator on even the hottest days.  Essentially it's a casita except no plumbing.  I am making mine into a mancave/workshop and storage.

I'm free to come and go as I please, and the park is my legal address for things like voting, taxes, drivers license, etc.

When I decide to come off the road I can either park my RV here permanently or install a larger park model RV on my space.

If/when I decide to give up my park membership, it will be sold to the next person on the waiting list and I'll be reimbursed for my initial purchase price plus the cost of any improvements I've made to the lot.

Pahrump is a growing community that has at least a couple of all the necessities - two supermarkets, two chain drugstores, WalMart and Home Depot, etc.  With three permament fireworks stores in town the 4th of July fireworks display was spectacular!  Their second hospital opened this summer and Las Vegas is an hour away for anything Pahrump lacks.

 

[Tom]

[quote author=docj]The groundrules for our park prohibit building a house...[/quote]
Aye, park rules or CC&Rs trump everything. Some parks/communities allow folks to build a park model, while others permit errecting a manufactured home.

if we become unable to live on our own we would move to an assisted living facility

Our ukulele band regularly performs fpr the residents of various assisted living communities. We always receive a warm welcome, great audience participation, and requests to return. Recently, one member of such a a facility joined our beginners uke classes and, when I spoke to him at class that evening, he told me he was 90 and goes to the gym daily.

 

[zulu]

Hello, my wife and I are considering going full time in an RV trailer. We would be selling our home as well.

We are curious to hear from anyone else who has done this and do they miss home ownership and was it hard mentally, emotionally to do it? Thanks in advance for your input.

Back to OP's original qs . . .

We sold our home in 2013 and have been full timing ever since. We love it.

We've been RVing since 2003 and bought our "full time" 2001 Newmar DP RV in 2010 -- long before we sold our house. The 3 years between getting that RV and selling our house was used for refurbishing our Newmar.

If you're worried whether or not you can full time in a trailer, then I suggest trying a couple of long trips before selling your house.

Do we miss owning a home? Not really. And we don't miss all the "stuff" we had to get rid of either. However, as other have said, do have a "reentry" plan for when you leave the road.

Finally, unless you have some kind of government or business supplied health insurance, I don't recommend hitting the road before age 65 because buying your own health insurance is very expense.

Good luck.

 

[JudyJB]

I sold my condo home in 2012 and bought a motorhome.  I am still on the road after six years and have never missed my old home at all. (I miss having a garden a little, however.) I did not want to rent it out, as my kids suggested, because I had seen what renters did to some relatives' homes.  My only mistake was putting most of my furniture into storage.  The problem was that with the money i was paying the storage company, I could have bought most things again when I was done RVing.  In addition, some of the stuff in storage got musty or damaged, even though I thought we had sealed stuff adequately n plastic. 

That storage locker is now closed out and most of my stuff either got tossed or is in my son's furnished basement.  I had given away a lot of the family "heirlooms" to my kids and my niece and nephew when I sold my condo.  That leaves me only 12 plastic storage bins of family photos and other family mementos in my son's basement.

I am hoping I can make it another five years in my motorhome until I am 80, but I have a 401K fund that is my exit strategy.   

 

[av8tor]

We both retired and rented the house to a family member.  We got rid of everything unwanted and hit the road.  Three months later, they got divorced, and we had to come back.  Then a second family member got divorced, had nowhere to go.....had to stay longer.  Been back for a year and HATE it.  Can't wait to leave again. 
Got the house rented out again next Jan. so we will try it again.  We added a concrete RV site with full hookups next to the house, just in case.  Have it in the lease agreement that we can stay here whenever we are in town.  I have got to get out of here before next summer, it is 111 here today........Yeesh......

 

[garyb1st]

We both retired and rented the house to a family member.  We got rid of everything unwanted and hit the road.  Three months later, they got divorced, and we had to come back.  Then a second family member got divorced, had nowhere to go.....had to stay longer.  Been back for a year and HATE it.  Can't wait to leave again. 
Got the house rented out again next Jan. so we will try it again.  We added a concrete RV site with full hookups next to the house, just in case.  Have it in the lease agreement that we can stay here whenever we are in town.  I have got to get out of here before next summer, it is 111 here today........Yeesh......

We've thought of doing the same thing.  Full hookup concrete pad, lease house with stipulation regarding parking if and when we need it.  Please keep us informed on any issues that develop. 

 

[av8tor]

We did have a code enforcement officer bang on the RV door one day.  He said we were not allowed to "live" in the coach but could stay one night if necessary.  Asked what the fine was for "living" in it, he said "Oh there is no fine, you just have to stay out of the RV for one night if we catch you again".  Been living in it for seven months now, he hasn't been back. 

 

[garyb1st]

We did have a code enforcement officer bang on the RV door one day.  He said we were not allowed to "live" in the coach but could stay one night if necessary.  Asked what the fine was for "living" in it, he said "Oh there is no fine, you just have to stay out of the RV for one night if we catch you again".  Been living in it for seven months now, he hasn't been back.

We have similar laws in our area.  We haven't needed to live in it but our children have spent a night or two over the years.  I know it's not allowed but honestly don't think anyone would bother us.  Still something to keep in mind.  The biggie for us would be medical access.  We're only a few miles from one of the hospitals we go to.  Fortunately don't have any ongoing health issues. 

 

[heySkippy]

Interesting thread. I'm retiring in a couple years. Our daydream right now is buy our RV next year, spend a year getting used to it, then retire, rent out our house and hit the road full time.  I'm going to build a pad on the side of the house for the RV and the idea of a clause in the lease that allows us to use that if needed is brilliant.

 

[kdbgoat]

Well, it looks like Deb and I have.  We have been waffling about buying a lot in Trails End in Virginia for years. Some areas are nice, some not so nice. She was looking around down there one day and decided to visit her cousin. They weren't down there, but she looked at the place next door for sale. She decided against it, but the guy there told her of another place. She looked at it and it was a junkyard. Between the owners and us, we worked out a deal, they get rid of the trailer and other big junk, we finish cleaning the lot. We got it for about half the going price of similar lots that also have a septic system. We go to settlement Friday. We have also been selling off stuff in anticipation of selling our sticks and bricks in the future after I retire. We decided last week to put the house up for sale. It officially hit the market about 2:00 in the afternoon Monday. We had a price in mind that we wanted as to our low point to us after settlement. When the realtor listed it, we thought she was too high, looking at comps in the area. Exactly 24 hours after it hit the market, as cash offer was made, and was about $2000 over our "in the pocket" amount. We have to be out so they can be in by Sep. 18th. It looks like a living estate sale is in the making. Kinda looks like we are going to be full timing after all. It is our intention to put a decent fifth wheel at the lot, and use our C for traveling and camping. God is good!!!

 

[seminolewind]

Hi,
we just returned from or first trip (Alaska) one year on the road, we sold our home of 38 yrs, kids all grown and out, didn't need the big house , yard work, pool to take care of, its our time
we enjoyed or time, meet new friend doing the same thing
  1) we gave the kids what they wonted, sold stuff, and donated the rest, it is just stuff
  2) the hardest thing was leaving grand kids (15) we use facetime to see and talk to them
  3) the only problem we have is medicine and dr visit,  we told the Dr. we would be gone for a year, got all or meds through Walmart to be able to refill
were back in Florida, for three month for the winter, get or Dr visit done , repack for our next trip north

 

[SargeW]

Congratulations on the new chapter KD. Sometimes things just fall into place.

 

[FenderP]

Well, it looks like Deb and I have.  We have been waffling about buying a lot in Trails End in Virginia for years. Some areas are nice, some not so nice. She was looking around down there one day and decided to visit her cousin. They weren't down there, but she looked at the place next door for sale. She decided against it, but the guy there told her of another place. She looked at it and it was a junkyard. Between the owners and us, we worked out a deal, they get rid of the trailer and other big junk, we finish cleaning the lot. We got it for about half the going price of similar lots that also have a septic system. We go to settlement Friday. We have also been selling off stuff in anticipation of selling our sticks and bricks in the future after I retire. We decided last week to put the house up for sale. It officially hit the market about 2:00 in the afternoon Monday. We had a price in mind that we wanted as to our low point to us after settlement. When the realtor listed it, we thought she was too high, looking at comps in the area. Exactly 24 hours after it hit the market, as cash offer was made, and was about $2000 over our "in the pocket" amount. We have to be out so they can be in by Sep. 18th. It looks like a living estate sale is in the making. Kinda looks like we are going to be full timing after all. It is our intention to put a decent fifth wheel at the lot, and use our C for traveling and camping. God is good!!!

Amen!

 

[kdbgoat]

You would think I would learn to watch what I pray for. Been a really rough week here. Settlement has been moved to the 12th. That pretty much ruled out a yard sale. It's also grain season at work, so long hours are in effect so the farmers can get their corn in. I was able to take some vacation, but the guys from work that we're going to help can't/couldn't. BIL has helped, but he isn't in the best of health. Deb has worked tirelessly trying to get the house empty. The people we bought the lot from didn't get the raggedy trailer off the lot, so that has been an extra expense, but just getting it gone with the crappy built on porch has been a chore. I think it may be gone by mid-week. We gave away most of our furniture and I gave away a bunch of stuff from the garage, workshop, and sheds. The new owner of this place is going to get a nice floor mount drill press I didn't get sold as a housewarming gift. There's no need to rent storage for stuff we won't have room for after we move, so we just gave it away. Anyone ever try to give away a large heavy entertainment center? It ain't easy. I still have to move my tool boxes and a cabinet full of power tools. And now I have to deal with something everyone else on the the East coast has to prepare for, and that's Florence. God is still good!!!

 

[kdbgoat]

And on top of that, I just found something behind the seat of my pick-up that I was supposed to send to a member here about a week ago.

 

[2PawsRiver]

It is with some envy I congratulate you! 

Here's to hopin' y'all have the time of your lives!  )

House is sold........Cyclone 4270 is in the driveway, we are moved in and have spent the last two days there while we have a huge garage sale.....so far plan is on track

 

[Ernie n Tara]

We bought an rv, travelled a lot and when we looked up five years later noticed we were and intended to keep full timing. Finally about four years after that we got around to selling the house.  Took our personal stuff, smashed the hard drives from eight left over computers and sold the place "as is". Kayaks, tools, tractor and implements, furnished house, etc.

Listed Friday, refused a lowball offer Saturday,  sold to the same buyer on Sunday for cash at asking price. We closed a weekand a half later when we were already back in FL. I don't recommend this approach as it undoubtedly cost us $$$$, but it works!

Ernie

 

[FLFreeBird]

I know this is getting off-topic fast, but I have been learning from my kids and all the Millenials that I work with, that the concept of "heirloom" is a thing of the past.
They see almost every possession (especially big things like furniture) as just something to weigh them down. Grandma's silver, furniture, vehicles, etc.

They see us as slaves to our homes.

 

[kdbgoat]

Well, junk trailer is finally gone. Now to find time to get the lot cleaned up, get new electric service run, and get a water line run to where it needs to be. Work days are 13 hours long right now, including Saturdays, and possible work on Sundays. Then an hour long trip to the lot.