Looking for a place to live

[Craft99]

I don't know if this is the right forum, but it is a newbie question, so I figure ...

I'm getting ready to move and I'm in a position to go anywhere.  I newly single and, though I do need a job, I earn just enough from teaching online to keep me going.

I didn't realize how expensive it is to rent space in an RV park.  I realize I'm in NJ and rents are high here for everything, but I'm ready to move and I'm looking for suggestions.

I want to live as close to a beach as possible.  Somewhere on the east coast or the gulf.  I want to live near the ocean, but a bay would be all right.

I want to spend $500 or less a month and that includes everything.  I know I can rent a 3 bedroom house in the Ft Myers area of Florida for $850 a month, so if I'm living in my RV, I think I should pay substantially less.

I don't want to live in a parking lot with hookups.  I'd like a sense of space, though I realize the closer to the beach I live the less space I'll get and the more I'll pay.  Still, I'm completely open.

Still, can anyone recommend a place? 

I realize this is an odd question and most people have a specific destination in mind before they move.  I'm not looking to start an argument with this post.  I'm looking for recommendations of inexpensive RV parks with monthly rentals that are located near a beach and I'm completely open about which beach it is.  If someone prefers to contact me privately that's absolutely fine.

Thanks

 

[SeilerBird]

I have stayed in Cedar Key, Florida right smack on the water at Sunset Isle RV Park. It is $420 per month in season and $360 per month out of season. Not the classiest place in the world but it is on the water and in your budget. And the odds of getting snowed on there are pretty small.

 

[captsteve]

My suggestion was gonna be cedar key. But no space. Small sites. And jobs will be scarce.

 

[taoshum]

take a cruise thru  http://www.campflorida.com/

oughta find something, there are hundreds.

 

[Craft99]

I checked it out and it looks great.  I'm not limiting myself to Florida.  I'm willing to live anywhere on the east coast (Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia) or anywhere on the gulf (Alabama, Mississippi, etc).

I'm planning to drive to Florida, but I think once I get south of Virginia Beach, I'm going to get off of 95 and drive along the coast.  I'm hoping I'll find a place that I'll just fall in love with.  I've been planning to move for about a year and I've always had the Ft. Myers area in mind as my destination, but I realized I don't really care if I live in Ft. Myers or even in Florida.  I just want to live near the beach. 

So I'm completely open.  I'm thinking about leaving July 20  or Aug 20.

Oh, what are seasonal rates?  One place charges $700 a month plus electric, but have a seasonal rate from Oct 1 to March 1 for like $2000 plus electric.  How can it be that cheap for five months if its that expensive for one?

 

[Peanutman]

For the rates you are looking for you will need to look at the older RV/mobile home parks. The upscale parks are for the travelers that stop off for a week or two. I stay at an RV park off i-35 in Waco Texas. No where near the coast and pay $245 monthly. Electricity on the high end is $100 and low end is $45.

When you add lot rent, elect, propane in winter, internet, and dish I'm right at $400 a month. We do have a pool, laundry mat, game room, driving range and dog wash but I'm in the middle of nowhere.

Hope you can find something near the beach. Don't forget the Texas coast.

 

[BLAKDUKE]

Whatever you do DO NOT EVER READ NEVER pull into a C.G. that has the word RESORT after it's name,  you can't afford it.

 

[Craft99]

Well, I need to move and now it is immediate.  I'm getting a dog and the dog isn't allowed in the house where I currently live.  Of course there is more to it than just that, but the dog makes the move necessary and almost immediate.

I'm driving to Florida to get the pup and plan to leave NJ on July 10.  I'm still new enough to RVs that so many of the features are luxuries to me.  I'm still more accustomed to a car, so just having my clothes hanging in a closet and having a bathroom and a (sometimes) working fridge are absolute luxuries.

I can go anywhere.  I love what I saw in Sunset Isle and I'm going to explore that.  Still looking for more suggestions.  I've been to Waco and wouldn't mind, but it is a little far from the beach.  I have, or will have, two dogs to consider their safety is going to be my first priority. 

To me, the idea of living near a beach is more about a lifestyle than it is about swimming.  I like the laid back mentality, but I live 10 miles west of NYC so everyplace is laid back compared to what I'm accustomed to. 

I've driven cross country five times and I'm drawn to coastal towns along the east coast, the Gulf, and for some reason, I'm equally drawn to Wyoming.  All I know at this moment is I'm about to begin the second phase of my life and I have the opportunity to choose where to plant my roots.  I also realize that having too many choices is almost as bad as having few.  I can go in any direction, but have no real direction, just a few preferences (water, a nearby Starbucks, and Internet connection) and for now, cheap rent.

(I did stay in a "resort" and there was nothing special about it.  A picnic table, fire ring, neighbors parked 15 feet on either side of me.  Worse, the road was dirt and pebbles and every time the wind blew or a vehicle drove by, dust filled the air and I kept the AC running just because I couldn't stand the dirt coming in the windows.  Actually, I don't even remember seeing a pool there, but they must have told me a dozen times it was a luxury resort and charged about $60 a day for that pleasure).

I found a place in PA, just 20 miles west of NJ, and the rent is about $600 a month plus electric, but the owners were really nice, the people in the park were more "upscale" than the those in the "Resort" and they had indoor and outdoor pools, a picnic table and fire ring.  The problem with that place is the stench, which I assume comes from polluted ground water because there is no escaping it anywhere in the park and it clings to everything.  Okay, I need to add that to my list for where to live.

Safe for a single female
Cheap rent
Wi-Fi
On or close to water
No stench
Starbucks (not because of the coffee but because it means there is a town nearby)

That's it.  I'm not old enough to live in a 55+ community, but prefer that environment to a party place.  Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Trailer traveler]

If it were me looking for a year round residence, I would not look much farther North than the Georgia/Florida border. There are some RV parks within your budget in the Brunswick/Kingsland/Jacksonville area. There are a number of older RV parks in the Melbourne/Sebastion/Vero Beach area that have long term rentals. While it is not at the beach, there are a number of RV communities in the Mount Dora/Eustice, FL area. Many are located on lakes. We have seen annual rates in the $3200 range plus electric. Some have the capability for telephone and cable service onsite if you want to pay for it.

You might look into workamping at an RV park or volunteering at State Parks in Georgia or Florida as a way to earn some extra money or reduce/get free rent. One of the attractive things about becoming a Florida resident is that there is no state income tax.

Good Luck with your search!

 

[SeilerBird]

Lorrie

My suggestion is to travel down to Florida and pay for a month at Sunset Isle. Then you can use that as a base for exploring other RV parks on the east coast of Florida if you don't really wish to stay at Sunset Isle for a long time.

As far as resorts go you are correct, there is nothing special about resorts. In fact if you really want to stay in a very nice, extremely secure, beautiful and friendly RV park, my first recommendation would be Leaf Verde Resort in Buckeye, Arizona. I stayed there for a few months and I was extremely impressed with every aspect of the place.

When you check in there is a guy in a golf cart who escorts you to your site and helps you back in and hook up if needed. There is a security guard in a golf cart roaming the premises 24/7. The people who live there are very nice and friendly. It has a huge swimming pool, basketball court and more. Plus there are daily activities. Walks to Walmart, line dance lessons, concerts, computer lessons, etc. The place is so clean you could almost eat off the ground there. The staff is so friendly it is unbelievable. The downside for you would be the lack of a beach. But for $350 per month you could not beat it.

http://www.leafverde.com/

 

[Daisy]

The criteria for ANY RV park to call itself a "resort" is to install a pool.  Seems that's all it takes.  No other luxuries needed.

Daisy

 

[Bobtop46]

Look into work camping.  Start your jouney at workamper.com.  This might help with both your needs, a job and a place to live.  I saw an ad on workamper tonight for a job just north of the Keys.  Most workamper positions offer free sites for X amount of hours worked or close to it.