New path in life - another house or a home on wheels?

[LafenGran]

Hi all - glad i found this active forum.
I'm a single 60 yo lady in decent health, trying to decide which path to take - buy another house or take the path less traveled (by me).
I think I find the idea of living in a moving house.

I'm hoping I'll learn more in this forum - maybe even that I really don't want to try this lifestyle if I learn something I haven't through about.

Points I've thought about:
- I'm thinking a Class C - driving a Class A just feels intimidating and I don't want the cost of a truck and the RV.
- I own two cars - a small hybrid and a Miata NA. Can't decide if I'd keep the modern one that's hard to find a dealer to fix or the older one that's lighter and smaller as a tow behind - or just sell them both and use the RV as my car too.
- I'll be working on the road so I've looked into Starlink.

Things that keep me awake at night:
- finding campgrounds that allow long term stays - I might go places here and there but I work M-F so I do need some stability. I've looked into some campground memberships like KOA and Thousand Trails but they seem to limit the amount of time you can spend there. Buying a space feels limiting - what if I don't like the place?
- the cost - I can't seem to find solid prices at places, for example KOA sites say 350 a month but then there isn't availability. Other places that list long term are around 2k a month.
- safety - is there a thread or forum on places where people talk about campgrounds to avoid or where there seem to be constant issues?
- power - if you're off grid, you're on what? Propane and a generator? If you're hooked up, you switch everything to electric?

I would very much appreciate any and all advice, warnings, and anything I don't know that I don't know. If you made the switch to full time, would you do it again?

 

[darsben]

What's your plan for when you cannot be on the road anymore. What area of the country Will you have pets. My belief is that BEFORE you get into the RV travel full time mode you have an exit plan.

 

[rvlifer]

Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of threads on most of the stuff you listed and there are a lot of very knowledgable, helpful people here.

We never had too much problem finding long term calpgrounds. In my experience most places offered monthly rates. Prices vary a lot. We had more trouble finding campgrounds who were set up for winter camping.

there is a section on campground reviews but i dont kbow whether it covers safety issues. Reading reviews on different sites does tend to give a good bit of info about safety issues though. One thing to xonsider is that it is ridiculously easy to break into the average rv. I got locked out of mine a while back and it took me only a couple of minutes to break in. Took me less than 10secs to break into my outside storage compartment when i broke the key off in that lock. There are aftermarket entrance door locks that are far more secure but last i looked upgraded storage compartment locks were more limited. Most houses in the us are pretty easy to break into as well but rvs arent as secure as houses. We never had any issues with security in all the years we have been rving though. I was usuallt more concerned about wildlife than people. Rvwrs tend to be really nice people.


Campgrounds are hit or miss. We tended to book for a night or 2 then extend our stay if we lijed the campground.


You are going to want to learn a lot more a out rv systems and what runs on ac power (120v), dc (12v), and propane. There are differences out there depending on the rv. Some rvs have refrigerators that run on either propane or 12v and you can switch the power source and others have residential appliances that run on 120v.

For off grid relying on a generator as a primary power source isnt ideal. We use a huge battery bank and solar for primary power with a small generator as backup to charge the batteries when the solar cant keep up. We have a lot of residential appliances in our rv that need 120v so we instalked a high end inverter to pull power from the batteries to run them. Other stuff such as our heater run off propane when we are not connected to shore power.

Living in an rv without owning a house brings its own set of challenges. You will need to decide what state you want to be your official state of residence, which affects healthcare and nedical insurance, taxes, vehicle registration, voting, and much more. The system is set up expecting you to have a full time address so you are swimming against thw current.

It can definitely be done but there is a lot to understand before you should pull the trigger. Some states are more friendly towards fulltimers and there are companies out there who provide services to help.

there are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you have limited rv experience it would prob be best to spend as much time as you can in an rv before you decide. Some people arent cut out for rv living. It also takes a lot of time and effort to figure out what type of rv and what floorplan will work for you. There are a million ways to use an rv and tons of options out there depending on what you wa r to do with it. There is no one size fits all in rving.

Other challenges are in finding people to fix things when they break. Lots of rv places can take a very long time to fix things and when it is your primary residence you cant just drop it off for 6 months to get something fixed. Roadside assistance plans and mobile repair places hwlp but it isnt as easy as owning a house.

Good luck with your decision. Take your time. There is a lot to learn

 

[LafenGran]

What's your plan for when you cannot be on the road anymore. What area of the country Will you have pets. My belief is that BEFORE you get into the RV travel full time mode you have an exit plan.

About the pets - I might end up with my son's little dog. He ended up with her when his now-ex wife left her behind. Other than that, no, I don't think I'll get any more pets.

The exit plan - well, hopefully, Good Lord willing, I'll fall asleep one night and just not wake up. LOL. I have no idea what I'd do if I became dependent or couldn't drive any more - so I just plan to not stick around that long.

 

[rvlifer]

As far as full timing i am sad we couldnt do it longer and would do it again without thunking about it. My wife probably wouldnt agree. She enjoyed it but couldnt mentally deal with it after a while. We spent a lot of time on long trips in the rv before we went full time and she loved it so it was a huge surprise when she struggled with it. Not having a home base and being away from friends and family took a big toll on her

 

[rvlifer]

The exit plan - well, hopefully, Good Lord willing, I'll fall asleep one night and just not wake up. LOL. I have no idea what I'd do if I became dependent or couldn't drive any more - so I just plan to not stick around that long.

Many campgrounds have rules for fear they are going to end up having to deal with others people rvs in cases like that. Best if you came up with a better exit strategy

 

[LafenGran]

Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of threads on most of the stuff you listed and there are a lot of very knowledgable, helpful people here.

We never had too much problem finding long term calpgrounds. In my experience most places offered monthly rates. Prices vary a lot. We had more trouble finding campgrounds who were set up for winter camping.

there is a section on campground reviews but i dont kbow whether it covers safety issues. Reading reviews on different sites does tend to give a good bit of info about safety issues though. One thing to xonsider is that it is ridiculously easy to break into the average rv. I got locked out of mine a while back and it took me only a couple of minutes to break in. Took me less than 10secs to break into my outside storage compartment when i broke the key off in that lock. There are aftermarket entrance door locks that are far more secure but last i looked upgraded storage compartment locks were more limited. Most houses in the us are pretty easy to break into as well but rvs arent as secure as houses. We never had any issues with security in all the years we have been rving though. I was usuallt more concerned about wildlife than people. Rvwrs tend to be really nice people.


Campgrounds are hit or miss. We tended to book for a night or 2 then extend our stay if we lijed the campground.


You are going to want to learn a lot more a out rv systems and what runs on ac power (120v), dc (12v), and propane. There are differences out there depending on the rv. Some rvs have refrigerators that run on either propane or 12v and you can switch the power source and others have residential appliances that run on 120v.

For off grid relying on a generator as a primary power source isnt ideal. We use a huge battery bank and solar for primary power with a small generator as backup to charge the batteries when the solar cant keep up. We have a lot of residential appliances in our rv that need 120v so we instalked a high end inverter to pull power from the batteries to run them. Other stuff such as our heater run off propane when we are not connected to shore power.

Living in an rv without owning a house brings its own set of challenges. You will need to decide what state you want to be your official state of residence, which affects healthcare and nedical insurance, taxes, vehicle registration, voting, and much more. The system is set up expecting you to have a full time address so you are swimming against thw current.

It can definitely be done but there is a lot to understand before you should pull the trigger. Some states are more friendly towards fulltimers and there are companies out there who provide services to help.

there are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you have limited rv experience it would prob be best to spend as much time as you can in an rv before you decide. Some people arent cut out for rv living. It also takes a lot of time and effort to figure out what type of rv and what floorplan will work for you. There are a million ways to use an rv and tons of options out there depending on what you wa r to do with it. There is no one size fits all in rving.

Other challenges are in finding people to fix things when they break. Lots of rv places can take a very long time to fix things and when it is your primary residence you cant just drop it off for 6 months to get something fixed. Roadside assistance plans and mobile repair places hwlp but it isnt as easy as owning a house.

Good luck with your decision. Take your time. There is a lot to learn

rv systems and what runs on ac power (120v), dc (12v), and propane.

Thanks much for your reply - and things to consider. Is there a power system that people find preferable or ones to stay away from?

The owning a house thing - since there's only myself, it doesn't make financial sense for me to do both. I'm not looking for a vacation, just a place to live inexpensively for the next 10 years or so. I'll save my money then figure out what to do from there. If I can still drive and I like it, I'll stick. If not... meh.

 

[Kirk]

Since you seem to have no knowledge of an RV, I strongly suggest you rent an RV for a week or two before you do anything toward buying one. If you have not done so already, spend some time studying the prices of both new and used RVs. If you buy a used RV, do you have the skills to do self-repairs and maintenance of the budget to hire it done? RV techs are charging $100/hour or more today so that can be a problem. Then there are things like the fact that most states do not allow you to register and insure vehicles without some sort of physical address so most full-time RV travelers use one of three states as their domicile. That same issue applies to a driver's license and several other things. It is not as simple as just selling your house and buying an RV.

The exit plan - well, hopefully, Good Lord willing, I'll fall asleep one night and just not wake up.

While that may be a nice thought, but it often does not happen that way. For most who are long lived, there comes a point in time that we are not qualified to drive a large vehicle and sometimes it means no driving at all. And what happens if you should need some help to recover from some health issue? One possible way to get help is the Escapees CARE facility. When we began to live fulltime in our RV we did so with an invested nest egg that gave us the ability to buy another fixed home when that time came. For us that was due to my wife needing to use a cane or walker to get around because RV life is much more difficult when that happens. We lived in our RV for 12 very happy years and now, 10+ years later we still miss things about that life.

 

[LafenGran]

As far as full timing i am sad we couldnt do it longer and would do it again without thunking about it. My wife probably wouldnt agree. She enjoyed it but couldnt mentally deal with it after a while. We spent a lot of time on long trips in the rv before we went full time and she loved it so it was a huge surprise when she struggled with it. Not having a home base and being away from friends and family took a big toll on her

Ah - I've never really had a home base, moved around too much. I've owned homes in about 6 states and I'm just tired of buying, fixing, and selling for one reason or another. My kids are all grown and on their own lives, living in 3 different states and I found that friends fade away when you move.

That's about the only thing that I'm not worried about being an issue.

 

[LafenGran]

Many campgrounds have rules for fear they are going to end up having to deal with others people rvs in cases like that. Best if you came up with a better exit strategy

LOL they have rules against passing away?

Sorry, I was just kidding - dark sense of humor. No one knows when they're going or how.

 

[Kirk]

Is there a power system that people find preferable or ones to stay away from?

Commercial RV parks have campsites that have complete utility connections. You will need to learn how to connect to power, water and sewer at each stop. There are also two tanks for waste water, black tank for the toilet and gray tank for sinks and shower. They need to be emptied and there is a potable water tank that must be filled from time to time. Many state and federal parks have connections too, but not all of them. Some RVs have enough solar panels to be able to use most items without connections to outside electricity, but that is still not standard on all RVs and few have enough to be completely independent of the electric grid.

 

[LafenGran]

Since you seem to have no knowledge of an RV, I strongly suggest you rent an RV for a week or two before you do anything toward buying one. If you have not done so already, spend some time studying the prices of both new and used RVs. If you buy a used RV, do you have the skills to do self-repairs and maintenance of the budget to hire it done? RV techs are charging $100/hour or more today so that can be a problem. Then there are things like the fact that most states do not allow you to register and insure vehicles without some sort of physical address so most full-time RV travelers use one of three states as their domicile. That same issue applies to a driver's license and several other things. It is not as simple as just selling your house and buying an RV.

While that may be a nice thought, but it often does not happen that way. For most who are long lived, there comes a point in time that we are not qualified to drive a large vehicle and sometimes it means no driving at all. And what happens if you should need some help to recover from some health issue? One possible way to get help is the Escapees CARE facility. When we began to live fulltime in our RV we did so with an invested nest egg that gave us the ability to buy another fixed home when that time came. For us that was due to my wife needing to use a cane or walker to get around because RV life is much more difficult when that happens. We lived in our RV for 12 very happy years and now, 10+ years later we still miss things about that life.

Good advice, I appreciate it.
Which three states don't require a fixed address for your license? This is something I had not considered. I guess I could use one of my kids' addresses - FL, CO, or MA.
Does drive me nuts that the govt can control everyone's lives to that extent.

As to doctor care - I drive my doctor nuts because I won't see her unless I have a sickness she can cure. If it's chronic, long term, or just terminal, I'm done. I know that sounds morbid to most people but I just don't want to live forever.

 

[Kirk]

If you made the switch to full time, would you do it again?

Absolutely yes, but we had owned 6 different RVs over nearly 30 years before we went fulltime and we still had some things to learn.

Which three states don't require a fixed address for your license?

There are more than 3 states that allow the use of a mail service as an address but only 3 of them also have no state income tax. Those three are South Dakota, Texas and also Florida (where your kids are).

 

[rvlifer]

You have to have a state of legal residence. Living in our rv was a lot more expensive than living in our current house. A lot of campgrounds have an age rule on rvs they let in to their campgrounds. Some have it to minimize the risk of people abandoning old rvs.

If you think you are just gonna buy an rv without considering all the info (and more) posted here i suspect it wont end as well as you hope.

The 3 most popular states for fulltiming are florida, south dakota, and texas if i remember correctly. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages we found with sd was that medical insurance didnt cover very much if you are not in sd

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Have you ever owned or used an RV in the past?

 

[LafenGran]

Absolutely yes, but we had owned 6 different RVs over nearly 30 years before we went fulltime and we still had some things to learn.

There are more than 3 states that allow the use of a mail service as an address but only 3 of them also have no state income tax. Those three are South Dakota, Texas and also Florida (where your kids are).

I'll probably stick with Florida because I'm already established with my license, pay info, etc. But dang the insurance is stupid expensive.
It sounds more like I want a place I can park pretty much full time, take her for a drive if I feel like seeing the grandkids.

I do appreciate your answers - good info.

 

[Kirk]

The Florida SKP Resort might be a good place for you but you would need to join the Escapee RV Club in order to use it and there is a wait list.

 

[LafenGran]

Have you ever owned or used an RV in the past?

Only once - didn't even stay the night. I rented one from RV America or something like that. Got caught in a downpour and it started leaking in two places. Took it right back and went to a hotel. LOL.

My last couple of houses have been small - 800 sf or so. The last house I owned, I put my clothes and family photos (ok, and my cast iron - it goes everywhere with me) into my car and let the estate sale guy get rid of the rest. I find I don't miss any of it.

I currently live with my son and have the master suite - I've lived and worked in my 200 sf bedroom now for a couple of years. My favorite place is the balcony off my bedroom. He's moving in with his girlfriend now (good things!) and I need to move on again.

I used to tent camp a lot and enjoyed that.

I find that living alone is lonely, having my own space to hide when I want to is nice though. I'm thinking that living in an RV park might be a nice mix of that - people when I want, solitude when I need it.

I will be working full time and plan to save money in case I do have to give it up and get another house or want to retire on social security LOL.

 

[LafenGran]

If you think you are just gonna buy an rv without considering all the info (and more) posted here i suspect it wont end as well as you hope.

Nope, I'm listening to all advice given here - that's why I asked for it.
I do know I need to find a newer RV - been looking at Class C's no older than 2020. That should give me some good years anyway.

That still leaves a lot to be considered - which is why I'm here!

 

[rvlifer]

Sounds like you have a ton of work to do before you can decide if an rv is the right thing. It isnt what the commerciaks show or what far too many people think it is. It is good you are asking questions