I want to escape the rat race via RV or Small House!!! HELP!!! - RV-Dreams Community Forum

BillyIdol · RV-Dreams Community Member

I want to escape the rat race via RV or Small House!!! HELP!!!

BillyIdol · RV-Dreams Community Member

Continued

I guess I don't want to pay a lot for the starter RV. Of course, I want to buy well if I can, but I want to keep the investment $20,000 or under, so obviously I'm looking at used ones. When I was a kid (my dad took us on a lot of RV trips), I always appreciated Pace Arrow and Southwind, but could you please broaden my perspectives AND GIVE ME SOME SOLID MAKES/MODEL in my price range. I figure, why pay rent when I can live in an RV and purchase something even though it is depreciating.

I really need these features in an RV/5th wheel:

1)shower
2)fridge/freezer
3)stove
4)AC/heating
5)bed, where I can bring in a full or queen Tempurpedic
6)reliability
7)microwave
8)internet (I've heard about Hughes)
9)cable/satellite/dish TV
10) Toilet
11) A place to put a bike rack for my bicycle.

When I was a kid, I always had a bad memory of the toilet and the smelly septic tank (this was the 80s). Has this improved at all? Is there a better system now?

I'm looking at Class A up to about 35 feet. It will be stationary for most of the time. I'm also looking into Class C maybe 27-30 feet. Does Toyota make RVs or RV engines.

Do you have any engine recommendations?

Do you have any generator recommendations?

I don't know. Maybe I'm naive. But I really don't know why people need all of this excessive stuff in their lives. I'm sick of it! I'm dropping out of the rat race!!! I think people are way too much into acquisition, and not enough into enjoying time. I think that you guys have it right, sell the house, buy an RV and be free!!!! And be adventurous!!!!

Any other issues that I haven't considered?

Rock on....RVers!!!!!!! You rock!!!!

John

dgorila1 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Billy,

Owning a home isn't the "American Dream" that has always been portrayed to us. Yours is a perfect example. You are "house poor" in that most of your income is probably going to maintain the house in the hope for an eventual bigger gain in the future. I offer the following options:

- I would talk with at least 3 realtors in your area and see what the value of your house is and what the average sale time is lately. If you can still sell and make a profit in a reasonable time frame this may be a good way to get you out from under this huge debt without the hassles of being a landlord.

- Renting the house would be my second suggestion and move into a smaller, cheaper rental house/apartment or RV. You'll still have the hassle of being a landlord but at least your mortgage will be paid for.

If you want to go the RV route:

- You can easily find a trailer or 5th on Craigslist or any other normal RV sales place way under your $20,000 limit. I was just looking at several late model 5th units for less than $15,000. You won't be living it it forever so I wouldn't beat myself up trying to find the "perfect" unit, especially since you don't plan on moving it around from place to place.

- Several ideas for a place to set up the RV:

- Find a regular RV or trailer park where you pay Lot rental month to month.

- Buy a plot of land and have the basic utilities installed if needed so you can hook up your unit. You may be able to make money with this if you can put up multiple hookup sites and rent them out as well. The key would be to check with zoning to make sure RV's/mobile homes are allowed for the land.

- Do as you suggested and try to find a place that someone is renting for you to hookup.

- Look through industrial/warehouse rentals and see if you can find a warehouse for a reasonable price. It wouldn't have to be huge, just big enough to park the RV in and should have power, sewer, water, etc. You could then run a hookup to the utilities (water, sewer, elect, etc) and have an enclosed, secure place to park your RV, vehicle, and other personal items. An added benefit is if it has bathroom facilities and office space you increase your living space and get comfortable bathroom facilities.

The key is to think outside the box. I would do the same thing if I was in your situation. One of my friends is doing just that right now. He moved into an RV in a local park when he divorced his wife. He can use the bath/shower in the RV or campground if he likes, but he often goes to the nearby recreation center to shower as well as using the facilities at work. He has been doing the for over 4 years now and loves it. No huge rent or mortgage so he can work on getting his finances on track. Hope these ideas help. Good luck. smile

no hurry · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sounds like you've got the right idea about a cheaper way to live. This full timing thing isn't just about seeing all the sights that this country has to offer. It's also a reasonably, economical, way to live. In this economy that we're stuck with right now, it makes more sense than ever. From your previous experience, you already know how much fun it can be. My only real suggestion is to scratch the idea of a motor home. With the budget you're working with, any used motorhome, is really used. A drive train needs to be used with some regularity to keep all the seals soft. Otherwise, they will leak. Plus, if you're not moving that often, why have the extra upkeep of the drivetrain? Also, that driving area just takes up living space. You will probably save 5-6 feet of living space by not having a driving area. I'm Just trying to think from a logical perspective. You might not agree. Anyway, good luck, whichever way you do decide to go. Dave

Speedhitch · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sherri and I did just the opposite of the American dream...we sold our home and down sized our need far before the economy went on the blink! Now we owe no one and don't plan on getting into debt for anything. I am retiring in Feb or May and we live in our 5th wheel now. We pay one payment for rent and it includes water and electric. We went from living in a three story house to a 400 sq ft 5th wheel and lowered our budget to one third of what we were paying in bills. What more can you hope for in this economy...debt free. Go for it!!

Speedy

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

Other than being near a needing family member, I have never understood the rationale behind anchoring to a particular geographical location when one is not happy there or with the life it presents. I have moved 26 times in my lifetime so I probably have a slanted view. But I think that those on a RV website could at least understand the idea of mobility and changing surroundings.

No disrespect to your city or state, but I could live and work in a lot of other places for less than $3-4K/ mo. Well, as a matter of fact, I do. And until recently, I did that while living full time for 3 years in my rig. Four separate friends, live in their RV full time and work in metro areas around the country. 3 of those four have houses in other places that they have rented out. They prefer to put way less money into an RV than a house even tho those are opposite values. They also forgo the hassle of buying, selling, and moving furniture when they have to move.

Renting the house seems the short term logical choice. Then if the RV living doesn’t work out, then you can always go back to the house.

Or, since you have the skill and education needed in my state, you could sell the house, buy an RV, and move to Texas. Just leave the California mentality behind, bring the boots, and get used to beef BBQ. I have two RV pads on my land and I’ll only charge you $1500/mo rent. What a deal, huh? smile

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Another consideration is finding a place in a mobile home park instead of an RV park. Here in Oklahoma City, RV parks are charging between $450 and $550 a month for lot rent. I am presuming that some utilities such as electric and water are included in that rate, along with possible WiFi service. One mobile home park we looked at was going to charge $150 a month for a lot which would have included the sewer. The only other utilities we would have had to purchase would be electric and water.

It may vary where one is located as to what different parks charge and what they include. As one other mentioned, consider different parts of the country, if there aren't circumstances that tie you to California. I know that where we live in Oklahoma, the cost of living is much lower. Apartment rent can be anywhere from $600 to $1100 a month, gasoline right now is $1.69 and food costs tend to be cheaper as well.

I agree that if you are going to full time live in an RV without moving it, a motorhome would not be the best of choices. Keep in mind that if you go the RV route, it will still require that you allow your black water tank to get nearly full before dumping it so that waste has a chance to liquify.

Whatever you do, enjoy it.

Judy the Other · RV-Dreams Family Member

John,
You might find this blog post interesting-Why We Bought an RV to Live In in Early Retirement.

Good luck!

Judy (the other Judy)

travelinmama · RV-Dreams Family Member

Before I met my husband, he had gone through a nasty divorce. He had already sold his home that he built with his own hands to live in his RV full time. After his separation, he sold the 5th wheel and bought a camper, fully loaded and lived in that for a few years. It was a way to stay frugle and to be able to pay the bills.

I know things may look bleek as you stare at those bills every mo. but when your hope and your dreams match, you will succeed in doing what your hopes and dreams are. You can do anything you set your mind to.

Have you considered living anywhere else?

A SPED teacher is a very important part of a child's life and a great one is even better. I was a SPED asst. and loved it. I had so much success with my "kids"! I love what I am doing now, but I really loved working one on one or 3 on 1 with kids. They succeeded because someone believed in them.

We own a travel trailer bumper pull, and live in it 6 mo. out of the year. We love it. We also work full-time for a local church, so we are not leaving our posts yet. We have found a park that charged us $2200 for 6 mo. with water, elec, and sewer. It is 14 miles from work. We are currently 4.
But it isn't a crowded park either, we have trails to ride and a pool to use.
Blessings on your adventure.

bago40 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Billy,

I started my dream 2 and a half years ago. I purchased a 1997 Winnebago class A (Vectra Grand Tour) 35 foot long. No slides but more than adequate for one person. I paid less than the book value because the unit needed a little tlc, on the outside. You can find units like that and save money if you're willing to put in a little elbow grease. smile Mechanically she is a gem. It has a chevy vortec which moves her quite well. I paid a little over 20,000.00 and pay $256.oo a month. I live in a very nice RV park in Florida which is only $295.00 per month. All I have is a car and insurance on the RV and Auto with great coverage including emergency expenses for both vehicles. smile My electric bill is much less than it ever was with a house. I love living this way as I have great neighbors and some have become close friends. biggrin I'm guessing everything is more expesive where you are, would you consider relocating to a less expensive part of the country? Hope all works out well for you

pierreandcolleen · RV-Dreams Family Member

Those tumbleweeds sure are cute, but I think for the price I would prefer an RV.

Have you considered trying to sell your house yourself (owner financed)? The problem is that no one is lending money, so even if someone really wants your house they have to come up with the dough first. It would also spread out your profit over several years, so you won't get hit by the tax man as hard. If the buyer stops making the payments then you can take the house back and sell it again.

Just a thought. I haven't done this myself, but this is how my parents sold my childhood home. It also gave someone who otherwise wouldn't be able to get a loan to own their own home and have a place to raise their family.

-Colleen

P.S. The other benefits of fulltime RVing include no property taxes, low utilities, cheap rent, no lawns to mow and no snow to shovel to name a few.