It is done all the time , but it will depend on state & county laws if you are to call it a permanent residence.....each state is different so a little homework is needed........there are states that have luxury & high end parks that you buy the lot with all the amenities......and there are basic parks also

It is done but as Lucky Mike mentioned it isn't allowed everywhere. In some places in AZ it had been allowed and people had a rv pedestal installed basically the ones you have in a park. Some came and went. It is really difficult to find places that don't put a lot of restrictions on what can be placed on your own land anymore. We are thinking along the lines of purchased a small lot in a park and just having it there and available from the get-go.

Cheryl: We have no direct experience of the Care Program with Escapees but used to be members and it is very popular and supposed to be very good. It does sound like a great option and hope it catches on in more places.

Warning: Never, ever believe a realtor. Contact the city/county and talk with them about the codes and zoning.

Mark, you are wise to consider the end-game now, but I wouldn't set much in stone just yet. For one thing, the coach you buy may or may not be the one you have when you decide to cut down on your traveling. For another, just because a particular place will permit you to turn your 5'er into a permanent fixture now doesn't mean that you will be permitted to do so later.

My suggestion would be for you to concentrate on your research on the right coach for you now. Once you have actually purchased the coach, done the repairs and upgrades, etc. you can start thinking about the end of your travels. You mention a 10-year period of full-timing. I'd suggest that you use that time to travel the country and try to figure out where you would like to end up. Then you can research specific areas that are of interest to you, and eventually find the right place.

If it was just up to me, I'd spend the next few years of full-timing finding a place where I'd like to settle eventually and buy 40-80 acres there and do as you suggest. That would be a home base for the last part of my travels. My wife, on the other hand, would sell the Foretravel and move to town just as soon as I couldn't object. No, we aren't having any marital difficulties, or even second thoughts on full-timing. We simply have different ideas about how close neighbors ought to be. That's something that you may or may not need to discuss.

BTW, I mentioned doing the repairs and upgrades that you want. Please don't buy a brand-new expensive coach as your first coach (unless you are in Bill Gates' financial class). The chances are great that you will not pick the right coach and you will trade it fairly soon for something that is a better fit. An RV doesn't hold value well, so you will take a big financial bath. We have friends who bought a new MH for full-time use and in less than a year they had traded it for a 10-year-old Foretravel because of quality issues. It was an even trade. You are much better off buying a used coach first, and then, if necessary, you can trade up and not lose too much money.

Another thing to consider is that the features that are needed for a coach that travels aren't necessarily the features that are needed for a coach that no longer travels, and features that aren't needed on a traveling coach are needed on a permanently parked one. You may actually be better off trading coaches a year or so before you plan to go off the road.

My brother lives in our family home in SW MI and says they have really become strict with codes there these days. He lives out in the county, Cass County to be exact. And, on the end game, you really don't know when that day will come and often, it has nothing to do with age. See a lot of older, retired people who have very little and have to struggle to get by. For us, planning has always been a part of our lives and will continue in any lifestyle.

If one prices some of the retirement living centers with the amenities of the Care Program, if I remember right, the Escapee plan is a bargain.

We did it!  We purchased land in Utah and put in a drive, parking area and septic system.  At our particular location there is no electricity available so we rely on battery power and back up generator and solar.  Our area has no water rights so we couldn't put in a well and have to haul our water in.  I wouldn't call our Fiver a luxury home, (2013 Keystone Cougar 38') but it certainly met all of our needs.  We stayed for 6 months and will return as soon as possible.  Many areas will not allow it so you have to check into that before taking on the expense.  We know that we can always build on our lot if we tire of the RV lifestyle, rent the space out if we choose to or sell it off.  For us it was the perfect choice and the investment was minimal compared to other choices.  Steve and Kate

TheNewhalls wrote:

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SnowGypsy wrote:

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Warning: Never, ever believe a realtor.  

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 All Realtors? You don't even know me. 

Gino

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 And, I don't blindly trust someone that I don't know since to me, that would be an unwise choice.  We have been told by more than one realtor to just go ahead and buy the land, do what we want and "beg" for forgiveness.  There was a couple in town that bought a farm with about 4 acres on the edge of town.  The realtor told them that they would be able to do what they intended without any problem.  So, they paid quite a bite for the property and were going to set up a large greenhouse to produce bedding plants, they got the entire framework up which was not cheap and the neighbors called the codes department.  What they were doing was against the codes and even though the realtor went to support them since it was her mistake or whatever for telling them this and theirs for believing her, they lost and had to disassemble the frame.  With the lose of income business venture opportunity, they struggled financially having to make the payments without the anticipated income.  We've had realtors tell us what someone has offered for a property that had a contract on it and said if we would offer a certain amount, they would go ahead and take the offer.  It is better to always do your own research and many cities/counties have their codes online.  Always be aware that sometimes a property situation is "grandfathered" which means just because Mr. Smith has that situation, it doesn't mean that you can. 

SnowGypsy:

I'm sorry your experience with real estate agents has been so negative. I can see where you wouldn't want to trust anyone. How unfortunate that you lived in a town where all the agents were less than honorable. I hope you and anyone else that had a problem  reported those agents to their broker and or real estate board, so they wouldn't continue to misuse their clients trust.

Pieere:

Was the agent wrong about the zoning? Before you did any renovations, especially the electric did you get the required permits?

 

The bottom line is that you need to check with either your city/county codes office about the zoning for the area and understand that I have seen that change over time especially in an area where the population is growing. Actually, I'd ask for a copy of the zoning law since it is very easy to get someone that misinforms you because they "thought" which doesn't do you very much good if they "thought" wrong. Ah, the incompetence I have seen over the years!