Opinions Wanted....... - RV-Dreams Community Forum

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Opinions Wanted.......

Lonney Wade · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are looking for about 2 or 3 acres of land to be close to our son, his wife and 4 grandkids and a lot of family in the Kalamazoo Mi. area.
We would like to build a pole barn maybe 40x60 and maybe 14 or 16 foot high in size so we can drive the truck and 5er into the barn and build off from the other side of the barn 2 or 3 rooms to stay in for the summer, so we can see the grandkids, our son and family, then when the cold starts to hit (we be gone) you don't have to tell me twice.
I will have to tell the wife of (35 years of marriage) don't look back because we be gone again, we are going south west my son.
Only one question, how far will 76 gallons of diesel fuel get me before we hit warmer weather LOL!!!!
When I was younger the cold didn't bother me, now all I see is shoveling, plowing, snowblowing, backache and hands always cold!!!!
Oh and 23 years with no vacation LOL!!!!!!

Lonney

-- Edited by Lonney Wade on Saturday 11th of January 2014 02:20:30 AM

Millie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yup. Grab that small piece of land to land on. - As long as the telephone poles for electricity go past your vacant plot, you're all set.

Millie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lonney Wade wrote:
Only one question, how far will 76 gallons of diesel fuel get me before we hit warmer weather LOL!!!!
Lonney

-- Edited by Lonney Wade on Saturday 11th of January 2014 02:20:30 AM

That'll get you about as far a Desperation Avenue!

I did that one time! - All you'll need is a good pair of shoes after that!

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

It's not a bad idea if you can find such as place with the way zoning is. If you have npy rented anything, you'll want to learn more about the associated hazards of doing that. I know of one county in KS that doesn't have codes/zoning but they are trying to establish some based on the fact that the county is becoming a cooking pot for meth, think abandoned barns and houses. AR is said to be fairly liberal on zoning. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a park model sitting in the middle of nowhere (if I could find it) while traveling. We rented out a house several years ago and would never rent anything we owned again. If you could find something, spacious in an area where they have a community of RVers, that might be a good solution. Also, Lonny Wade has a good idea in his approach. Lots of people are looking for land without restrictions for homesteading, even though yours would be an RV lot it is pretty much the same, and it is just tough to find.

-- Edited by SnowGypsy on Saturday 11th of January 2014 06:56:57 AM

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Did that, so I can offer some insight. We bought a couple of lots in a "very" small town in west TX. We do have some history here, an aunt, grandparent, another aunt are buried here. Also have a cousin and his family here. So, it was a rather simple choice. We built a metal building, 40 X 50 with 20 ft center height, which left the walls at 14 ft. Since we are on city water, city gas and city electric, no additional expense there.

Then, I (no carpenter me) erected walls to split off a bedroom, bath and laundry room. We did put a ceiling over the rooms so we have a nice loft for guests up there. Of course, a part of the open area is a kitchen.The remainder of it is open. Park the fifth wheel in it's spot , hook up all utilities and it is open to the barn. We put in air conditioning and furnace. But, we did not upgrade the insulation enough. The highest gas bill we have had was over 150, but temps ranged from 7 above to 32 for the month. Asked if I would do it again, well no, I don't have enough energy to do that again, but I am very happy with the result. We are very comfortable with our decision. I only wish I had hired a real carpenter to erect the walls and finish it out. I am still working on finishing it out with baseboards, trim and such.

The thing is, when we get ready to go somewhere, it is disconnect the fifth wheel, raise the door, hook up and pull out. Oh, by the way, close the door and lock up.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mark and Nancy,

I'm guessing you want to purchase one or more lots in locations where you could park your RV rather than purchase "RV Lots" - the difference being rules, fees and neighbors come with RV lots.

It's a nice idea and it's interesting what 53Merc did.

Some of us want that isolation and some of us want the community. Hope you find what works for you.

Sherry

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

I want to thank everyone for sharing their views.

I'm not opposed to having a lot in an RV community but those lots tend to cost a great deal more, like the Escapees Ranch in Congress, AZ in my opinion way overpriced for what you get. I was thinking about something like 53 Merc did but I would hold off on building a permanent structure for now. Just a nice level lot with all utilities and a large cement pad for us and maybe a guest or two. If we could find something like that we would only have a small property tax bill to pay every year, no insurance,very little upkeep, etc.

There are a ton of nice 55+ communities in AZ but I'm not 55 so I am unable to purchase a spot in one of those areas.

-- Edited by azrving on Saturday 11th of January 2014 11:32:54 AM

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

You'd probably want some kind of liability insurance covering the lot especially if you had a guest or two. Since you are located in AZ, if you considering something there, look into the water situation. We were in Marana, about 18 miles north of Tucson, and the price for drilling a well in the mid-90's was about $18,000 and then we would have needed to bring in the electric lines. To us, that was a lot of money. It just depends on how remote you go but I know that bringing in water and electrical lines can be pricey. Also, if you aren't aware, they do a "perk" test before a septic system can be installed and are picky about that but I don't remember the details.

Steve and Kate · RV-Dreams Family Member

We did it! We purchased a half acre lot in the mountains of Utah. Ours may not be exactly what you were thinking of, but similar. We are remote, no electricity, no phones, no mail delivery and our particular area there are no water rights so water is hauled in. We had to put in our own road, parking pad and added a septic system. (not willing to take a 5th wheel up and down the mountain each week to dump!). We have a generator to back up and recharge our batteries, but with a little solar we manage just fine. We haul in 100 gallons of water each week and pump into our rv storage tank. We have a satellite phone in our truck for emergencies and can drive 2 miles down the mountain and pick up a cell signal if needed. Trash is taken once a week to a county dumpster 2 miles down. We go down the mountain once a week to check cell messages, dispose of trash, pick up supplies and mail at the PO, stop at the Library for e mail and internet access and pick up water on our way back up the mountain. We do this 5-6 months of the year depending on the weather. Our lot is at 10,000' altitude and is inaccessible during the winter months. We built a small 8 x 8 storage shed on our lot. With 20'+ of snow RV's can't be kept on the mountain and our shed had to be built to withstand the snowload. What we gave up in amenities was made up with deer every night just outside our front door, hummingbirds at every window and complete peace, quiet, beautiful scenery and solitude. Not the life for everyone. Check into Utah for your plans--they don't have as many restrictions for RV's. One drawback is that if you stay in Utah over 6 months you are required to establish residency and tag your vehicles there. Photo's of our lot and the immediate area are on photobucket. Steve and Kate

http://s982.photobucket.com/user/aspenridge9256/library/

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

I was quiet, but decided to be a bit negative about getting a home base. Home bases tend to have giant bungee cords attached to them, the further you go from them, the harder they pull you back. With a home base you are less likely to explore the whole country. It is very easy to start landscaping, remodeling, having to come back to do maintenance, staying for months on end. If you have family close by, the urge to stay can be overwhelming for many. For some this situation is fine, but if your goal is to explore and see new places, a home base will limit that goal.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

my home base is where my coach is registered......I make sure its one of the places that I go thru and spend my down time there at least twice a year!!

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

SnowGypsy wrote:
You'd probably want some kind of liability insurance covering the lot especially if you had a guest or two. Since you are located in AZ, if you considering something there, look into the water situation. We were in Marana, about 18 miles north of Tucson, and the price for drilling a well in the mid-90's was about $18,000 and then we would have needed to bring in the electric lines. To us, that was a lot of money. It just depends on how remote you go but I know that bringing in water and electrical lines can be pricey. Also, if you aren't aware, they do a "perk" test before a septic system can be installed and are picky about that but I don't remember the details.

SnowGypsy,

Thank you for the reply.

We have an umbrella policy to protect us from all of the money hungry lawyers and sue happy people. If we were to purchase land in AZ I would just haul water rather than going to the expense of a well. We have installed septic at two of our previous homes and any property we consider, the deal would be contingent on passing a perk test. All great points to ponder.

-- Edited by azrving on Saturday 11th of January 2014 10:51:16 PM

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Steve and Kate wrote:
We did it! We purchased a half acre lot in the mountains of Utah. Ours may not be exactly what you were thinking of, but similar. We are remote, no electricity, no phones, no mail delivery and our particular area there are no water rights so water is hauled in. We had to put in our own road, parking pad and added a septic system. (not willing to take a 5th wheel up and down the mountain each week to dump!). We have a generator to back up and recharge our batteries, but with a little solar we manage just fine. We haul in 100 gallons of water each week and pump into our rv storage tank. We have a satellite phone in our truck for emergencies and can drive 2 miles down the mountain and pick up a cell signal if needed. Trash is taken once a week to a county dumpster 2 miles down. We go down the mountain once a week to check cell messages, dispose of trash, pick up supplies and mail at the PO, stop at the Library for e mail and internet access and pick up water on our way back up the mountain. We do this 5-6 months of the year depending on the weather. Our lot is at 10,000' altitude and is inaccessible during the winter months. We built a small 8 x 8 storage shed on our lot. With 20'+ of snow RV's can't be kept on the mountain and our shed had to be built to withstand the snowload. What we gave up in amenities was made up with deer every night just outside our front door, hummingbirds at every window and complete peace, quiet, beautiful scenery and solitude. Not the life for everyone. Check into Utah for your plans--they don't have as many restrictions for RV's. One drawback is that if you stay in Utah over 6 months you are required to establish residency and tag your vehicles there. Photo's of our lot and the immediate area are on photobucket. Steve and Kate

http://s982.photobucket.com/user/aspenridge9256/library/

Steve & Kate,

Beautiful RV lot! We love Utah, even considered buying a house in Cedar City and looked at a couple in St.George and Moab too. We had our reasons for striking Utah off the list of places to live but I can't go into that on this forum. biggrin

Your set up is awesome, we prefer to be a little secluded in fact most of the campgrounds we frequent around AZ don't have cell reception, water, sewer, etc. Roughing it is not an issue for us but we would prefer to have year round access, power, & water on the lot.

Love the wildlife too. Thank you for sharing the pictures and the details of your RV lot.

-- Edited by azrving on Saturday 11th of January 2014 10:28:11 PM

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

bjoyce wrote:
I was quiet, but decided to be a bit negative about getting a home base. Home bases tend to have giant bungee cords attached to them, the further you go from them, the harder they pull you back. With a home base you are less likely to explore the whole country. It is very easy to start landscaping, remodeling, having to come back to do maintenance, staying for months on end. If you have family close by, the urge to stay can be overwhelming for many. For some this situation is fine, but if your goal is to explore and see new places, a home base will limit that goal.

bjoyce,

I'm glad you decided to share your thoughts, I have read many of your responses and they are usually spot-on and we value yours and all RV Dreamer's opinions. We need to hear the negative and the positive to make an informed/educated decision on whether to purchase property or not. Thank you for sharing your opinion.

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lucky Mike wrote:
my home base is where my coach is registered......I make sure its one of the places that I go thru and spend my down time there at least twice a year!!

Hey Mike,

biggrin Thank you for the reply! biggrin

Hdrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

We bought a 5 acre parcel in the area where we had our last sticks & Bricks while we still had our S&B thinking we would have it to go back to when the time came.
It’s a nice view lot and we put in a well, ran power, fenced in the upper area, put in a nice automatic gate, built a small storage shed, limbed up all the trees up the long driveway and inside the fenced area ect.
Now after being on the road and realizing that we want to remain on the road for a few more years we realized we did too much to the land to let it just sit and grow over again, and we don’t want to keep going back to keep it under control. It defeats the freedom of being traveling RVers in our mind. So we have put it on the market.
I guess what I’m saying is if you do get a chunk of land I would never do all the things we did until it was time to settle down.

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hdrider wrote:
We bought a 5 acre parcel in the area where we had our last sticks & Bricks while we still had our S&B thinking we would have it to go back to when the time came.
It’s a nice view lot and we put in a well, ran power, fenced in the upper area, put in a nice automatic gate, built a small storage shed, limbed up all the trees up the long driveway and inside the fenced area ect.
Now after being on the road and realizing that we want to remain on the road for a few more years we realized we did too much to the land to let it just sit and grow over again, and we don’t want to keep going back to keep it under control. It defeats the freedom of being traveling RVers in our mind. So we have put it on the market.
I guess what I’m saying is if you do get a chunk of land I would never do all the things we did until it was time to settle down.

Hdrider,

Thank you for your thoughts. I think we will hold off for now, who knows we may find an area of the country we love more than Northern, AZ and purchase a lot in that area. Again, I do appreciate everyone's advice.

catbecky · RV-Dreams Community Member

I am not a full timer yet but I live in east Tennessee and there is a lot of land being sold for Rv's whatever you want to put on it. you usually can find a local company that can do all the running utilities or drilling a well and having it hook up ready fairly economically. we have been talking about having a home base too like this but not ready to lay down the money for it.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

Before you decide to plunk down your money for some land, be sure to research what one can expect for property taxes. In Louisiana where I live, the Parish said my 1/2 acre of rural land was worth $50,000. The taxes here are about 2% of the land's value yearly, so that 1/2 acre of cleared land will cost about $1,000 in property taxes yearly. What's to stop them from coming by every few years and reappraising your land, raising your taxes even higher without raising the tax rate as the land appreciates? Plus, what if after paying taxes on it for years you get ready to move to it and they rezone it (as civilization expands) to prevent you from parking your RV there? Sorry, I don't want to throw a wet blanket on your plans, but I don't trust government, having had too many bad experiences.

Chip

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

We're going to start out owning only what's with us - the Foretravel, the Jeep, a couple of bikes, and the stuff that's in the coach. What money we have will be in the bank. We want to see as much of the country as we can in the next few years, and then we'll start talking seriously about where we want to end up when we can't travel any more. Yes, something could happen to one of us that would force the issue sooner, and as we go we'll be putting various parts of the country on the "possible" list. Eventually we'll start to narrow that list down as we return to those "possibles" at different seasons of the year.

LibertyLinda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Azrving

We were toying with the exact same idea you have, except to seasonally have a spot to go to in order to come 'home' and see family. I actually found a couple of places on Craigs List. I don't think we would every purchase a spot because of property taxes (certainly NEVER in NY Upstate).

Best Journey's!

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

catbecky wrote:
I am not a full timer yet but I live in east Tennessee and there is a lot of land being sold for Rv's whatever you want to put on it. you usually can find a local company that can do all the running utilities or drilling a well and having it hook up ready fairly economically. we have been talking about having a home base too like this but not ready to lay down the money for it.

Hey Catbecky,

Lots, wells, & electric are all pretty reasonable back east but not so much in the southwest. We still have land in South Carolina but I don't think we would want to ever build/live on it even though I could put a really nice RV spot on the property for less than 10,000. Eastern part of the country just isn't where we want to be. Wouldn't mind having a spot in southern AZ and another in Idaho or South Dakota but like I stated previously, I think we will get some traveling under our belt before we make concrete plans on where we want to purchase property.

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sushidog wrote:
Before you decide to plunk down your money for some land, be sure to research what one can expect for property taxes. In Louisiana where I live, the Parish said my 1/2 acre of rural land was worth $50,000. The taxes here are about 2% of the land's value yearly, so that 1/2 acre of cleared land will cost about $1,000 in property taxes yearly. What's to stop them from coming by every few years and reappraising your land, raising your taxes even higher without raising the tax rate as the land appreciates? Plus, what if after paying taxes on it for years you get ready to move to it and they rezone it (as civilization expands) to prevent you from parking your RV there? Sorry, I don't want to throw a wet blanket on your plans, but I don't trust government, having had too many bad experiences.

Chip

Chip, thank you for posting your thoughts.

I can assure you we will look into the property taxes before we purchase anything. We almost bought a house in southeast Texas because it was a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, with a swimming pool and in a nice town, all for around $200,000. This was back in 2006 when houses were priced crazy high....then I asked the agent how much the property taxes would be, we couldn't get out of Texas fast enough. LOL biggrin Now we know why all of their High Schools look like a college campus, their property taxes are ridiculous. 4 times what we were paying for a 3200 sq. ft. home (on 5 acres and a swimming pool) in South Carolina. Also, we don't trust any government be it local, state, etc. You have lots of good company!

-- Edited by azrving on Wednesday 15th of January 2014 05:12:22 PM

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

LibertyLinda wrote:
Azrving
We were toying with the exact same idea you have, except to seasonally have a spot to go to in order to come 'home' and see family. I actually found a couple of places on Craigs List. I don't think we would every purchase a spot because of property taxes (certainly NEVER in NY Upstate).
Best Journey's!

Hi LibertyLinda,

Yep, property taxes are one reason to stay out of the most sought after areas. Thank you for replying.

“Thinking is the one thing no one has ever been able to tax.” (yet)

Charles F. Kettering

“For every benefit you receive a tax is levied.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

kb0zke wrote:
We're going to start out owning only what's with us - the Foretravel, the Jeep, a couple of bikes, and the stuff that's in the coach. What money we have will be in the bank. We want to see as much of the country as we can in the next few years, and then we'll start talking seriously about where we want to end up when we can't travel any more. Yes, something could happen to one of us that would force the issue sooner, and as we go we'll be putting various parts of the country on the "possible" list. Eventually we'll start to narrow that list down as we return to those "possibles" at different seasons of the year.

kb0zke,

Pretty much what we have decided to do also.

Thanks for the reply.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

azrving wrote:
Sushidog wrote:
Before you decide to plunk down your money for some land, be sure to research what one can expect for property taxes. In Louisiana where I live, the Parish said my 1/2 acre of rural land was worth $50,000. The taxes here are about 2% of the land's value yearly, so that 1/2 acre of cleared land will cost about $1,000 in property taxes yearly. What's to stop them from coming by every few years and reappraising your land, raising your taxes even higher without raising the tax rate as the land appreciates? Plus, what if after paying taxes on it for years you get ready to move to it and they rezone it (as civilization expands) to prevent you from parking your RV there? Sorry, I don't want to throw a wet blanket on your plans, but I don't trust government, having had too many bad experiences.

Chip
Chip, thank you for posting your thoughts.
I can assure you we will look into the property taxes before we purchase anything. We almost bought a house in southeast Texas because it was a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, with a swimming pool and in a nice town, all for around $200,000. This was back in 2006 when houses were priced crazy high....then I asked the agent how much the property taxes would be, we couldn't get out of Texas fast enough. LOL Now we know why all of their High Schools look like a college campus, their property taxes are ridiculous. 4 times what we were paying for a 3200 sq. ft. home (on 5 acres and a swimming pool) in South Carolina. Also, we don't trust any government be it local, state, etc. You have lots of good company!

-- Edited by azrving on Wednesday 15th of January 2014 05:12:22 PM

Some friends pay property taxes for two Texas counties, the one they live in and the one the schools are in. Legal in Texas.

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Also remember that Texas has no income tax. All states have to raise money and how they do it affects people in different ways. Using only one number is not good way to determine whether or not that particular state/county/city is the right place to live. Often lower property taxes might mean that the local police/fire departments aren't well funded and thus you end up with higher property insurance or local roads aren't repaired and you end up with higher maintenance costs for vehicles.

Barb

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Barbaraok wrote:
Also remember that Texas has no income tax. All states have to raise money and how they do it affects people in different ways. Using only one number is not good way to determine whether or not that particular state/county/city is the right place to live. Often lower property taxes might mean that the local police/fire departments aren't well funded and thus you end up with higher property insurance or local roads aren't repaired and you end up with higher maintenance costs for vehicles.

Barb

Yep, I know they don't have income tax but that didn't even come close to offsetting the high property tax in my situation. It wasn't just the taxes. wink Texas was too much like SC for us to stay, I dislike fire ants, humidity, wind, grass, insects, etc. and Texas has all that. Happy to be in Arizona!

Thank you for responding!

dream reachers · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have only been full-timers for 6 years and there is still too much of the USA that we haven't seen. We don't want to be tethered to a piece of land at this point. We are working on an exit plan for when we have to hang up the keys or one of us passes on.