"Semi" Fulltiming?


cactuslovers

New Member
We're ready to sell the stick house and move in to our RV. My husband is 70 and I'm 60. We want to become debt free and we think we can do this by selling the house. The car will be paid off this August, and by selling the house we can pay off our credit cards and the golf cart. We're in a retirement area and many of us "commute" in the golf cart! If we pay the annual fee at a local RV resort where we'd like to stay the monthly site rent is around $235. My husband is retired and has some health issues, but I'm still healthy as a horse and work part-time. We love Arizona and have no plans to take lengthy cross-country trips - Arizona, New Mexico and California are fine for us. With our debt out of the way (except for the RV payment) we would like to still take our local trips (we LOVE the WH resort in St. David) and simultaneously maintain our monthly "home base" RV site. I will probably always want to work part-time as long as I'm able. We've thought of selling the RV (at quite a loss of course) or possibly holding out until I turn 62 when we will both qualify for a reverse mortgage. If my husband should pass before I do I don't want to rattle around in this house without him and would be perfectly content in our RV. We lived in it for a couple of years of camphosting and loved it. Life was so relaxing and simple then. Anybody out there who can get shed some light we would really appreciate!!
 

TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Gil and Dee, welcome to the forum!

Your husband is a lucky man to have chosen you to go through life with!

In today's economy, my advice to anyone in your situation is to do what you are attempting to do. Pay off the debt; even the RV debt.

Now if you can just find someone to buy that house! :clown:
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Sounds like a plan. Do you intend to stay in a RV in Arizona during the summer? That could be HOT. The coast of California is nice in the summer in a RV.
 

raskal

New Member
RE: "Semi" Fulltiming?

It sounds like you've both planned well for this venture and should be well able to put up with the little glitches that tend to pop up in an RV. As noted however, I do not know if I could appreciate Arizona ... at least the very southern portion where we are right now ... in the summer.

That said, I know you will enjoy your journey!
 

rjf7g

Senior Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Sounds like a plan...make sure you both know how to do everything needed to drive your RV, set up and break down camp along with everything in between!
 

cactuslovers

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Hey TexasClodhopper! Thank you so much for your reply. Yes, our home could sell in a month or it may take a year or more. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and thankfully we have enough equity to pay off some debts and still have a little left over, even at today's market rates. We'll keep you posted. Thanks again for your reply.
Dee and Gil
 

cactuslovers

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Thank you so much for your reply. Well, the old expression goes "but it's a DRY heat". A snowbird I golfed with a while back replied "yeah, and I can stick my head in a hot oven". Fortunately, our Itasca RV has a fantastic A/C system - it's "residential" - no apparatus on the roof and we can set the temp that we want. After 11 years here in Southern AZ we've acclimated. We golf here in the summer on the cheap, and yes, it can be over 100 degrees during the day. It's 4-5 degrees cooler here than Tucson and DEFINITELY cooler than Phoenix. We talk up the heat to our seasonal snowbirds and they just shudder - :}
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

I would have the same concern as DL. Having lived in an RV now for nine years I assure you that your RV will not stay cool like a house when the outside temperature reach 100+ degrees. It isn't just an issue of the air conditioners, but also of the RV insulation. What you have is an RV air conditioner, just one of the basement models. It is much quieter than the old roof mounted systems, and may be slightly more efficient, but not a great deal. I hope that your RV has dual pane glass in the windows as that will help a great deal. It will also help a lot if you can park where there is shade.

In our RV, at 100 degrees or more the a/c units run pretty much constantly from about 9am to near 9pm every day. And that is with dual pane glass. By mid afternoon the temperature inside would be around 80 to 85 degrees, which is about all that you can expect. Some RVs do not do as well. Shade is very important.
 

cactuslovers

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Thanks for your e-mail - you are right. We camphosted for a summer in Visalia, California and got through it, and yes the interior maybe got down to 80 and the A/C ran for several hours day and night. But we got through it and both of us would rather be too hot than too cold. Our plan is to do part-time summer traveling and reverse snowbird north. Thankfully, we do have dual pane windows and they help somewhat. Now if you and yours ever want to experience HOT, spend a night in the Salome/Brenda area of Arizona for a day and night in August. And guzzle down your nightcap really fast before the ice melts - :}
 

The Englishman

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Hey Princess!
You are a beautiful woman
You're a planner and an activist - I adore you

I am kind of successful like you and the RV's out there today are better than houses ... and I know a little bit about houses trust me on that

Live your life to the last second sweetheart cos you deserve it

May your God be with you
 

cactuslovers

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Hey Englishman - thank you for your kind words. Although I don't know how "successful" I am/feel right now strapped with debt at my age. I'm for Dave Ramsey's mantra "debt is dumb and cash is king...". I'm curious about your comment about RV's being better than houses - are you referring to material quality or maybe quality of life in a house versus full-timing?
 

The Englishman

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

The RV is a mobile unit that has to take the streses and strains a 'stick house' will never be exposed to. It is never stable cos there are few sites where all legs are equidiscent from the enclosures.

A level is taken of a thousand RV's and I bet they're less then 1% who are level. A house would creak, crack and fall.

A house is a home where you are overjoyed with your view, your neighbours, your position in life.

Im doing RV'ing because I want the freedom and the changing views so when my life is over I can sleep with some great memories not just a neighbourhood where I really hated.



:)
 

brodavid

Senior Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Dee and Gil, God Bless you and go for it, will keep you in prayer, enjoy your life together

msjackie
 

frederick

New Member
Re: "Semi" Fulltiming?

Hi Dee & Gil
Hope everything is okay. We will be selling our house and then pay off the MH
We hope to rent a small house that has space to park the MH. We will be debt
free. Hope my wife can get rid of her STUFF! My 74 Mercury stays. Best wishes
Fred from Pasco, WA. :)
 
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