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Gensets... (I hate the noise / smell of those,) MANY folks run them in Walmart lots, truckers too. The 'whisper quiet' Honda and Yamahas are very expensive.
If I'm staying in Walmarts (or Free Campgrounds for RVs) I shower at city pools, or state parks (or my outdoor shower). I will use the bathrooms in truckstops / walmarts... I try not to use my waste tanks while enroute. (mine are very small). Many Rest stops have 'dumps'.
The rural RV sites I'm planning, I hope to rent for $300 / month while occupied, and $100 if storing RV on a dedicated lot, or $60 if you move it to a 'NON-SERVICE' lot. There will be sewer + a laundry and showers and commercial kitchen available in the community building (as well as shared shop, greenhouse, ...). Part of the draw of my proposed sites will be that they are affordable enough, you can fly / drive between them w/o using your RV / tow rig as a 'commuter'. Eac site will be in a 'hub' of a very nice area to visit, AND within 20 miles of a cheap airport. I will have 50 mpg vehicles that you can rent or use. (I have plenty of spares... ~ 25 (StealthRabbits are VERY cheap to buy and operate).
Keep your options open.
But getting there is half the fun (or more) Flying sucks.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by Coldjensens
But getting there is half the fun (or more) Flying sucks.
Keep your options open.
While I love road trips, 3m + miles accident free commercial driving and more than 3m accident free private miles... I'll stick with best means for the particular trip.
1800 miles in last week via car road trips, 600 motorcyle, and 2200 flying yesterday. I'm glad I have many options.
My favorite is to fly / drive. There is no way I could accomplish my preference (international) only by driving. In 4 hrs flying I can cover 5 days worth of monotonous and dangerous driving for about 1/10 the cost. And no wear and tear on my vehicles.
But driving brings a wealth of 'stories' and encounters. And close calls.
We are debating what to do with our Florida home next year. We hired lawn and pool services this year and just walked away, but it's hard to justify the expense if we're only going back to Florida for a few short months in the winter.
My wife favors trying to rent, probably as an AirBnB, but I think we'd be better off just selling it and putting the money away for another house when we're tired of the RV lifestyle.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by heySkippy
We are debating what to do with our Florida home next year. We hired lawn and pool services this year and just walked away, but it's hard to justify the expense if we're only going back to Florida for a few short months in the winter.
My wife favors trying to rent, probably as an AirBnB, but I think we'd be better off just selling it and putting the money away for another house when we're tired of the RV lifestyle.
Unless there is really something very special about that particular home... I would suggest selling it during this current sellers boom.
If home can easily be matched or replaced or improved on.... I would sell now, and replace it when and where you next want to live. Pools, landscape, maintenance can all take a big hit when a diligent owner is absent.it can take years to bring back to pristine condition. BTDT.
Being free from the ownership burden also avails the opportunity to downsize.
Alternatively, I build a shop on a desirable acreage with an apartment and RV hookup. Then I have a place to call home, and a place to store stuff. You can rent out the apartment or rv spot for a caretaker and income write-off for depreciation and maintenance.
I would not air b&b any property, as it becomes a revolving door of carefree high maintenance occupants, with most of your income going to the management company. FT rental is lower daily revenue, but 100% occupancy. Usually beats PT tenants and frequently changing tenant damage / risk.
^^ We’ve lived there 22 years, so there’s some sentimental attachment if nothing else.
We do have a pad with hookups on the side of the house for our RV. We have kicked around the idea of renting the house with a provision that we could park there and live in the camper for short periods. Not sure how feasible that is.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by heySkippy
^^ We’ve lived there 22 years, so there’s some sentimental attachment if nothing else.
We do have a pad with hookups on the side of the house for our RV. We have kicked around the idea of renting the house with a provision that we could park there and live in the camper for short periods. Not sure how feasible that is.
You can add that provision to your rental contract, but verify local codes / HOA. Some allow 14 or 30 days in RV on property. Some do not allow at all.
Mine are all rural, so I am in compliance. I very carefully pre-screen tenants and never advertise as "immediately available". On take applications, only contact the very few that qualify. Using a management company will exclude your ability to prescreen. (Fair housing act). Must take all who are qualified. No smoking, no pets exclude the majority of applicants these days. Beware of ESA claiming to be "service animals". They are not.
You can add that provision to your rental contract, but verify local codes / HOA. Some allow 14 or 30 days in RV on property. Some do not allow at all.
Mine are all rural, so I am in compliance. I very carefully pre-screen tenants and never advertise as "immediately available". On take applications, only contact the very few that qualify. Using a management company will exclude your ability to prescreen. (Fair housing act). Must take all who are qualified. No smoking, no pets exclude the majority of applicants these days. Beware of ESA claiming to be "service animals". They are not.
Many AirBnB owners complain that renters simply lie about their pets and assume the owners will not find out. Unless you are physically there to meet the renters on arrival, how can you know?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by heySkippy
How do you avoid having a property manager when you're going to be unknown thousands of miles away most of the year?
Have very good and responsible tenants! (retirees !!)( Have a good relationship with them! (Many of ours stay 7+ yrs) + Auto-deposit and billpay.
My tenants get a list of approved contractors, bank, insurance... and well as they get reloadable Home Depot cards and I pay them for repairs (I have properties in 3 states).
We were gone for a yr RTW and no major catastrophes on rentals.
We travel most of the time and have quite 'high maintenance / complex' rentals (All are rural view acreages... Well water, septic systems, falling trees, snow removal, fences, barns, long driveways...) I DON'T recommend this! but it fits our objectives (nice places to retreat to with room for us, significant equity gains, easy to rent, and very desirable for quick resell.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by TimAZ
Many AirBnB owners complain that renters simply lie about their pets and assume the owners will not find out. Unless you are physically there to meet the renters on arrival, how can you know?
Carefully screen your tenants, have a provision in lease that you can enter the property at anytime with 24 hr notice. Since I have extra living qtrs on the site, the tenants don't 'deceive me' YMMV.
If you are an RV'r within USA it is quite simple to jump on a plane and go meet new tenants (~$100 well spent). My RV fits in a std space and so $3/ day parking at Tucson (Covered airport parking with discount coupon) !
My tenants are Long Term, so If they changed out, I or a hired person would need to be there. (I keep referral people to help with that if I need to). Often these are my other tenants... 4 of them have been Property managers / contractors / landlords / plumbers / electricians... They are all very helpful to me. (One txt me yesterday asking if they could do some projects / improvements.... "Sure! I will add $500 to your HD card tomorrow!")
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