Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Does anyone live in a Park Model RV full time in a community? I haven't seen any recent reviews on this life. They all many years old. I'm sure there are new updates on this life. I like the Park models and could afford one but where would you put it? What are the communities like? are they campgrounds for full time communities? I have only seen them in Arizona and Florida, two places I don't want to move to. In the older reviews the lot rentals seemed more than a house payment. Do any of these communities have deeded lots where you own the ground your Park Model is on?
Everything sounds like heaven until you start your deep research. Kind of like the Tiny House movement. I love them but where do you put them? I don't have any friends with spare backyard space who would want to share part of their house with me because the Tiny House is only for sleeping.
Any experience in this living would be appreciated.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
Reputation: 46172
I know of many Park Model communities in PNW and in TX (+ SW USA)
Usually it is 'leased lot'
I much prefer a ROC (Resident owned community)
All the residents own a portion of the whole facility (but not the deed to their lot)
benefits:
Community usually has much high standard of living (everyone has vested interest) Safer / cleaner / better valuations
Property values INCREASE, due to community controlled expenses (land is being paid off over time)
Costs often decrease rather than increase (or extra funds are used to IMPROVE the park. )
Negatives...
entry costs is high ($30 - $80k)
Sometimes OCD people get in control for a yr (Good yr to leave and travel!)
My choice... I buy a rural place with multiple living units + shops / barns / RV hook-ups. and I rent out the "BIG HOUSE" and live in a cabin for free (Where-ever I happen to want to be, I own in various climates and locations. ) Nice cash flows for 'retirement'. deductible travel between (I fly and keep <$100 cars at each location). Renter takes care of maintenance and repairs, and security.
A lot of RV parks in North Carolina (including the one we're summering in) have areas for park models, with some people living in then seasonally and some full-time.
Thanks for your comments. What is the name of the RV park in N Carolina you stay in? Texas or AZ have never appealed to me but who knows, I have never been either place so might surprise myself and like one of them.
I love North Carolina but have a friend who lives there and it seems to be expensive. Maybe RV living isn't though. I'll have to check that out too.
We travel a lot in our RV and sometimes stay at park model communities (often these communities have RV hookups also). StealthRabbit makes a good point about resident-owned communities being generally better. In our experience this is true. Two parks we stay at most often offer leased lots, and over the years we have seen the roads deteriorate, drainage problems go unresolved, and maintenance standards decline. However, two other parks that are jointly owned by residents appear to have added amenities and retained their beautiful grounds and maintained their roads. Interestingly, the two leased lot parks seem to be comprised of more part time residents while the others appear to be mostly year round residents.
I agree the parks with being in a resident-owned community. That's what I would definitely look for. I don't want to feel like I'm camping but living in a retirement community.
Stealth Rabbit, thanks for all the links. I'll be going over them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
