Road trip to Northern ID to find and buy a home next week. (Twin Falls: 2013, rentals)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

We're not very superstitious people, but when a trip is being delayed by one obstacle after another, we consider it jinxed, and we change our plans. So I think going back was the right thing to do under the circumstances, but it must have been an enormous letdown.



So now it's time to regroup and consider other options, not involving an RV! Idaho will wait for you, I'm sure. Can you do a fall trip in your car? The virus may be less of a problem then, staying at hotels may be less of a challenge, and NID is gorgeous in the fall.

[oldafretired]

Sorry to hear about the mechanical problems. I think you did the right thing by turning around before getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

It's a lot easier going by car and I think most chain hotels are doing extra to disinfect things. They have rental RVs if you want to go that route. I've seen them when driving around and they seem to be more like a big van with a camper on it.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

We're not very superstitious people, but when a trip is being delayed by one obstacle after another, we consider it jinxed, and we change our plans. So I think going back was the right thing to do under the circumstances, but it must have been an enormous letdown.



So now it's time to regroup and consider other options, not involving an RV! Idaho will wait for you, I'm sure. Can you do a fall trip in your car? The virus may be less of a problem then, staying at hotels may be less of a challenge, and NID is gorgeous in the fall.

That's interesting, CFF.
I tend to jinx a trip too.

There have been some times when I left anyway, mostly because of necessity, but whenever I do, the jinx has always proved out. There was always some kind of trouble I ran into, and most of it was unexpected.

If I can smell trouble, it's there, somewhere. The last time I left, knowing it was jinxed, I postponed long enough to get my winter tires changed onto my car. The weather here was cloudy, but too warm for snow, so it was just jinx-caution that made me burn up time due to a last-second tire change.

But 5 hours later, I drove straight into a blizzard that turned a canyon road into a roller-skating rink.

I was very happy then that I had gone with my gut and spent the time. I arrived a lot later than planned, but I arrived. and was able to come back home the following day.

[luvmyveteran]

CFF, BanjoMike,
we listen to our guts also or tend to pay a much higher price at some point.

BanjoMike, that sounds like a wild ride on the icy roads, I had a similar experience getting caught in a blizzard up in Lake Tahoe, had a spin out on a road with rock wall on one side, and sheer drop off on the other, not something forgettable, lol.

CFF, We are trying to figure out how to still make the trip soon, but at the moment am
feeling very deflated and the intense heat keeps me hiding indoors, so only have the rv half unpacked.
Packing it to go for a month was a ton of work, physically and mentally.

So much crazy stuff going on I had to get past that first, then I packed the rv like we
were taking a Mad Max road trip, planning a route to avoid large cities/riots/popup blockades, & not wanting to go into stores more than necessary, nor risk exposure at restaurants.

Whether the virus is as deadly as first thought or not, getting any illness while traveling is something I always try to avoid.

Am hoping that the fall may stop the mass invasion, and frantic buying going on and things will settle down to semi-normal in NID.

I talked with a friend who sold their home who had planned to move and buy a place in the Smokey Mountains. The took a similar path as we planned, look for homes while living in their rv.

He sounded very dejected as they have been sitting stuck in their rv for 3+ months losing out on one home after another as the same type of thing is going on up there as in NID. Tons of people escaping the big cities with cash in hand, jacking up prices to stupid levels, and homes having multiple bids within hours of listing.

We are all kicking ourselves for not taking action last year knowing where we wanted to move, and could have bought before the masses went nuts.
Hindsight, argh.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by luvmyveteran

Well we made it about 300 miles to Springfield, MO when our motor home started doing odd glitchy things so we parked for the night in a walmart parking lot and made the decision to come back home.

We don't give up easy, but because the issues were intermittent and not something we could just figure out and fix on the road we didn't want to risk going another 2K+ miles to NID.
Our rv has maybe 28k miles on it, ...

We are cleaning out the rv and it is going up for sale asap, ...
Going to come up with a new plan to achieve our goals of moving to NID, we are pretty determined in spite of life happening, lol

Originally Posted by luvmyveteran

CFF, BanjoMike,
we listen to our guts also or tend to pay a much higher price at some point.

...
.. I packed the rv like we
were taking a Mad Max road trip, planning a route to avoid large cities/riots/popup blockades, & not wanting to go into stores more than necessary, nor risk exposure at restaurants.
...

Am hoping that the fall may stop the mass invasion, and frantic buying going on and things will settle down to semi-normal in NID.

...

We are all kicking ourselves for not taking action last year knowing where we wanted to move, and could have bought before the masses went nuts.
Hindsight, argh.

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

...
So now it's time to regroup and consider other options, not involving an RV! Idaho will wait for you, ...NID is gorgeous in the fall.

^^^ take a breath (and rest) and regroup.
1) Make the trip as able in the fall, and determine your top 3 choices for locations, then you will have all winter to search for bargains / potential sales in those regions. (I try to find my places BEFORE they are listed for sale, MUCH less hassle / competition to buy, and usually lower price without that competition)

2) Keep the MH if it makes sense (if not a lemon). If it is perpetually a troublesome traveler, find a plan B. (Sell NOW and replace it in the fall when prices are lower). Sounds like you are more comfortable / secure traveling in the RV mode. I prefer campervans, but I do my showers at community pools / healthclubs, which sounds too risky for you. Campervans are great solo, but pretty tight for 2. Very easy to stealth camp, drive, and resell.

3) Thoroughly research your options and areas while you regroup. I'm not sure I saw your Must / Want list, But VA medical hospital (rather than clinic) may mean Spokane access. Plenty of nice places north of Spokane, but you really want to understand micro climates. A friend rented a home on the river near Newport, WA while building theirs. The river was fogged in most days in winter, but their new home was above the clouds and sunny. BIG difference.

Actually, with the current spastic response to people fleeing to rural areas and buying properties, it might be a good time to regroup / wait for the mad rush to subside. Many of them are 'impulse buying' and their plans will never come to fruition. There will be some 'property liquidations. Likely 2022 - 2024 when Covid will only be a memory. Doesn't hurt to rent while you find your spot. Just the extra work of moving 2x, but if you downsize and also find you DON'T like your 1st choice, there is much benefit to renting, especially when changing locations to a far different region / people / drs / community, state.

[luvmyveteran]

StealthRabbit, good list of things to consider.
My husband grew up in WA, but we won't buy there while the state is run from Seattle by radical liberals.

He rarely needs to go to an actual VA hospital other than 1x a year for a yearly check in.
We use health pro's in town or local hospitals if needed, most of which are way better than the VA.

We are selling the rv, not in the mood to get another one after being stressed on 2 big trips, my husband is 6^6, it was tough enough to find an RV that he could fit comfortably in that wasn't huge itself, lol

Could you share or message me if willing to tell how you find homes that aren't listed for the masses yet? We are working with a realtor but not signed up. We have always bought and sold properties ourselves, but we know we may need one in the crazy market and being 2100 miles away.

Argh, I can't wait until the year 2022, I've been fiending to move to ID for close to 3 yrs now, I wonder at times if it's not meant to be as the rv isn't the only thing that has popped up to stop us.
But I am a slow learner and don't take no for an answer until I can no longer find a way to achieve what I want.
I just spent some time checking into airbnb's, it's much more limited than it used to be and I still feel uncomfortable at the thought of hotels, but might do that if I get desperate.
We may end up renting a home and moving before buying at this point, but the thought of moving all this stuff twice hurts my feelings.
thanks for your suggestions, am open to hearing any and all.

[dcisive]

There are a LOT of ways to get that job done regarding getting out there to look for the home. My wife and I did the drive and planned a couple of nights in decent hotels. It worked out for us. As for an RV there is one thing for SURE. I would NEVER NEVER NEVER buy a used one that's is for certain. Buying a used RV is like throwing fuel on the fire of risk of issues. The close 2nd is just renting one. At least then it's NOT your responsibility and you drop it off and the risk ends. You may want to rethink the method of our getting out there to look for a place may go down. I'm willing to admit Super 8's and Motel 6 were NEVER in consideration for me. I'm spoiled I used to travel for a living with the company credit card. Stayed in Marriott's, Hilton Garden Inn's and the like. Worked for me and they tended to be very clean and well maintained. Heck you could even rent a competent car and go that route. Lot's of possible ways to get it done. I would do that, and make arrangements to visit a highly rated real estate agent and have them take you around and get the low down on a given area. Just a thought.

[redwood66]

Having been in your position, I would definitely rent before buying here. I wish we had.

[luvmyveteran]

Originally Posted by redwood66

Having been in your position, I would definitely rent before buying here. I wish we had.

Redwood66, could you share why you wish you had rented first?
I am frugal, so the thought of paying rent that is the same or more to what a mortgage would cost makes it seem preferable to buy.
Big drawback of course is not knowing the area, and being locked into a place we just like if one we love comes available soon after.

[Cnynrat]

You've probably heard that the standard advice when moving somewhere with which you aren't familiar is to rent for at least a year first. The logic is that it gives you the opportunity both to get to know the area and also to better understand what your day to day routine will be before making the commitment of buying a home. That should put you in a better position to avoid making a poor choice.

I completely understand the logic behind that advice.

We ignored it. We bought without renting, and are quite happy with our decision. So I think it depends on your situation. Certainly it's possible to move somewhere without following that advice and be happy with your decision. It may take a little more forethought, and spending a fair amount of time visiting an area before buying will no doubt improve the odds of making the right choice.

Dave