RE: thinking about Buying an RV lot - question
When we sold our house, we decided to buy a lot for several reasons. Biggest reason was the lot is now our inflation/economy hedge, if everything goes to pot, we can always just stay parked on our lot, with very low expenses and ride out the problem.
Second, even though it wasnt a large investment, its still an investment, that history has proven to increase in value. If the predictions are correct, the increase in lot value will more than cover the small monthly maintenance fee, which will have the effect of giving us a very low cost per year, with a chance of an actual gain even after the maint fee.
Third, this lot has the priviledge to add a coachhouse, or to place a park model at a later date, which may be what we decide to do, after we finish our traveling days. Its also a spot that we can create an anchor to, which DW finds comforting, even though we travel a lot.
So in the final analysis, perhaps owning your own lot isnt for everyone, but for some, especially full-timers, it does have advantages that ones that retain a home other than their Rv might not appreciate as much as a full-timer.
RE: Corporate owned RV parks vs family owned- RGV
I think the trend is towards corp owned parks in snowbird areas. As far as amenities or improvements, its not likely to make much difference who owns the park but more towards the attitude of the owners themselves, and the potential to improve revenues thru rent increases.
I believe that each park should stand on its own merits and how well the park fulfills the needs of the rv'er. Only then can someome make a value judgement on whether to stay at a given park.
I would also say, that I think its going to be easier for corp owned parks to upgrade/expand their parks in the future. Family owned parks tend to have less capital, and its harder for them to get capital.
RE: KOA starting to require their CG's to conform
Perhaps KOA is upgrading some of their cg's, but we still find their sites to be overpriced and cheek-to-cheek sites just dont appeal to us. We recently stayed in a 40 per night KOA, and in order to get internet service the add-on cost was 5 per night. In this day and age, thats an outrageous price for internet usage for one night.
We would only choose a KOA in the future, as a last option!
RE: 5'er vs. Class A
If you plan to move every 3-4 days vs staying in one location longer, you likely will like a MH vs a 5th wheel. The more traveling you do, the more likely you will choose the MH.
Personally, we dont move that often, and enjoy the more spacious living that 5th wheels offer.
Unhooking and hook-up are nearly the same, but in general it does take longer with a 5th wheel, (unless you have a auto-leveling system on the 5th wheel) but in the retired "mode" time doesnt really matter.
So for a bit more time we get a nicer space at a much cheaper price than going the MH route.
RE: Another full-timer coming at you real fast
We are looking for a home to live in free as well. Will your home be available for June, July, and August of 09. If needed we could even arrive 2 months early. Sounds like a great deal, free rent, free utilities, no maintenace costs, (just call the owner and have him pay the bill), could we also participate in any equity increase as well while we are there??
RE: Fleetwood $1.65
Fleetwood is one of the better manufacturers. I wonder if the sale of their pop up division took place? I think they are big enough to ride this out though they may be smaller and more streamlined for it.
If you said bigger instead of better, I could agree.
RE: Fannie & Freddie takeover helps RV industry
I think that the bailout is meant to secure the mortgage debt holders rather than to help the housing market. About the only thing that will help the housing market is increased demand. With the economy still faltering, I dont think demand is going to improve dramatically in the next year.
It will still take another year or more to get the foreclosures under control and to eliminate the impact of prices that foreclosures create. The recent change in FHA loan maximums will have a positive effect on demand, but I still see problems ahead.
As long as the general economy and sentiment is leaning negative, demand will mimic that negative. Its just going to take time for the housing market to recover and sadly, there really isnt much any politician can really do to solve the problem.
RE: Weather in the Hill country?
Hill country weather is a little too cool to be considered a great snowbird location. However, you can still expect some very nice days during that time. It will also depend on your climate attitude as well. For some Texans 40 during the day is downright cold. For some of my friends from the northern states, 40 is very tolerable. You also need to factor the wind chill, which can add to your discomfort.
Perhaps the quality of parks and the other amenities of the area would be sufficient to overcome some of the cooler days.
RE: Yellowstone Park full of RVs. You can't stop us from camp'n!
I am not sure where the figures come from, but I can say that for many of the campgrounds in the upper midwest were experiencing a 15-20% decline in site rentals. Part of the reduction can be blamed on an unusually cold spring.
I would think as the summer wore on, rv'ers started getting out, since its still a lot cheaper to go rv'ing rather than a motel vacation.
RE: Lease w/option to purchase a scam?
I have seen many closings where the buyer was reimbursed an agreed upon amount for repairs after closing. This is especially attractive to a seller and buyer both, if they can agree on the amount.
Usually, the title company/escrow company, would take the repair amount from the seller's proceeds and then dispurse to the buyer with a title company check after the transaction is funded. This method perhaps isnt 100% correct since the repairs may or may not get done, but if not, the problem would fall on the buyer, rather than the seller. In addition, in consideration for the seller payment, I always insisted the title company draw up a hold harmless agreement to be signed by the agents, buyer and seller. In all the many closings done this way, there was never a problem after the fact, but there's always a possiblity one could arise.
I found handling repairs this way, prevented a host of other problems not only at closing, but also after the sale. So it became one of which was the greater evil, and I took the reimbursement route whenever possible.
Unusual/serious repairs that if left undone,that would have a dramatic effect on the appraisal were never handled this way, only minor repairs.
RE: TT suitable for full timing?
Were I looking for a full-time tt, I might look into Airstream.
Having fulltimed in an Airstream, I can tell you that is not a good choice for fulltiming. Very poor insulation which means it is very hard to heat and cool.
You may be exactly right. That's why I said I would look into it vs recommend one. We just happened to stay a few nights in an Airstream park in MI,,and I noticed that most of the members there were doing just fine in older Airstream models with no apparent problems, of course it was also summer.
RE: TT suitable for full timing?
As you can sort of determine by the responses so far, the reason there are so few truly full-time tt, is that the demand isnt that great. The popularity of tt is now more slanted to the weekend camper who wants to tow it with a 1/2 ton or less tv.
The 5th wheel provides a more stable towing system, therefore higher weights are possible with equal or better towing capability. With higher weight, also comes more insulation and a host of other pluses that the full-time market wants.
Were I looking for a full-time tt, I might look into Airstream or some of the higher end tt, but I think you will find that they also have weights that require a larger tv, but I also think you will find the cost of such units more closely aligned with the 5th wheel costs.
RE: Mail forwarding service
The only company like that which I have come across is very expensive, but I can't recall the name. I have not heard much of them just lately but if my memory were not so poor, I could help.
I would suggest that you consider a different approach and take a look at the Escapees RV Club. They are the only full service support group for fulltimers. With them you not only get mail forwarding service, but you also get a street address(not just a mail box number) that is fully legal for all actions, as well as a domicile in Texas which means no state income tax, no time limit for physical presence in state, release from jury service when out of the state, legally tested voting rights, 18 RV parks to stay in for very low prices, the best RV magazine in existence and host of other advantages and benefits.
as another "bonus" don't you also get a horribly high property tax on your RV?
bumpy
Property tax in Texas doesnt apply to an Rv since its not part of any real estate. Should you buy a park model, and the lot it sits on, there would be property tax. There would also be property tax on a owned rv site, but not on the rv itself since its not a permenant structure. The rv is a licensed trailer/rv, and Tx does collect a small license fee every year.
RE: Canadian citizens! How long can we be out of Canada?
I cant answer the question, but I do know quite a few Canadians, and even after hearing discussions of this issue more than once, I can tell you that even they couldnt not reach a consensus. So perhaps some diligent investigation would be worth while.
RE: Need info on '08 Pilgrim 272PBH
Assuming that the actual list price is about 31k, most would believe that a normal dealer discount would be at least 20% and perhaps up to 30%. If you are only getting a 30% discount and facing no future support from Pilgrim, then I would suggest the discount isnt adequate for the situation.
I ran into two Travel Supreme 5th wheels, that the dealer was still hoping and hoping and hoping he would sell at his normal discount that were 2007 models, even though TS had already ceased operations.
Just because a dealer is hoping for an uneducated buyer to drop in, doesnt mean you cant negotiate an even better deal or to move on to another trailer altogether.
RE: LAND!!
I have been continually amazed since 1975 at how much worthless land can actually be worth. I can remember driving between Gila Bend AZ and Yuma Az and seeing signs along the highway, in desolate undeveloped areas, that were offered for sale a $500. per acre.
RE: New RV Court Advice
Since the legal aspect poster hasnt responded, I will make an attempt.
You are embarking on a commercial businness and that evokes several legal and tax issues that will eventually need to be addressed. Since you will be dealing with the public there is always the question of liability and how you will protect your other assets from any potential problems from the rv park.
One of the first issues therefore is how to provide maximum protection of your other assets and usually that would be to have a corporate umbrella to conduct rv park activities. A knowledgeable attorney could outline the options, but based on the anticipated revenue, I would predict a sub-chapter s corporation might provide the greatest flexibility in both liability and tax treatments.
Another issue is just to evaluate what you will actually need in terms of an insurance policies and to weight the cost vs benefit of such a policies. There are issues of liability and property damage, and perhaps other issues that need to be addressed.
There may also be other issues that relate to zoning, utilities and etc that being forewarned by an attorney may prove beneficial and perhaps to even prevent a costly disaster.
The right attorney can become much more than a legal advisor but also a valuable member of your business team to help you achieve your goals.
RE: USGA Golf Handicap
The original poster didnt have a club affliation but wanted a USGA handicap. After a brief visit to the ghin website it would appear to me that in order to use the site for handicap purposes the golfer must have a club affliation.
All I can say about verifying, is that I have personally watched/heard the pros calling individual clubs to verify handicaps and I would think that even with ghin, the same thing would happen. Our club was constantly monitoring scores, and even then there was a certain amount of "bogus" scores turned in and sandbagging attempts.
I cant imagine our club members being any different from most in that for some, cheating is acceptable and sandbagging still remains an issue for any golfer entered into a handicap tournament.
