Heylea
Billings, MT
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Joined: 03/06/2012
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'Morning, All!
Would love to hear your story on how you made the leap into fulltiming! We are setting the stage to launch next year and have SO MUCH on our to-do list we're not sure where to start!
We plan on buying a used Class A outright after selling our home and everything in it that we don't put in the RV. Lock, stock and barrel must go. Timing on this will be a little scary!
So far we've Ebay'd, Goodwill'd, and plan on having massive garage/moving sales to slowly empty the house, then list it and hopefullly time the sale w/ the RV purchase.
What are your thoughts and experiences of this scenario? It's okay to say if you think we're crazy -- a little crazy is healthy. 
Heylea
Class A TBD in 2013
2009 Jeep Compas Rallye 4x4 5-sp manual
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skylos
Columbus, OH
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Joined: 06/10/2009
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Heh. my question would be 'might'n'it be easier to just load the RV and delegate the distribution of stuff and house sale to somebody else?'
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PinkLeopard
South Lake Tahoe
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Joined: 04/22/2010
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Well we did it all in about 3 months! Decided to do it in April, Found our motorhome in May, bought it in June, had massive garage sales, selling on Craigslist, Changed our address & out of the house by end of July! We were lucky that we were renting and didn't have a house to sell but it was 3000 sq ft and every room and closet was packed. So - a year? No problem!!
Our Blog
Debby & Bill
on the adventure of our lives
"Man Plans & God Laughs"
2008 35' Southwind
2010 Subaru Forester toad
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hershey
Albuquerque,(fulltime) NM, USA
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Joined: 06/04/2003
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Had a MH. Retired and found that the large house and yard prevented us from traveling for weeks or months at a time because of it. Decided to downsize to something that had little or no yard so we could travel for longer periods.
House sold way faster than we wanted and had to get rid of a lot of stuff and put a lot in storage.
Took off for the fall and winter and would look for a smaller place when we got back.
Somehow, we just never took the time to look.....7+ years later and still traveling.
hershey - albuquerque, nm
Someday Finally Got Here
My wife does all the driving - I just get to hold the steering wheel.
Superman was an illegal alien.
Expedition - Suzuki Grand Viagra
NASCAR 14 - 99
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nina_70
On wheels, USA
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Joined: 07/06/2009
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We got out of our house in ~3 months too. It was crazy, but we got it done. It did help that we were renting (not owning) our house at the time.
I DO recommend trying to buy your RV several months before you move so you can work out any bugs before you go on the road. Almost all RVs have issues when you first get them and it helps to be in one place to work them all out (especially if you can get the shop you bought it from to cover any repairs under warranty). We bought our RV 6 months before moving into it and spent alot of week-ends camping & trying/working all the systems. Got alot of repairs done in that time.
Also, another idea is to live a few months on-site before going on the road. That will give you time to get used to the rig and decide what you REALLY need to have with you. We got rid of quite a few things those first few months.
12 paws, 40-feet and the open road
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/
Investing for a Living
http://investingforaliving.wordpress.com/
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HappyKayakers
Black River Falls WI
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Joined: 11/28/2005
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You're absolutely correct about the timing. Trying to get a good price for your house, then immediately afterwards find a good deal on a used Class A could be like hitting the Powerball. Here's a thought to make your life a little less hectic.
Sell the house and everything you're ABSOLUTELY certain you won't need in the RV. Rent the smallest apartment you can find while you're looking for your perfect RV.
After you get the RV, re-evaluate the stuff you kept.
Joe and Dakota, the wacko cat
2006 Dodge 3500 QC CTD SRW Jacobs Exhaust brake
2006 Heartland Bighorn 3600RL, MorRyde suspension, TrailAir pinbox
http://happykayakers.com/blogger/
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sdianel
Tampa, FL
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Joined: 07/24/2005
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I lost my job (downsizing) bought an RV, sold our home in TX, sold all the furniture, etc. moved back to home state of FL, stayed in a home belonging to my mom. Traveled some but still had stick house to worry about. After mom passed away and we sold her house we thought we would find another home but never have. Gave pictures and stuff to daughter and got rid of the rest of the "stuff"... 4 years later we are still full timing in 33' Class A with 2 slides. You are smart to make a list and keep checking things off. Pare down to absolutely what you know you will use. Space and weight is an issue to remember. Don't worry about not having something. You can pick up things at Walmart or the Dollar Store. Scan photos and important papers and take them with you. Keep originals in safety deposit box. Find someone to forward mail. Get rid of junk mail, magazines, etc. Have bills paid automatically or pay online. Get satellite TV and internet and you're good to go!! We're headed to Montana this summer. Never been. See you down the road! Keep us posted.
Lonny & Diane
2004 Country Coach Allure 33' "Big Blue"
Towing 2008 Chev Colorado 4x4
Semper Fi
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Old-Biscuit
Across the USA
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Joined: 06/20/2009
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We decided to go FT. So we went shopping for a rig.......looked and looked until we finally found size/floorplan we wanted then we ordered it with options & deletes we wanted. Then ordered our truck. This was Sept. of 2006. Picked up truck and 5'vr first week of Nov. and had our shake down cruise over Thanksgiving.
Parked it in driveway and filled it up:
With things we knew we needed
With things we thought we needed
With things we wanted to keep
Then told family & close friends.......come get anything you want cause it's getting sold otherwise.
1st week of Feb. 2007 had an estate auction. Started at 9am and by 5pm EVERYTHING was sold and gone. Totally empty house.
Put house on market that week and had an offer from an attendant at auction. We accepted and closed escrow mid April 2007.
We had already established our new mailing address 1st of April so when escrow closed we moved to a local CG to finalize our move.
End of April we hit the road........headed to SD where we got our new drivers licenses, registered out TV & 5'vr, registered to vote.
That was 5 yrs. and 80,000 miles ago. Just renewed our licenses last week.
Heading out on our 6th trip across the USA.
Few observations:
We didn't need as much stuff as we thought.......just like the Conestoga Wagons we got rid of stuff as we traveled.
We get weighed each year.
We have a 1 bag in 2 bag out rule that we massage as needed.
Be debit free
We wish we had done this sooner.
Good luck in your new lifestyle.
2007 RAM 3500 QC LB SRW 5.9L CTD 48re 4:10 4K in bed 'quiet genny'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
Hit the Road Free & Clear April '07
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hitchup
Fulltiming and on the Road.
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Joined: 02/17/2005
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Started planning in 1999, but managed to move up our schedule to 2005. Once we made the decision it only took 3 mos. We had already downsized 3 yrs prior and were living in a corporate apt with a 7 mos lease.
We had forgotten how bad it was living with elephants on our rooftop. So DH talked to his employer and asked about giving us perdiem living expenses to stay in an RV Park.
Jan: DH sold his F350 and traded my Tahoe for a newer, more capable tow vehicle
Feb: started shopping for full-time 5er, moved all our stuff with a U-Haul 5 hrs back to kids homes
Mar: Lease was up and moved the new 5er into the 1st of many RV parks
May: changed employers so we could move from FL to SC and beyond. LOL
2009 DRV Mobile Suite 38TKSB3 (38RSSB3)....our custom home w/2011 upgrades
2010 Ford F450 KR CC 4x4......his office
Working Fulltimers since 3/2005
"Shoot for the Moon! Even if you miss it, you will land among the Stars."
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Chillyrodent
On the road
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Joined: 05/23/2009
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Sounds pretty sane to me. It took us two years, one entire year of which was living in our driveway in our rig (through a New York State winter - who's crazy?).
You'll load up your RV with "essentials" and then you'll unload half of it again in six months.
Carry on! Good luck!
The Good Luck Duck
The Good Luck Duck
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