My wife and I decided a few months ago to go toward full-time status. I teach online for a few colleges so I can still bring in a decent income, we are basically debt-free and she is ready to retire. We planned on going out in 2012.
There are 4 other homes for sale on our street but we live near a small university and listed our home with them in case a new faculty member might be interested. Well...our house just sold and our 4 kids are quickly dividing up our furniture and we have decided to go out this summer...basically a year earlier.
This web site has helped us a lot and we are going to plan on spending between now and the end of August to get the details worked out and our material goods eliminated. Then we will hit the road. We anticipate living (for now) between Michigan and Florida since both of our moms are still alive in Michigan and need our occasional help. However we also have a son and daughter-in-law living in Portland Oregon so we will occasionally wander out that way for a season.
We will probably be asking a whole lot of questions but things are working out. I guess there is still an adventure to be had when you are over 55.
-- Edited by Over55 on Monday 16th of May 2011 08:34:24 PM
Froggi said
09:31 PM May 16, 2011
Wow! Congratulations on the quick sale and getting on the road early. Be sure to check into the various rallies around...Howard & Linda's and the Gypsy Journal (GJR) are two good ones. Lots of information/education, good vendors and great socialization. we'll be at the GJR the end of Sept in Ohio.
Oh, if you start a blog...be sure to post the link.
Melstar said
10:25 PM May 16, 2011
Congratulations and best wishes for a wonderful time!
Penny and Paul said
05:59 AM May 17, 2011
Congratulations! Looks like your new lifestyle was meant to be - how exciting!
Dog Folks said
08:07 AM May 17, 2011
Congratulations!!!
We expected, and planned, for our house to be on the market for about a year because we wanted a full price offer. It sold in 8 days!! So, we know what you are going through.
Keep the faith, you have some busy, but exciting days ahead. You will get through this and soon be free, free, free.
jb said
09:02 AM May 17, 2011
Congratulations!
mktobob said
10:07 AM May 17, 2011
WOW....Congratulations! That is great news.
Camper_Boy said
08:53 PM May 17, 2011
Congratulations on the quick sale!
I'm curious about how you "listed your home with the University" . . . did they have a newsletter or bulletin board, or something? Were you listed with a Realtor, or did you sell by owner?
We are also in a University/Medical Center town, and have wondered how to gain the attention of new professors/doctors coming into town.
Thanks,
Marci
Over55 said
12:26 PM May 18, 2011
Hi Marci
We live a block off from the local university and they maintain an unofficial list of possible homes that are not listed with a realtor. We prepared a package of information and pictures and sent it to that office. Typically it is the Academic office for the various departments because they are the ones dealing with new incoming faculty.
I think we got a bit lucky and had our house there at the right time and the right place. We did not have it listed with a realtor.
Good luck.
Art Mahan
TxYellowRose said
12:46 PM May 18, 2011
Congratulations and welcome to Life! That's what a fellow RVer said to us on our first time full-timing in a campground.
We hit the road about six months earlier than planned last summer and it certainly has been an adventure.
The folks on these boards have been and still are a tremendous source of knowledge and support; ask those questions and share your experiences.
Best of luck, safe travels and welcome!
Betty
BruceandTrisha said
03:20 PM May 18, 2011
Big time congratulations! Isn't it amazing how things fall into place so easily - sometimes! I loved what was written earlier . . . Welcome to Life!!!
Keep us posted!
jayc said
05:33 PM May 18, 2011
We wish we had been that lucky in selling the house, but we're rid of it and not looking back.
TXRVr said
05:05 PM May 19, 2011
A couple years ago the decision to retire and wanting to relocate put us in a situation of selling our house. We put it on the market. As the real estate agent was physically putting up the For Sale sign in the yard, someone came by, looked at the house, and made an offer. It was a "here's the cash, now get out" offer. I was extremely happy with that turn of events and also for the fact that we had an RV parked in the drive way to move into.
Be that as it may, I have two comments.
One, is that age has nothing to do with adventure. To some of us 55 is puppy age LOL.
Two, living 'full time' in an RV doesn't mean stop working. It's just another place to hang ur hat at the end of the day.
laurly said
05:41 PM May 19, 2011
Congratulations on such a quick dive into the lifestyle! Good for you!!
RVPAINTER said
07:38 PM May 19, 2011
Congratulations!!! Our home is still for sale - 3 months now - but we sure hope to be joining you on the F/T RV road soon!
rclvnv said
06:57 PM May 21, 2011
We have just has a similar experience. We listed our house a year early, because we live in Las Vegas, where there is huge inventory of homes, and foreclosures & short sales keep appraisals down. Our agent, a friend, told us that we needed an out-of town buyer with cash,who is willing to pay a reasonable price for a pristine home. So we listed, and figured we'd begin to worry this time next year, our retirement date.
Tuesday, an out-of town buyer who is re-starting his life at 70, wired in the funds to open escrow. He is paying cash.He needs everything to set-up house,as his Ms. got it all back home! We have to be out 6/10. He has also purchased all of our furniture,and household items,down to the plates, etc, for a fair price. We moved our rig to a local CG today,and will keep our fingers crossed that all will go well on 10th.
We have to stay here for a bit, since our business follows the school year, but we are free to go this summer to travel east to see our kids. Almost too good to be true. Staying here in a good CG will be expensive, till June,but still less than house, and we need to be close to our business. One giant step closer.
RVRon said
03:58 PM May 22, 2011
We can only hope to have a similar experience. We had a target date of June 2012 to start the fulltime life but after considerable thought decided we'll start whenever we can. The sooner the better! We're furiously working on fixing up a vacant rental home and cleaning out our primary home so we can put both up for sale ASAP.
I thought of the out-of-town buyer aspect. Hopefully we can get connected with a realtor that can advertise that way for us as well.
Ivey said
05:32 PM Jun 6, 2011
Congratulations. We also thought we would have the long wait to sell our house and it sold in 11 days. What a great surprise. Welcome out of the rat race.
Vicky
Over55 said
08:54 PM Jun 6, 2011
We have one thing after another happening and it is happening so fast that we are beginning to believe we were meant to do this.
We are waiting to purchase our RV and truck until we have the cash in hand. However that means we need to find a home for July and August. Well...3 doors down from our home is an empty house for sale and the owners told us we can rent the place by the week with no big lease involved.
We will be able to hand the keys over at closing (June 27th) and then park the 5th wheel in the driveway for a few days as we pack our supplies and "tweak" some of the storage spaces to meet our needs. We plan on having a farewell party for our neighborhood with the 5th wheel all fired up and opened for all their curious eyes to behold our new digs.
We then plan on pulling out and going toward Indianapolis and stay in the area for a few weeks as we catch our breath....and then we will begin our meandering southward after the kids and grand kids show up for a kick-off party as we start the new life.
Our oldest son and daughter-in-law wants us to us their home address as ours for the immediate future until we get out on the road for a while...so our mail-forwarding issues are good for now.
We've already got our web site URL and am getting it setup so we can keep the family and friends connected.
We are having way too much fun. - Art & Mary (Over55)
My wife and I decided a few months ago to go toward full-time status. I teach online for a few colleges so I can still bring in a decent income, we are basically debt-free and she is ready to retire. We planned on going out in 2012.
There are 4 other homes for sale on our street but we live near a small university and listed our home with them in case a new faculty member might be interested. Well...our house just sold and our 4 kids are quickly dividing up our furniture and we have decided to go out this summer...basically a year earlier.
This web site has helped us a lot and we are going to plan on spending between now and the end of August to get the details worked out and our material goods eliminated. Then we will hit the road. We anticipate living (for now) between Michigan and Florida since both of our moms are still alive in Michigan and need our occasional help. However we also have a son and daughter-in-law living in Portland Oregon so we will occasionally wander out that way for a season.
We will probably be asking a whole lot of questions but things are working out. I guess there is still an adventure to be had when you are over 55.
-- Edited by Over55 on Monday 16th of May 2011 08:34:24 PM
Wow! Congratulations on the quick sale and getting on the road early. Be sure to check into the various rallies around...Howard & Linda's and the Gypsy Journal (GJR) are two good ones. Lots of information/education, good vendors and great socialization. we'll be at the GJR the end of Sept in Ohio.
Oh, if you start a blog...be sure to post the link.
Congratulations! Looks like your new lifestyle was meant to be - how exciting!
We expected, and planned, for our house to be on the market for about a year because we wanted a full price offer. It sold in 8 days!! So, we know what you are going through.
Keep the faith, you have some busy, but exciting days ahead. You will get through this and soon be free, free, free.
Congratulations!
WOW....Congratulations! That is great news.
Congratulations on the quick sale!
I'm curious about how you "listed your home with the University" . . . did they have a newsletter or bulletin board, or something? Were you listed with a Realtor, or did you sell by owner?
We are also in a University/Medical Center town, and have wondered how to gain the attention of new professors/doctors coming into town.
Thanks,
Marci
Hi Marci
We live a block off from the local university and they maintain an unofficial list of possible homes that are not listed with a realtor. We prepared a package of information and pictures and sent it to that office. Typically it is the Academic office for the various departments because they are the ones dealing with new incoming faculty.
I think we got a bit lucky and had our house there at the right time and the right place. We did not have it listed with a realtor.
Good luck.
Art Mahan
Congratulations and welcome to Life! That's what a fellow RVer said to us on our first time full-timing in a campground.
We hit the road about six months earlier than planned last summer and it certainly has been an adventure.
The folks on these boards have been and still are a tremendous source of knowledge and support; ask those questions and share your experiences.
Best of luck, safe travels and welcome!
Betty
Big time congratulations! Isn't it amazing how things fall into place so easily - sometimes! I loved what was written earlier . . . Welcome to Life!!!
Keep us posted!
A couple years ago the decision to retire and wanting to relocate put us in a situation of selling our house. We put it on the market. As the real estate agent was physically putting up the For Sale sign in the yard, someone came by, looked at the house, and made an offer. It was a "here's the cash, now get out" offer. I was extremely happy with that turn of events and also for the fact that we had an RV parked in the drive way to move into.
Be that as it may, I have two comments.
One, is that age has nothing to do with adventure. To some of us 55 is puppy age LOL.
Two, living 'full time' in an RV doesn't mean stop working. It's just another place to hang ur hat at the end of the day.
We have just has a similar experience. We listed our house a year early, because we live in Las Vegas, where there is huge inventory of homes, and foreclosures & short sales keep appraisals down. Our agent, a friend, told us that we needed an out-of town buyer with cash,who is willing to pay a reasonable price for a pristine home. So we listed, and figured we'd begin to worry this time next year, our retirement date.
Tuesday, an out-of town buyer who is re-starting his life at 70, wired in the funds to open escrow. He is paying cash.He needs everything to set-up house,as his Ms. got it all back home! We have to be out 6/10. He has also purchased all of our furniture,and household items,down to the plates, etc, for a fair price. We moved our rig to a local CG today,and will keep our fingers crossed that all will go well on 10th.
We have to stay here for a bit, since our business follows the school year, but we are free to go this summer to travel east to see our kids. Almost too good to be true. Staying here in a good CG will be expensive, till June,but still less than house, and we need to be close to our business. One giant step closer.
We can only hope to have a similar experience. We had a target date of June 2012 to start the fulltime life but after considerable thought decided we'll start whenever we can. The sooner the better! We're furiously working on fixing up a vacant rental home and cleaning out our primary home so we can put both up for sale ASAP.
I thought of the out-of-town buyer aspect. Hopefully we can get connected with a realtor that can advertise that way for us as well.
Vicky
We have one thing after another happening and it is happening so fast that we are beginning to believe we were meant to do this.
We are waiting to purchase our RV and truck until we have the cash in hand. However that means we need to find a home for July and August. Well...3 doors down from our home is an empty house for sale and the owners told us we can rent the place by the week with no big lease involved.
We will be able to hand the keys over at closing (June 27th) and then park the 5th wheel in the driveway for a few days as we pack our supplies and "tweak" some of the storage spaces to meet our needs. We plan on having a farewell party for our neighborhood with the 5th wheel all fired up and opened for all their curious eyes to behold our new digs.
We then plan on pulling out and going toward Indianapolis and stay in the area for a few weeks as we catch our breath....and then we will begin our meandering southward after the kids and grand kids show up for a kick-off party as we start the new life.
Our oldest son and daughter-in-law wants us to us their home address as ours for the immediate future until we get out on the road for a while...so our mail-forwarding issues are good for now.
We've already got our web site URL and am getting it setup so we can keep the family and friends connected.
We are having way too much fun. - Art & Mary (Over55)