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clipper30 · 01-03-2015, 02:28 PM

I would like to hear from those of you who made the decision to sell home and personal belongings to hit the road full-time. While it might be nice to retain a home-base keeping a home-base might limit the amount we can travel due to the cost of maintaining a residence. Storing personal belongings just leaves something behind to worry about. Any words of wisdom from those of you who took the leap. Clipper30

kingfisher24 · 01-03-2015, 02:38 PM

just jump….Geronimo…….

we have done it twice…..2009…sold house…sold stuff...put stuff in storage (hers)….hit the road…..

2012…bought house…..took stuff out of storage….bought new stuff

2014….sold house…sold or gave away stuff ..put stuff in storage (hers)

i have nothing that is not in the truck or trailer…or the rent house we are in now…awaiting….

buying a house………getting stuff out of storage…buying new stuff...

circling the drain

george carlin was right

clipper30 · 01-03-2015, 02:48 PM

How did you sell all of your 'stuff'? We are thinking about a combination of estate sale, garage sale and Goodwill. I'm not sure I want to mess with the time involved with using Craig's List or other on-line methods of selling items.

dkottum · 01-03-2015, 02:50 PM

Try it for a year and keep the house. Then decide so you have your own experience to draw on. We are out 7 months a year, but glad to be home for summers at the lake. Grandchildren and family, community, the workshop, garden, our own piece of land all matter.

badkat · 01-03-2015, 03:02 PM

We will all have different feelings and opinions. We just jumped in almost 2 yrs ago. No regrets and do not know what the end date is..still having too much fun. But that said there are no grandkids. See the kids once or twice a yr.

No storage fees..stuff is gone. Later if we get off the road a small cute place to our liking in a small maybe artsy town. Just our thoughts!

Mike91208 · 01-03-2015, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkottum

Try it for a year and keep the house. Then decide so you have your own experience to draw on.

x2!

kb0zke · 01-03-2015, 03:11 PM

Here's our story (short version). We did lots of talking before we started researching, then even more time spent in research before we started looking. All of that was to be absolutely sure that the two of us were on the same page.

I retired two years earlier than originally planned. That gave us the time we needed to really get going on purging. We bought the Foretravel, did a bit of necessary work, took a couple of trips, and then started purging. First we sorted what we knew was absolutely stuff that ought to be burned. Then we moved into the coach. We had the luxury of parking it right outside the front door of the S&B, so anything that was in the house could easily be brought into the coach. Anything the kids wanted was set aside, as were those things that we thought we might want back again. Most of those two categories went into a storage unit that the kids have access to. We had an auction for the rest. The S&B was included in the auction, but we had to get enough to pay off the mortgage. That didn't happen, so we put it on the market. We just accepted an offer on it yesterday.

Suggestions: If there are family heirlooms you might want back later on, either store them with family members or get a storage unit. Don't bother storing clothes. Pare your wardrobe down to just what you need. You won't need much in the way of winter clothes, but do keep a warm coat just in case. Keep in mind that a storage unit can cost you $1000/year, so really think about the value of what you keep there.

Tincampers · 01-03-2015, 04:59 PM

We are all set to go. We gave away, sold on eBay and Craigslist and put some stuff at our daughters house. We still have to sell the house. It has been on the market for 7 months. Once it sells, I will sell off the reminder of shed stuff and donate the rest of the furniture. We are hoping that this spring will see the house sell. In the meantime we are doing short trips. I have already retired and my wife can put in her paperwork whenever.

kb0zke · 01-03-2015, 05:10 PM

One other tip: You WILL get rid of something that you should have kept, and you WILL keep many things that you should have gotten rid of. Stories abound of people who rented a large storage unit to keep the things they thought they needed but couldn't take with them, then six months later they have a yard sale and go to a smaller storage unit. Six months after that they get rid of everything that was in the storage unit and are finally free.

The big challenge is figuring out what you really need to keep and what you can safely dispose of.

slowmover · 01-03-2015, 05:17 PM

If the house burned down, what was truly valuable? Next to nothing if one is honest. Sentimental items can be given to relatives, the rest is just an insurance claim.

almcate · 01-03-2015, 05:22 PM

13 months into the "experiment" and seldom a week goes by that I don't have a head-smack educational experience. If challenges keep you young, maybe I'm a decade younger by now...but seriously, nothing comes up that doesn't sort itself out. We plunged, having not RVed previously, and quickly settled on a 27FB as sturdy enough to keep maintenance to a minimum, large enough to live in, small enough to go pretty much wherever we wanted and I've not be disappointed on any count. My boss wouldn't hear of me retiring (certainly it was a passing phase that public laundromats would cure...) and getting reliable bandwidth and equipment was no small task. Gas or diesel? Half ton, or three quarters? ProPride, Hensley or something less than a king's ransom? Solar, gennie, or both? It's a staggering list...
Selling the house was a race to catch up on a LOT of deferred maintenance, shopping for the right realtor, figuring contingencies if the market was uncooperative. Shedding stuff was the hardest of all. Anticipated 10x 20 storage became 10 x10 then 10 x 5 and finally 5 x 5 and we have space left over. Went the estate sale route which was clean and neat, and a little like attending your own wake when you see the prices of all your worldly goods laid out the day before...but for us, at least, was the best option. Even sold our last car. Everything was priced for dealers on Thursday and repriced for general public on the weekend and I don't think I would have done better piece-mealing on Craigs list. They lined us up with couple that cleaned out the left overs to donate and even did a final cleaning of the house for the new owners as we left town the day before closing.
For us, it was an experiment and whether it lasted a year or 10, we'll eventually land some place, so the downside seemed pretty minimal and the actual experience has been vastly better than I could have expected.
Most, I think, start doing a part-time full-time and I honestly would recommend it as there are issues with community on the road and missing family that may make your experience vastly different than mine. That said, the plunge can be liberating and I honestly can say what stuff I have now is very, very carefully thought out. I think it's fair to say I own it, it doesn't own me (for a change). Either way, take a step, take a leap, just saunter down to the end of the lane and back—it'll make you a decade younger (or maybe a decade grayer).

Cheers, Al & Robin.

Royce · 01-03-2015, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowmover

If the house burned down, what was truly valuable? Next to nothing if one is honest. Sentimental items can be given to relatives, the rest is just an insurance claim.

That is the best description i have yet Heard.

badkat · 01-03-2015, 05:39 PM

I truly enjoyed my stuff but the last 2 yrs of enjoying the road and all the Natl Parks that most never get to see and I never imagined to see so many and more in our future is worth for me. This is a truly beautiful country.

clipper30 · 01-03-2015, 09:10 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Al & Robin, I especially found your experience to be helpful as we process the possibilities. My husband and I are looking forward, with fear and excitement for our next great adventure. We are 74 and 64 years of age, so it is not without a lot of anxiety. We've had a great life together and I'm not willing to call it quits just yet. These next few years could be the greatest yet. But we need to get our butts in gear if we are to live the dream of 'living riveted'!!

B_Pi · 01-04-2015, 10:29 AM

Well, we are nearly a year into full timing and have no regrets at all. We do yet have a storage unit that we plan on getting out of within another year. There are still items that I/we feel cannot be parted with - just yet anyway. But as time goes on and we are enjoying the nomadic life so much, we will find ourselves selling off virtually everything still being kept so that we can just keep on going without any tether to "stuff".
When we do settle somewhere, someday, it will be fun to handpick quality, limited amounts of items to furnish our place with, never again pack-ratting stuff we don't need and can live without. This life is so very freeing that we will not easily go back from it ever again.

We are going even deeper into the freedom mode by internationalizing assets and options and, as much as possible, slipping the tyrannical grip of extortionate governments and agencies.

Cheers to all who are and who desire to live this life of freedom!

We are 57 & 58 living with our cat in our 1997 25' Safari.

billb54 · 01-04-2015, 10:59 AM

Seems to me, I'm a lot like the dog that always wants to be on the other side of the door.

PSYS · 01-04-2015, 11:00 AM

My wife and I have already made this decision and despite not getting a ton of support, we're doing it. Life is far too short to live strapped to "stuff", a mortgage and for me, personally, being trapped in a cubicle 50 hours each week isn't my idea of living.

Already started putting extra "stuff" on craigslist and eBay.

MaineStreamer · 01-04-2015, 11:07 AM

What is an S&B?

Goal15 · 01-04-2015, 11:25 AM

Sticks and bricks

Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

flynaxos · 01-04-2015, 12:44 PM

We did what you're thinking about doing in August, 2012 and never looked back. After nearly 2 1/2 years, we realize it was a great decision.

Some people worry about getting bored. If you still feel a need to do work, look at workamper.com. My wife and I do volunteer work at a nature preserve in Florida in the winter, and travel in the summer. Perfect combination for us, but we know a lot of couples who workamp year round.

When it comes to selling your "stuff", we used craigslist and local consignment shops. Garage sales aren't worth the hassle. People typically expect to pay rock bottom, as opposed to market price. Also, it's amazing how much you will find to donate.

Good luck with your decision.