Do you need two homes?
Congratulations on your decision to live full time in your RV! By now you’ve been RVing for a while off and on, vacationing to locations you’ve always wanted to see, and you’ve decided to take the plunge and live permanently on the road. Your friends and family understand your decision, and you’ve arranged for the kids and pets to live comfortably in the RV. That only leaves one more question: what do you do with the house now that you’re not living in it?
Rent it
Similar to renting an RV before you buy it, rent out your house before you sell it. This gives you ample time to be sure living full time in your RV is the right choice.
If you were to sell your house outright before you really lived in your RV, then you are at a loss if RV living doesn’t work out. When you rent to someone you trust, you have someone in the house to take care of upkeep, allowing you to really give RV living a try.
You should also consider if you have the budget to support a house payment as well as an RV payment. While renting the house out will help you make some of these payments, you may not always have a renter. You’ll also want to set some money aside so you can cover maintenance costs. Speaking of maintenance, if you rent your home, do you have someone around who can handle the maintenance issues if they happen?
Sell
In some instances, you may need to sell the house to make your RV dreams a reality. Selling your house does come with benefits like not worrying about the maintenance if you rent it instead, having a cushion of money to support your RV lifestyle, no fear of what the housing market will do while you rent it.
It also puts worry and stress behind you because you don’t have to be concerned with what’s going on back home or how renters may be destroying your house while you’re gone, making it harder to sell when and if the time comes.
Leave it empty
This option is rarely recommended because of all the problems that could arise. Leaving a house empty also leaves it open to burglary.
There’s also the issue of winter. If your home resides in a place that has harsh winters, being abandoned will ruin your house in just a few short winters, especially if it wasn’t properly winterized.
If you do decide to leave the house empty, make sure someone collects your mail, or have it held at the post office. Hire someone to mow the lawn and plow the driveway. See if a friend has an old car they can park in the driveway to give the appearance that someone is there. Also consider landscape lighting that comes on at night.
Whichever option you go for, you’re in for a grand time touring the U.S. and finding all the great places to stay and call home for a short time. If you’re looking for some great destinations to help supplement some of the ones you already have on your itinerary, check out our blog to find the campgrounds, sights, and various destinations we think RVers will love!
