Ideas to Address RV Parking

PapaRomeo wrote:
I am a 12 veteran of RV camping in a class B motor home. I am presently looking to relocate to the eastern Ohio area (Mahoning and Trumbull Counties) and am working with a real estate agent. Important to my lifestyle is being able to park my camper on the property that I purchase (the agent knows this).

I am having difficulty finding camper parking restrictions so as to avoid purchasing in a restricted area. I have researched the community zoning ordinances, however many properties independently have covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R's) attached to the deeds which are frequently filed separately from the warrantee deed and buried deep in the county records and forgotten by the owner. Only a full title search would reveal them.

The real estate agents I have worked with usually have simply asked the owner or the listing agent or pointed to community ordinances assuring me that "There shouldn't be a problem." I do not trust this kind of response as the real estate agent does in fact have a deeper agenda which is to sell a house. I would like to avoid going to the effort and expense of making an offer (writing a purchase contract) and securing the due diligence (inspections, title search etc) only to find that camper parking is restricted on the property of interest.

Does anyone have experience in this kind of problem?
Does anyone have ideas or suggestions how I might navigate through this issue?

Been there done that. And went crazy trying! :B

First of all no matter how much you like your agent NEVER believe what the sales agent tells you they don't know, don't care and more importantly can NOT be held responsible for incorrect information.

attached to the deeds which are frequently filed separately from the warrantee deed and buried deep in the county records and forgotten by the owner. Only a full title search would reveal them.

This is incorrect. you do NOT have to pay for a title search. You can do it yourself. Just go down to the country court house where the property is located and they will provide you with ALL the paperwork attached to that property including all the covenants that must be filed with the county. For all of maybe 10 or 15 bucks. It is the exact same place a title company gets their info from.

If you want to put in an offer and you don't have all the info, You can also protect yourself on your offer to purchase by putting a statement in the contingencies pending verification of "NO" HOA, CCR's.

Be sure you get a "sellers disclosure" on each and every offer you put in, which 'by law should be provided'. There is a line for HOA's etc. that the owner has to divulge where there is or is not one. He lies on that sellers disclosure and you get all your money back and also sue him if you feel like it.

BUT. Here is a VERY important piece of info which is what took me off the path of even looking for a home in a densely populated sub division.

I found one that even though it HAD an HOA it did state you COULD park an RV on your property. After talking with the seller he informed me of a VERY important fact that I did not know:

HOA's etc have a committee with an elected President. You can be in possession of a CCR's that states you CAN park an RV on your property only to have elections be held the following year and a new president elected and he or she can CHANGE the HOA, CCR. rules and if enough residents agree and pass the new rules AND they can omit any grandfathered in clause's.......

Yup, you can move in with your RV and the next year be SOL on being able to park it on your own property. :(

After I quit all that nonsense I started looking for property in 'unincorporated' areas. Just found my sweet spot house for the winter in Florida on 2 ac, unincorporated, and the old MH is parked on the property where ever I choose to put it!

Good luck. I don't envy you. I spent a year pulling my hair out trying to find property where I could also park my MH. Just reading your post of frustration got my blood pressure raging for you! :B