Could use a little help with my Full timing scenario

[blctex]

I will try to make this as short as possible. We currently own a house in a small town in East TX. The wife has stayed there for the last 3.5 years while I have been spending most of my time in an rv living and working in the West TX oil fields. Well the time has come to sell the house and move her out to West TX with me. We have decided that because of the oil field and the nature of the housing market it creates, it will be better for us to purchase a large toy hauler to live in long term. We are still about 10 years from retirement so we won't be traveling and moving around like a typical full timer. My current rv actually hasn't move in 2 years.

I have been recieving mail at a p.o. box at the local Post Office in West Texas. I have tried to research what pitfalls may be out there for us as we make this change. But as the available info mostly deals with changing everything from state to state for domecile purposes and the challenges that are faced with really being on the move. It all gets real wonky for me to try and apply to my own situation. I was hoping that someone here has dealt with a similar situation and point me in the right direction or highlight the possible hazards. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[jimpaar]

True good point, you can pick a state BUT all your mail goes to Texas regardless of what state you pick plus Escapees charges $10 a month plus $.50 per page for scanning your mail. Plus to get Escapees mail service you must be a member of Escapees. I have a friend that is a traveling nurse and she didn't want to be a member of an RV Club when she doesn't own an RV, Good Sam Mail doesn't require a membership fee to use the mail service.

One of the main reasons I picked a Florida address with Good Sam Mail in Okaloosa County Florida is because the auto/rv insurance premiums are the lowest in the entire state of Florida among so many other things. It has beautiful beaches and located right near Destin, one of Top 10 beaches in the United States. It's just my preference but I would much rather have an address where I travel most and where I benefit the most.

[msmith1199]

jimpaar wrote:
Be careful to do your research, I have had residency in South Dakota, Texas, and now Florida. I started using Good Same Mail service about 7 yeasr ago because they gave me so much helpful information on domicile and residency. Texas downside is you need a commercial license to operate a Class A motorhome, also you have to go there every year for inspections. South Dakota didn't have near the benefits that Florida does and who wants to be a resident in South Dakota when Florida is where most of us go.
Also teh automation of the mail forwarding that Good Sam Mail Service offers is off the charts better than any other company out there especially Escapees. Good Sam Mail Service offers online mail and super secure at that. You can shred unwanted mail or click to have it delivered to anywhere your at in the country.
Love to take you questions about goodsammailservice.com

Looks to me like the Good Sam Mail service gives you a Florida address and no other choice. Does the Escapees service allow you to pick the state?

[blctex]

Thanks to everyone for the great info. Think that since I'm going to be fairly permanent I will probably use the physical address of the park I live in and use my po box as the mail address. The insurance thing is a new to me thing will definitely get with my broker on that. As far as it depriciating it will be slower than the real estate right now in the area I am in. Also gives me huge flexibility in the future as that is a huge need in this business.

Jimpaar not to nitpick but this statement "Texas downside is you need a commercial license to operate a Class A motorhome," isn't quite accurate. In Texas a Class A license is much different than a Class A CDL. The biggest is the first is a state license no medical card required and the later os a Federal regulation controlled managed by the state. And hopefully this is the year that state inspection goes away but who knows.. thanks again for all the great info and thoughts.

[jimpaar]

Be careful to do your research, I have had residency in South Dakota, Texas, and now Florida. I started using Good Same Mail service about 7 yeasr ago because they gave me so much helpful information on domicile and residency. Texas downside is you need a commercial license to operate a Class A motorhome, also you have to go there every year for inspections. South Dakota didn't have near the benefits that Florida does and who wants to be a resident in South Dakota when Florida is where most of us go.
Also teh automation of the mail forwarding that Good Sam Mail Service offers is off the charts better than any other company out there especially Escapees. Good Sam Mail Service offers online mail and super secure at that. You can shred unwanted mail or click to have it delivered to anywhere your at in the country.
Love to take you questions about goodsammailservice.com

[2gypsies1]

I'll also recommend that your permanent address be with the Escapees mail forwarding service. The unique street address they will give you can be used for your driver's licenses, registrations, voting, banking, insurance. We used them for approximately 20 years flawlessly.

[Old-Biscuit]

X2 on using the Escapees.....

You're in TX.
You do not have a 'physical address' for legal purposes...PO Box won't work

Get with Escapees.....set up mail forwarding service with them'
That will get you a legal physical address for DLs, Vehicle registrations, Insurance coverage, banking, VOTING, ETC.

You also will need to get Homeowners Ins......for your new 'home'
Not just trailer ins. but same type of coverage that you would have on a S&B house
Check National Interstate. Specialize in REAL full timers ins coverages for RV and companion vehicle. Great folks to deal with. Available thru a broker...Explorer RV is who we used.


Now the REAL question
WIFE FULL on board with this RV living?
It is a major change. But worth while one when BOTH are fulling engaged!

[Ajones42]

My 7th year in the Texas oilfields. From the Barnett to the Permian and the last 4 in various places in the Eagle Ford. SOP started with an Escapees PMB which serves as the address of record for domicile, insurance, drivers license, credit cards and vehicle registrations. I then rent the smallest PO Box in the nearest town to where I am working for a 6 month term and renew or walk away as necessary. It is cheap and all my important mail goes to Escapees. The Escapees mail has been flawless.

[jmtandem]

I will try to make this as short as possible. We currently own a house in a small town in East TX. The wife has stayed there for the last 3.5 years while I have been spending most of my time in an rv living and working in the West TX oil fields. Well the time has come to sell the house and move her out to West TX with me. We have decided that because of the oil field and the nature of the housing market it creates, it will be better for us to purchase a large toy hauler to live in long term. We are still about 10 years from retirement so we won't be traveling and moving around like a typical full timer. My current rv actually hasn't move in 2 years.

I have been recieving mail at a p.o. box at the local Post Office in West Texas. I have tried to research what pitfalls may be out there for us as we make this change. But as the available info mostly deals with changing everything from state to state for domecile purposes and the challenges that are faced with really being on the move. It all gets real wonky for me to try and apply to my own situation. I was hoping that someone here has dealt with a similar situation and point me in the right direction or highlight the possible hazards. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

The biggest issue I see is you are going from a house to an RV. You will not accrue home appreciation equity in an RV as they are typically a decreasing value item. But, if you have that figured into your long range financial plans and don't plan to stay long in the new place where purchasing a home would not be that good of an option it should work for you.

[Stormy_Eyes]

Our situations differ from yours, but we will be happy to help if we can. What issues seem are troubling you? From the outside, your situation seems simpler than many others, but maybe not. If you share the specific issues causing angst, you I'll get more specific suggestions and will help future people in a similar circumstance. If we cannot help, maybe escapees club can.

If you are not planning to move regularly, why a toy hauler? Correct me if I am wrong, but I have the impression that there are compromises one must accept to make space for big toys. And one will have a smaller selection of rigs if one Excludes all but toy haulers.

[donn0128]

Full time and not moving, look at park models. More space,better insulation are only two of the benefits.

[Dutch_12078]

Since you're staying in TX and won't be moving around, then your PO arrangement should work ok, and everything else should be pretty much the same as moving from one house to another within the state. About the only thing I can think of that you'll need to do differently would be getting full-timers insurance on your RV since you won't have the homeowners coverage that extends to your RV anymore. With a PO box address you may have to use the park street address for some things, adding the PO box for mail delivery. Most accounts that require a physical address also accept a separate mailing address.