Going full time

[Bob_Vaughn]

As I watch the rv shows on tv and see all those folks who sell everything they own and take to the open road. I wonder how they sell all their possessions. We never do well with yard sales and end up with a nickel on a dollar for things if that much. I do not want to give away the things I have spent 50+ years acquiring. So how do people do this without getting skinned....

[keepmotoring]

We were very lucky. We had a lot of antique furniture, which I had receipts on what we had originally paid. I cut the price in half. Family,friends and even some people that my real estate agent brought through bought everything. Working clothes went to a charity that helps women get into the working force. The only items we kept were picture albums and original paintings. I knew when we came off the road I would want those to decorate. We gave other items away to family. We had to spend a week and a half in the motorhome before leaving because the house was empty and were waiting on the close of the house.

[DownTheAvenue]

If I were 74 years old, I wold not consider making the transition to full time. But to each his own.

[jarata1]

Bob Vaughn wrote:
As I watch the rv shows on tv and see all those folks who sell everything they own and take to the open road. I wonder how they sell all their possessions. We never do well with yard sales and end up with a nickel on a dollar for things if that much. I do not want to give away the things I have spent 50+ years acquiring. So how do people do this without getting skinned....

Plenty of posts about this and issue on this forum and others do a search

[1968mooney]

Remember, when you quit fulltiming, you get to purchase all those items new again.:B

[PghBob]

As noted, your stuff is usually not actually worth its emotional value to you. So, in a sense, you will feel "skinned" with some items. IF we were ever fortunate enough to go full-time, we would follow the plan outlined by Old-Biscuit.

Other ideas to prepare for full-timing on the Full-Time Forum.

[gbopp]

Your stuff is almost always worth less than you think. Sometimes a lot less. Antiques included.

[Old-Biscuit]

We called up family......claim it/get it otherwise it is GONE

We called up Friends...claim it/get it otherwise it is GONE

Estate Auction.
Crew of 4 came out and made up 'LOTS' for auction day. Took them 4 days
Auctioneer advertised for 2 weeks.....time/place
8am...preview
9am---4pm auctioned off EVERYTHING
5pm empty house, nothing left----auctioneer tallied up total (computerized sales--they handled ALL transactions).
Cut me a check for my 75%
$$$$$ in our pocket and we didn't have to lift a finger

We just sat back and ENJOYED the show.
Some 'lots' went for less then we hoped.......manny of the 'lots' went for WAY more then we ever expected.

Person at auction made offer on house........45 day escrow and we were GONE

(yard sales didn't work either........8 miles out of town then 1 mile off paved road to our place. Neighbor tried a yard sale...we and other neighbors only ones that came.)
Our Estate Auction ---130 people all vying for our stuff :B

[stickdog]

DW and I were both widowed we had two houses to dispose of and all the accumulation of two different lives. She told her DD's to come and take what they wanted and had them take a few things to hold for her for when we find it time to come off the road. Then because she had a hard time it fell on me to finish the job.
We didn't bother with yard sales it all went to local charities or a dumpster.
A year later it was my turn. No kids but several nieces and nephews just starting out and a few trips to goodwill I was done.

[lj2654]

i give away whatever my family wants to them, then I sell what I can, and then donate the rest. Did it once already but had a family tragedy and had to settle back down and raise a 1 year old. He's 17 now so we are getting ready to head out on the road again in June 2018!

[darsben1]

Call an auctioneer. Have him sell it. Leave town and do not worry a bout your FORMER possessions

[Trackrig]

Look at it this way. If you want to full time for several years, what are you going to do with all of your stuff? You really only have three options:

1. Retain the house with all of the stuff in it and continue to pay insurance & taxes on the house and hope nothing happens to it.

2. Put the majority of it in storage and pay $200+ a month for storage fees for ever.

3. Sell it for what you can get for it which will probably be pretty low. You might put certain expensive items like tools and china in a small storage place that doesn't cost much.

Bill

[jim1521]

The more money you want to recover, the longer it's going to take to sell. Kind of like the Good/Fast/Cheap "Pick Two" sign.

If you want to sell it fast, it'll probably be cheap.
If you want to get the most money, it'll probably take longer.

Your best bet is eBay.

[dave17352]

You don't