Sell the house...then what?

JimK-NY wrote:
I cannot tell you what you need to do, only what worked for me and my wife. We downsized heavy duty. We purchased our truck camper and I did some minor modifications. We also installed a second solar panel and AGM batteries. Next we listed the house for sale. About then we also set up a mail forwarding service in South Dakota...no income taxes, low insurance costs, no vehicle inspections. After the house sold, I retired from work and we took off for South Dakota to complete our residency requirements (basically one night in a motel or campground). By that point all our banking, bill paying and financial affairs were handled electronically. With some preplanning you can virtually eliminate any snail mail and we only had mail forwarded on rare occasions every few months. I used PDAnet so my cellphone would serve as a low cost hotspot for my laptop internet access.

I am not sure what to say about healthcare. That could become complicated if you have any serious issues. Otherwise, Medicare and AARP/United Healthcare coverage handled our needs. It is pretty easy to find decent doctors on the road and it is easy to get recommendations if you visit friends or relatives.

I am not sure what information you need. Most people seem to overcomplicate the process. The basics are pretty easy. I also recommend starting out as light as possible. For me that included a small RV. But I also recommend the minimum on clothing and gear. You will need a lot less than you think and can easily buy what you really need while on the road.

That's real serious downsizing--into a truck camper! Thanks for the reply.

Health care is the biggest issue. Figure out your options for that early. You will want a plan that covers all the states, so an HMO probably will not work. If you are 65, then you will have Medicare options. Some states don't have as many choices as others. South Dakota and Texas have been dropped by some health care groups. They can be good choices if you have health care from previous employment or military retirement. Check out the different state tax laws. Mail forwarding is available from many sources.

It took us about 4 months to get the house ready to sell, get rid of most of our stuff, give notice at work, find our RV & buy the truck. We had been thinking about it for much longer. We have been on the road for 2 years now, and are happy with our choices. We dumped all but the photo albums and a few keepsakes that are stored in our son's garage. We figure that when we come off the road someday, our tastes and needs will be much different. We don't need much to be happy! Have fun with your journey...

I'm single (widowed, over 65. I thought about full-time RVing for quit awhile before I really made the jump. Read all the information that Escapee's Rv club had to read, plus a lot of other full-time Rv sites, and there's a lot of them. set down and made up a so-called RVing budget. Everything thing is paid for (which is a plus). started fixing up my house, which was in Texas where I'd lived for over 40+ years. Listed the house with a realtor agent. The house was on MLS listings for about 4 hours before I had a contact signed. Started loading all the stuff I wanted in the Motor Home. Sold all the furniture, had a couple of garage sales. Started my new life on the road. I've got a site at the Escapee Park in Pahrump, Nevada where I spend the winter months. so far, life is good.

We have recently taken "the plunge." We will do this as long as we wish, but we do not see this as a forever living arrangement...eventually we will be back in a site built home. Depending on how long you plan on full-timing, you may want to consider the cost of storing house hold items, like furniture...for us, we decided it would be cheaper to get rid of all but the most important things and then to replace with new when we move back into a house. We can also recommend the Escapee Club for info on establishing residence and handling mail...has worked perfectly for us. Best of luck with your big move.

I cannot tell you what you need to do, only what worked for me and my wife. We downsized heavy duty. We purchased our truck camper and I did some minor modifications. We also installed a second solar panel and AGM batteries. Next we listed the house for sale. About then we also set up a mail forwarding service in South Dakota...no income taxes, low insurance costs, no vehicle inspections. After the house sold, I retired from work and we took off for South Dakota to complete our residency requirements (basically one night in a motel or campground). By that point all our banking, bill paying and financial affairs were handled electronically. With some preplanning you can virtually eliminate any snail mail and we only had mail forwarded on rare occasions every few months. I used PDAnet so my cellphone would serve as a low cost hotspot for my laptop internet access.

I am not sure what to say about healthcare. That could become complicated if you have any serious issues. Otherwise, Medicare and AARP/United Healthcare coverage handled our needs. It is pretty easy to find decent doctors on the road and it is easy to get recommendations if you visit friends or relatives.

I am not sure what information you need. Most people seem to overcomplicate the process. The basics are pretty easy. I also recommend starting out as light as possible. For me that included a small RV. But I also recommend the minimum on clothing and gear. You will need a lot less than you think and can easily buy what you really need while on the road.

wannabervin wrote:
Thinking about taking the big plunge to full timing within the next year. Would like to find some "how to" info on practical issues like establishing a mailing address for those things that require one; maintaining health care; etc.

Are you over 65?

If you are, then you'll find Medicare is good in all 50 states.

If you aren't and have to buy your own health insurance, then it's much more complicated.

Call me if you wish. Too much to type.

1. Downsize your belongings if you're not putting it in storage which is very expensive. Sell major items individually. Ask kids to take what they want. Usually it's not much as they have their own 'stuff', estate sale or garage sale, Goodwill and finally the leftovers to the dump. You'll find things you haven't laid an eye on in years.

2. Sell your house.

3. Everyone needs an address - driver's license, vehicle registrations, insurance, medical, banking, etc. There are popular mail forwarding companies especially dealing with full-timers that will give you an address. We used Escapees for 16+ years with no issues. You need to choose a state to domicile that is good for you. Some of no income tax, some are better for medical insurance if you have to purchase it on your own, etc. If you're on Medicare there is no problem with the state. You'll just have to do a lot of research and reading. Where you domicile is up to you alone.

4. So...you have your address, now you'll need to get everything changed over to it. To keep from getting junk mail you'll have to monitor everything you buy (magazines, online purchases, sign up for sweepstakes, etc.) and be sure you're not on their lists. It can be done. 18 years later and we still receive no junk mail since day 1.

Then all you have to do is take off and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle!! Good luck. We did it all in a few months' time.

Poke around here as a start:......Escapees LINK

Click on the "Support" section in the banner at the top for info about domicile and mail, etc.

Selling the house should be much closer to the end of your To Do List. You need to work on other issues before that like health, mail, and where are you planning to go in the beginning depending on the time of year you start. Maybe take a couple of extended trips to make sure it's the right plan to put into action. Just a thought or two.