Buying land to camp.

[Tom_Barb]

We are contemplating buying a small parcel of land to snow bird to.

just large enough to place a pad, electrical 50 amp plug, and a storage shed.

what state would you suggest? warm please. we have kids in Texas -- so?

and please give a reason.

[Horizon170]

I doubt you would be happy sitting in one place all the time.
I personally wouldn't park my RV on my own property except at home.
I guess there are exceptions though. Luck w/your decision.
Marvin

[down_home]

I noticed in parts of Az, new Mexico and Texas what appeared to bee empty structures with shed attached for an RV, no power no water.
In Big Bend area saw quite a few from the Interstate, where you can see for miles.
Not sure how deep a well would have to be and filter system added.
Power from coach generator for short periods but solar,though costly, would be a much better situation.
Do it yourself maybe not too expensive but getting someone to come a hundred miles to do anything would not be cheap.
I'v had the same idea near Lake Huron on in Canada on Superior.
Concrete pad done nice with patio maybe rock tiles on top.
Well and casita, with generator inside and buried propane tank, if allowed.
Weather being what it is up there, just have a hookup to coach generator to power up pump to fill storage tanks on coach.
Sewer would be bear I think, in Canada, have to have a tank that is pumped.
Rock won't perk worth a dern and digging it requires a lot off dyanmite or something. I'm sure Folks up that way have a handle on these things.
Bassicaly how much have the dumb Americans got in their bank account. 🙂

[free_radical]

johnhicks wrote:
Another thing I've seen while wading through municode is that in some rural areas a "camp" is allowed but nowhere in the code is "camp" defined.

Something like this maybe..

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog

[johnhicks]

Another thing I've seen while wading through municode is that in some rural areas a "camp" is allowed but nowhere in the code is "camp" defined.

[rockhillmanor]

johnhicks wrote:
Beware that there's a big difference between "trailer" as in mobile home and "trailer" as in RV.

X2
Where there is zoning regarding where mobiles are allowed there is a very explicit description of what a mobile home is. An RV doesn't not fit those requirements.

Just saying do your homework before you buy anything. Contact the zoning board because a seller selling land will not always tell the buyer what is allowed or what is not allowed. Nor is he required to. Even if a seller disclosure is requested there is not a line for them to answer those type of questions. They might tell you they are grand fathered in but zoning is ever changing.

It is the buyers responsibility. Even the agent doesn't know or will tell you anything just to sell the property. Been there done that. Can't tell you how many accepted offers I had on property that when I went down to the country found out the my RV was not allowed. Even after both the seller and agent said it was.

Just saying what ever you find it would be in your best interest to go to the zoning board regarding the property you are interested in. Or as some have suggested go off the grid and see how long before you are caught.

Good luck I hope you find that perfect spot for your RV! :C

[free_radical]

Tom/Barb wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:
.

I don't take your post very serious when I see ads like this

3 acres of land with trailer pad, water well and electric hookup. Access to 17 acres of hunting land. 5 miles from Homochitto National Forrest and 5 miles from Lake Okkissa. $20,000.00 obo call curtiss

Why not?
I bought 3 acres in Anapolis valey NS for 9000.$,,many moons ago..
5 klicks from town,,plenty of woods around for hunting,,close to ocean too..
Built stackwall house from trees on property,,drilled a water well,,got electric power conected very cheaply,,taxes 400$ year..
No restrictions on parking anything..
Sold recently for 35.000$
Mind you today cheap land is far from towns in most places,,still if one want to go off grid its stil doable..

Am not familiar with US but in my neck of the woods this site is good to search properties for whole country
https://www.realtor.ca

[sayoung]

Tom/Barb wrote:
We are contemplating buying a small parcel of land to snow bird to.

just large enough to place a pad, electrical 50 amp plug, and a storage shed.

what state would you suggest? warm please. we have kids in Texas -- so?

and please give a reason.

Where in Texas do the Kids live ? This is key as you wouldn't want to winter near Amarrillo.
We have 5 1/2 acres here in East Tx north of Tyler that we keep our rv on. We have a pad & shed ,well, septic, 200amp buried electric& NO problems with code violations

[wa8yxm]

No suggestion on the land but a few peripheral suggestions.

1: Power company may not be willing to deliver to a "post" they will, however to a building (The "Shed") make sure it has a foundation of some kind, not a "Pre-built and dropped off a trailer" type. if the power company gives you any grief.

2: There is a story about a man who bought a Trailer. Parked it on land he owns and now the government is after him because the trailer is not a "Permanent Dwelling" or some such.... Now there are some special issues I am not going into here (He has another item on the property and it may be that one that is causing him grief, it is a container he has converted into a woodworking shop as I recall() but.. Well.. THe point is some areas have restrictions on land use

And since I have no idea of where you are putting it, or what, if any, restrictions, exist on that land.. I can't advise beyond "Check them out".

[FunnyCamper]

Is the weather decent by your family thru winter? I mean I would play off that and then decide if being near family is your thing. good luck

[westernrvparkow]

What are you trying to accomplish? I don't think you would have a problem finding a cheap, isolated, small chunk of land located in a remote area of most any state that you could configure to accommodate a RV. But you would then own a small, cheap, isolated chunk of land in a remote area that can accommodate a RV. I guess that would appeal to someone who wants to sit in their RV and do nothing, day after day.
But if you add anything that would be attractive to most people to you wish list, your options will get much more expensive and be subjected to all the issues other posters have mentioned. That piece of ground adjacent to a river, a lake, the ocean or close to a significant town or other recreational or cultural center will certainly have multiple restrictions along with a ten fold increase in cost.
Choosing one state over another is more a matter of personal choice than one state being superior to another. You apparently want a very small, very cheap piece of land. The property taxes aren't going to be materially different, since who really cares if the taxes are $100 or $400 if you want the climate of one state over another. Same with all the other taxes. Unless you are a high income individual intending on making your RV site your tax residence, income taxes really vary about as much as the property tax example. The total tax burden on from state to state really doesn't change, what changes is where they actually collect it. Some states rely on income taxes, some rely on property taxes, some rely on sales tax and most rely on a combination of two or more. In the end the state always gets what they feel is theirs.
It really should come down to where you want to be, not where it is somehow economically more feasible. If I wanted a dry and warm climate, I sure wouldn't give up living in the desert southwest to buy a place in West Virginia because the ground was 10 percent less expensive and total taxation was $500 less. If you want to be close to your children in Texas (or far away), that residence location requirement would be first and foremost and I would work hard to make that happen. In the end that would be more important than the financial impacts of anything else.

[johnhicks]

Beware that there's a big difference between "trailer" as in mobile home and "trailer" as in RV.

[DutchmenSport]

Look for acreage that has a mobile home already established on it. When you buy the property, buy the property, not the mobile home. Original owners will move the mobile home off the lot, and then you can simply slide in your camper. Done!

[3oaks]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Which state is really not problem. You would have to check with each and every County that you find land in to see if they ALLOW RV's to be parked on an empty lot. In my experience most do not. You migh find some that might let you park it on the property but will not let you live in it.

Heck it's nearly impossible to buy a house anywhere that will allow you to just park your RV on the property!

I'm sure you'll get a lot of responses from people here who do it anyway illegally. Which is fine unless you get caught and it usually is someone in the area that will turn you in.

And the electrical? If you do find a lot out in the boonies. You have to figure in the cost of bringing in electric AND....when they come out and find out it is an RV? Most power companies won't/can't give you electric.

I found a house that had a deeded RV pad with electric and sewer. But when I called to have the electric hooked up once they saw it was for an RV they said no because the codes had changed since the previous owner owned the land.

Not to be a debbie downer but I tried and tried and never did find an empty lot that allowed just an RV and power. And I was looking in just about all the Southern states!

You can 'buy' a lot in RV resort's but they are costly.

I don't know what specific areas you looking in, but they must have been limited to "up-scale" communities.

We have been looking too and found so many possibilities in the south western states, it is hard to make a decision which to purchase.

We are considering renting first to experience just what the surrounding area and people are really like before we make a purchase.

[kerrlakeRoo]

Something else that may be worth exploring is locations where a house has caught fire. Many owners wont bother repairing or rebuilding and will sell the land reasonably. In some cases with existing outbuildings with power connected to them. The advantage to the fire damaged location may be in the well, septic, and power were already in, and here at least, if you put them back in service within a year , you avoid some of the hassles of having new installed with the county.

Add on a location where an old single wide trailer is located may also be an option, often in rural areas they would be considered grandfathered since the area had previously been zoned to allow it, and again well/septic, and elec would already be run.