Ideas to Address RV Parking

[PapaRomeo]

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?

[ncrowley]

There are communities with CC&Rs that allow motorhome. They are just a lot harder to find than those that prohibit motorhome. I live in a community with CC&Rs that allows RV garages and allows parking of the RV/boat/trailer on the side of the home. It is a very nice neighborhood where people have a lot of toys.

[Cloud_Dancer]

Mr.Mark wrote:
There are HOA's that allow RV's. My brother and his wife live in such a community. They have a motorhome garage attached to their 3 car garage. Since they live on a corner, his motorhome driveway is on the side while his regular driveway comes in from the front.

MM.

Great! Sent him a PM, and tell him the location and price.

[Mr_Mark1]

There are HOA's that allow RV's. My brother and his wife live in such a community. They have a motorhome garage attached to their 3 car garage. Since they live on a corner, his motorhome driveway is on the side while his regular driveway comes in from the front.

MM.

[Cloud_Dancer]

The way I see it, the reason(s) for there being a HOA in the first place,....are VERY well known. I love motrhomes and boats, but let's say that for some reason I decide that I need the advantages of living in a HOA neighborhood. Guess what? I would NOT want boats and motorhomes/RV's visible in my HOA neighborhood.
In other words, IMO RV-HOA's is a oxymoron.
Therefore, you gotta buy a house in a township where you are allowed to keep your RV in your backyard,.....and NO HOA.

[steveh27]

No one has commented on my post at top that Ohio is the only state (10 years ago) that had a State Supreme Court case specifically allow owners to park their RV's on their property. No local ordinance nor I think HOA's can ban them. Ask the broker or the city clerk or building inspector to verify. Ohio RV owners are one lucky bunch. All states should have this in their law.

[Mr_Mark1]

creeper wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
s.

But, if a person is buying in an HOA, have the Realtor get the minutes for the last full year from the Association. This is where you will see problems that have come up and how they were addressed.


MM.

an excellent suggestion. get minutes of the annual meeting and the various board meetings.
bumpy

They don't have to provide them to you. Any HOA covenants would have to be given to you at closing. If they don't then the realtor is liable.

Creeper, if a HOA will not provide this vital information, shame on them. I would write into the contract the sale is contingent on a copy of the minutes.

It is SO important to know the health of the HOA. Is there enough money in reserve to handle the common area's? Are the owner's getting ready to get hit with an assessment? Has their been fraud on the board?

If the minutes are not provided, I would not consider moving into that HOA.

MM.

[rockhillmanor]

bid_time wrote:
I am sure you had a buyer's agent that was not licensed. Sorry for your loss.

Next time maybe you should follow what I did and get a contract in writing spelling out in detail their responsibilities. Minus that contract, they are working for the seller and the seller's best interests.

Was not my loss. All they were doing was showing me homes for my agent and I was informed of that buy the broker.

Because you got a contract and reference 'sellers' best interest that relates to an agent working for the 'listing agent'. Meaning an agent that works for the broker who listed the property who's first interest IS in the seller. At which point you have the option to or not to use a dual agent to finalize your transaction. I.E. representing both the seller and buyer.

I have used an agent representing both the buyer and seller BUT one needs to review that very carefully before agreeing to a dual agent for your transaction. There is a document you must sign agreeing to using the same agent the seller is.

I was specifically looking at foreclosed homes to flip so there was no real owner just the bank. And an agent acting as a dual agent does have a better direct line of communication to the bank.

[bid_time]

I am sure you had a buyer's agent that was not licensed. Sorry for your loss.

Next time maybe you should follow what I did and get a contract in writing spelling out in detail their responsibilities. If you don't have a contract, you don't have a Buyer's Agent. You have an agent that is working for the seller and the seller's best interests.

[rockhillmanor]

That info relates to a real estate agent/broker that neither works for the listing agent or sellers broker. If you read it thoroughly you will see the description refers to real estate agents and brokers and the need to act as a dual agents. I.E. when the listing agent finds themselves in the position of representing both the seller and buyer. Both buyer and seller must agree to an acting dual agent or another agent is brought in. Apparently per your link, in the UK and Australia they are called buyers agent, per Wikopedia! And using wikopedia as fact? Come on!!

Quote from Wikopedia. ""A buyer brokerage or buyer agency is the practice of real estate brokers and their agents representing a buyer in a real estate transaction rather than, by default, representing the seller either directly or as a sub-agent. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the most common term is buying agent."" We are talking about the USA not the UK or Austrailia.!

There ARE, and that is why I stated it, people who are 'hired' to show potential buyers homes IN THE USA when the real estate agent can not. They call them Buyers Agents.

They are being CALLED 'buyers agents' and do not have a license. In my search for a home during the crash I had 6 'buyers agents' assigned to me not one had a license. The BROKER is the one that gave me the description of what the purpose of these people 'called' buyer agents where.

My statement was just a heads up to help the OP make sure they bought a house that would accommodate their RV

[bid_time]

bid_time wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:
Just one more FYI. :B
A "buyers agent" is NOT a licensed real estate agent.

I became REAL frustrated with this.
I finally called the broker and asked for clarification of just what a 'buyer's agent' was.

These are just people hired to show buyers around for the Real Estate agents. This practice became real popular during the housing crash. So many foreclosed homes on the market and a glut of buyers prompted the Real Estate Agents to hire personal 'buyers agents' to just show the properties for them so they didn't loose potential buyers to other agents in the office.

They can NOT write up contracts, usually paid by the hour employees, they to do nothing more than schlep the buyers around to look at property, that's all. And basically know nothing about real estate law and/or professionally assisting you to find just the right house. Their only job is to meet or drive you to a house you want to look at.

I think this practice is a very slippery slope for the buyers being 'led to think' they are being taken care of by a licensed agent.

Some of them keep quiet like you mentioned just listening but some yak on about the houses you are being shown as 'if' they knew about real estate law and/or anything about the property. Don't listen or take as fact any thing a "buyers agent" tells you.

On Edit: I am sure that is what your buyer's agent was. But that is not at all what a Buyer's Agent as commonly referred to is.
Buyer's Agent
More
I had a Buyer's Agent, he was not only licensed but we had a contract that said he exclusively represented me and my best interests. He wrote up the contracts and negotiated with seller's and listing agent on my behalf. He advised me on fair prices and offers and what extras and assurances I should be getting.

[Bumpyroad]

creeper wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
s.

But, if a person is buying in an HOA, have the Realtor get the minutes for the last full year from the Association. This is where you will see problems that have come up and how they were addressed.


MM.

an excellent suggestion. get minutes of the annual meeting and the various board meetings.
bumpy

They don't have to provide them to you. Any HOA covenants would have to be given to you at closing. If they don't then the realtor is liable.

if they refuse to provide them I would assume that they have something to hide and would never buy there.
bumpy

[creeper]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
s.

But, if a person is buying in an HOA, have the Realtor get the minutes for the last full year from the Association. This is where you will see problems that have come up and how they were addressed.


MM.

an excellent suggestion. get minutes of the annual meeting and the various board meetings.
bumpy

They don't have to provide them to you. Any HOA covenants would have to be given to you at closing. If they don't then the realtor is liable.

[steveh27]

PapaRomeo,

I have a Class B in Michigan. I had to fight my city 10 years ago when they banned rv'S after I had it for 3 years. I did end up getting a variance so I'm good forever. But it was a 2 year effort & I had to file suit in court. I did a lot of legal research at law libraries and discovered Ohio is the only state (10 years ago) that had a State Supreme Court case specifically allow owners to park their RV's on their property. No local ordinance nor I think HOA's can ban them. Please check this out to verify, but I think you will not have a problem.

[tatest]

This might be a bit off the wall for your area, but one solution often used here in declining small cities is to buy an empty commercial building that has a garage on the ground level, apartments above. Depending on zoning, the garage might not even be necessary. This might not have worked 10-15 years ago when commercial was often exclusively commercial, but the loft apartment and 'gentrification' movements have more towns and small cities becoming open to zoning changes for mixing residential and commercial uses.

[Mr_Mark1]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

ncrowley wrote:
I wish you the best. When we were looking for a place to retire, we went through the same process. We found a neighborhood that has a lot of RV garages and lots big enough for them. There are CC&Rs but no HOA but there are many "toy" garages in the neighborhood.

As stated, do not trust anything a realtor tells you. Get the information yourself.

Good advice - and....

even if the real estate agent was 100 percent correct on what you can or can't do (AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE), and *NO* HOAs....beware of a county area that may incorporate sometime (even years) after you purchased.

"New" city councils often pass new ordinances!
Home buyer beware/ready - "down the road"!

Of course, there's no way to predict that - BUT the first part of this post is important. (Strength -clout- in numbers!)

BTW - ya gotta love the bantering about of hiring attorneys, law suits, etc. in this thread.BTW - ya gotta love the bantering about of hiring attorneys, law suits, etc. in this thread.

UNLESS *You* have really, REALLY deep pockets - that's just chatter from the un-informed!..:R

~

For what it's worth.... If there is a lawsuit involving a homeowner in a HOA, the HOA insurance covers the legal fees in most cases depending on what is being litigated.

MM.