I actually believe that winter is officially over here in the 'tropics' of Southern Indiana. It's 58° right now on a bright sunny Sunday and a forecasted high of 68°. Although in past years I have seen weather like this in mid-March and have a snow storm weeks later ... in this case I am believing the "global warming" stories and am planning that the 2015 spring is here for good.
Not a lot going on as usual. Not really a lot to blog about, so this is just a short update for the past few weeks.
About 10 days ago when the snow was so high, Heidi did what she rarely does, she peed on the concrete. That was a blessing in disguise. As I was about to pour water over the urine to get it off the concrete, I see a puddle of blood in her urine. This poor basset hound is having a rough winter.
By the next morning we were at the vet to check that out. She had a urinary tract infection and the vet said it was not surprising with all she is going through. With a weak immune system, the infection didn't surprise him. He sold me some Baytril tables that she ate like candy for the next 10 days. Within 24 hours of the first two tablets, she was back to her normal self sprinting around the house after her first trip outside in the morning. I could tell she was already feeling much better.
The vet was happy with the improvement she saw on her skin. This is not clearing up her skin as fast I want nor as the Atopica did back in November and part of December. At times she looks like she is improving and by the end of the night, she looks no better than last October when this skin rash mess started.
Very frustrating to say the least.
The weekly shots of RESPIT are increased on schedule by .1ml until we get up to the 1ml weekly injection. Basically that is an immune program that fights all allergies that are geographic location specific. It will take almost 140 days before any improvement will be noticed. Still, it is not damaging to her kidneys or liver that long term steroids would do nor the reports of what long term Atopica would do. So I guess the wait is worth it, even though that is hard to do.
We have just passed week 6 of the treatment or as of today it's day 46 days out of 140 before noticeable results.
Would her skin problem heal or be a potential problem with location changes, environmental changes, while traveling?
Temperatures are getting high enough for me to finish the last few things on my list of house 'to do'. These things on the list have been held off until the temps get warmer. There are a couple of things I will have to wait until the ground dries out. The ground is extremely saturated with the melted snow and then two days of rain this past Thursday night and all day Friday. I'm not thrilled about getting under the house to inspect, especially with a rising water table. It's not a crawl space under there but a huge dirt hole about 4' deep and I have seen it after there are heavy rains.
As every spring, improving weather generates mind cell activity. I start thinking of traveling, and it has happened every spring since 2012. Of course two of those three years I was still working, so it wasn't possible long term. Last year I was very close with the Chevy pickup truck I had bought and the search for the right trailer. I only kept that truck for a month and a half before buying what I really wanted ... the Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4. I still love that vehicle.
I still cannot understand why it seems to be so important what I do or don't do to some readers of this blog. I've always done what I want, not what someone else tells me to do, even at work. I've never followed the path of the yellow brick road and white picket fences around the 2-car garage house... or even the plans required to move up the corporate ladder. All of my moves have been location/recreation first ... job second. That is until this last move back to Indiana in 1994, that was job related. Even then I've pretty much followed my own path.
Based on just a few past comments and emails I have received, my traveling decision seems to be more important to them than me ... I find that very strange.
So, yes I am talking and thinking of traveling again ... dogs and all. I am also seriously considering selling the house and moving west and have thought of that most of the winter. I just need to complete those 2-3 things on the 'to do' list that I've been needing warm weather to complete. Then I can turn the house over to an real estate agent. I don't need to be around to sell the house. With no mortgage payment, I can leave the house empty, put my furniture, computers and bikes in storage and hit the road. They can show and sell the house empty. That seems to be my most consistent thought.
I still think it would be a quick sell based on price, size and location. There are not a lot of good quality houses around here in the price range of the asking price. It would make a great house for a young or older couple. The area has extremely low property taxes and the house requires little maintenance but more than I am wanting to do. I'm just not into the normal house maintenance that is required with ownership.
I've looked at willow.com, realty.com and houses.org for houses in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah recently. Once again I can't really make a decision where to go until I could get there and check the areas out. I am also not sure I want to be a homeowner once my house would sell. I'll decide that later.
I had a friend wanting to buy my Mini Cooper and all was looking good until she couldn't find someone to give her a loan. That seemed strange to me because she works where I did and is paid well. Two income family with two kids and a house. After she later told me that she had just had transferred $20,000 of credit card debt to a loan, the answer was pretty obvious.
The Mini Cooper will sell quick after I detail it, get the winter grime off of it, park it down by the highway for all to see with a for sale sign on it. I will also list it on Craig's List. Over the past few months of my blogging vacation and reduced computer time, things have getting downsized again, some detailed inch by inch house cleaning, and some minor repairs fixed.
Computer time has still stayed low. I survived the winter using little heat as possible, thus heading for a big refund in May for overpayment of my utility bills. I pay a fixed amount every month and then settle up every May. My vehicle license plates are due in April as well as my property taxes ... so basically all of the small stuff will be taken care of for the year before I hit the road.
Before next spring I would expect that my legal residence would change. With my military retirement health plan, TriCare, luckily ObamaCare is not an issue for me. With that not being a factor I can still have about any state I want as a legal residence for full time traveling.
All I know is I am tired and have been of the daily routine living where I do and the responsibilities of home ownership.
Showing posts with label House For Sale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House For Sale. Show all posts
March 15, 2015
June 02, 2014
Downsizing is Never Ending
I'm not really taking a break this morning because I haven't even got started on today. It's 9:15am local time. I've had a couple of cups of Starbucks Columbian coffee, read blogs not only about RV traveling but those on my Feedly list that covers Mac O/S, Bedlam Farm, Sports, etc. Still after all of that reading, only 2-3 hours of my morning has slipped away. I'm not really a morning person but the hounds wake up daily about the same time (6:30am) and want to go outside for their morning trip. I am usually more productive in the hours after 12 noon.....so I have convinced myself today I can still get a lot accomplished even with a slow start.
After almost 2 months of retirement, I am finding out something my dad told me years ago after he retired ... "know what you are going to do for that day when you get up" ... maybe not a list of things to do but a good idea of what you want to accomplish. Otherwise it's like a few days I have had getting nothing done with a whole lot of hours spent on the computer either reading, commenting on forums, looking at spreadsheets or like yesterday .... moving all of my .jpg files from my "Documents" folder into a "Pictures" folder. I also downloaded them in bulk into iPhoto which was pretty fast, going through over 4,000 photos by "select all", import into the iPhoto library and clicking the box "not to import duplicates". This caught any photos I had not previously imported into iPhoto after my switch from Windows to Apple in October 2010.
Sad to think it was beautiful yesterday and I sat inside doing self-imposed computer work. I was still able to sit outside and watch the soft summer rain in the late afternoon. While smelling the rain, I pictured doing the same thing in places out west in my future travels.
Now to the title ... "Downsizing". I did some major downsizing last summer and fall, taking 3 Hummer truck loads (cargo area) to Goodwill. That was mostly clothes, dishes, and silverware. Then this past winter I didn't buy anything that I did not need....zip, nothing! Yet as I walked around last night sorting stuff that was either going to be sold online or taken to Goodwill, I could not believe how much I had to get rid of, even after getting down to the basics last summer and fall. The clothes I used to wear for work can now be sold or donated.
Where does "stuff" come from?
What would you think if you went to see a house for sale and that house was fairly empty? Should it be all or nothing? Such as selling everything from books to desks and some furniture or should I leave the interior of the house looking full, as if someone really did live here?
I am past the point of giving things away....possessions that are left have more value than "free", plus any money earned from online sales is gas money down the road....that is the way I look at it. So it might be more time consuming taking photos and writing for sale ads for Craig's List and eBay but there is some potential dollars sitting around here for things I no longer need.
By the time potential buyers view the house, it might be pretty bare. Will that be a problem in getting the house sold? I'd hate to have to wait until after the house is sold, and then rush to sell things during the time period the house deal is closing. If for some reason the house has not sold by the time I leave to pick up the Escape trailer, I've always planned on leaving it empty for the realtor to show.
Usually my rule on clothing is if it has not been used in the past year or two, it is gone. I am having a hard time applying that same rule to my vintage 33LP vinyl record "unintentional" collection, or the 80's cassette tape collection and a lot of the CD collection. I can't remember the last time I even listened to a record album but find it hard to let them go. I have an interested Craig's List buyer for all the music I have. I think getting rid of all the cassette tapes and record albums is a good idea, while keeping just favorites of CDs and DVDs. I need to download the CDs into my iTunes or iPhone and play them that way.
DVD's are another story. Like all media changes, I never intended having as many as I do. Yes, I do watch some movies more than once or more than a few times over the years. Due to available hard drive space I will not be downloading them into any iMac or iPad to watch later.
Other than that, I don't have much left. Some of the furniture, the vacuum, the Rug Doctor carpet cleaner are spoken for when I leave. That only leave things I think I will store somewhere out west in a very small storage room, for when I want to set up a new base camp. Then I think forget that storage and sell everything. Whatever is left, I could have a weekend yard sale and I'm pretty sure most if not all would be gone.
As I write this post about downsizing and telling you what is left, I realized I really don't have that much more to get rid of.
Well, I'm going back to work loading stuff into the FJ for my recycling trip today, a possible future Goodwill trip and taking photos for my eBay and Craigs List ads.
After almost 2 months of retirement, I am finding out something my dad told me years ago after he retired ... "know what you are going to do for that day when you get up" ... maybe not a list of things to do but a good idea of what you want to accomplish. Otherwise it's like a few days I have had getting nothing done with a whole lot of hours spent on the computer either reading, commenting on forums, looking at spreadsheets or like yesterday .... moving all of my .jpg files from my "Documents" folder into a "Pictures" folder. I also downloaded them in bulk into iPhoto which was pretty fast, going through over 4,000 photos by "select all", import into the iPhoto library and clicking the box "not to import duplicates". This caught any photos I had not previously imported into iPhoto after my switch from Windows to Apple in October 2010.
Sad to think it was beautiful yesterday and I sat inside doing self-imposed computer work. I was still able to sit outside and watch the soft summer rain in the late afternoon. While smelling the rain, I pictured doing the same thing in places out west in my future travels.
Now to the title ... "Downsizing". I did some major downsizing last summer and fall, taking 3 Hummer truck loads (cargo area) to Goodwill. That was mostly clothes, dishes, and silverware. Then this past winter I didn't buy anything that I did not need....zip, nothing! Yet as I walked around last night sorting stuff that was either going to be sold online or taken to Goodwill, I could not believe how much I had to get rid of, even after getting down to the basics last summer and fall. The clothes I used to wear for work can now be sold or donated.
Where does "stuff" come from?
What would you think if you went to see a house for sale and that house was fairly empty? Should it be all or nothing? Such as selling everything from books to desks and some furniture or should I leave the interior of the house looking full, as if someone really did live here?
I am past the point of giving things away....possessions that are left have more value than "free", plus any money earned from online sales is gas money down the road....that is the way I look at it. So it might be more time consuming taking photos and writing for sale ads for Craig's List and eBay but there is some potential dollars sitting around here for things I no longer need.
By the time potential buyers view the house, it might be pretty bare. Will that be a problem in getting the house sold? I'd hate to have to wait until after the house is sold, and then rush to sell things during the time period the house deal is closing. If for some reason the house has not sold by the time I leave to pick up the Escape trailer, I've always planned on leaving it empty for the realtor to show.
Usually my rule on clothing is if it has not been used in the past year or two, it is gone. I am having a hard time applying that same rule to my vintage 33LP vinyl record "unintentional" collection, or the 80's cassette tape collection and a lot of the CD collection. I can't remember the last time I even listened to a record album but find it hard to let them go. I have an interested Craig's List buyer for all the music I have. I think getting rid of all the cassette tapes and record albums is a good idea, while keeping just favorites of CDs and DVDs. I need to download the CDs into my iTunes or iPhone and play them that way.
DVD's are another story. Like all media changes, I never intended having as many as I do. Yes, I do watch some movies more than once or more than a few times over the years. Due to available hard drive space I will not be downloading them into any iMac or iPad to watch later.
Other than that, I don't have much left. Some of the furniture, the vacuum, the Rug Doctor carpet cleaner are spoken for when I leave. That only leave things I think I will store somewhere out west in a very small storage room, for when I want to set up a new base camp. Then I think forget that storage and sell everything. Whatever is left, I could have a weekend yard sale and I'm pretty sure most if not all would be gone.
As I write this post about downsizing and telling you what is left, I realized I really don't have that much more to get rid of.
Well, I'm going back to work loading stuff into the FJ for my recycling trip today, a possible future Goodwill trip and taking photos for my eBay and Craigs List ads.
May 21, 2014
I'm Back Only to Update the Latest Plans
I'm back tonight, much sooner than you probably expected and sooner than I had planned on, but there has been some recent developments this afternoon. I thought I'd post the updates and then take a break from blogging ... my future schedule just got really busy today. I chose to, on the suggestion of a friend, to blog about things tonight, instead of continuing to stay away for a month or so and then posting when I got back "by the way, last May I decided and did this while I was away" .... I don't believe that is fair to people logging in to read this blog and have chosen to follow me.
I have spent the last couple of days getting prepared to leave the area for a short vacation. Some of my camping gear is missing. I believe it's one of those "senior moments" you hear about...all speculation I know :) ... but a few years ago camping was more of a regular activity. A younger relative needed some equipment on the trips I did not have time to go on. I believe that is where some of my stuff is. I forgot to get it back or ask for it back. I was pretty job oriented then and was extremely busy with traveling, so I just spaced it. It's not a big deal because it's all replaceable.
I spent more time than I wanted and expected at the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles this morning. Since my plates for the Chevy Truck were just bought a few weeks ago because in this state, my plates expire 28 April every year for all my vehicles ... I was wanting to transfer those plates to the Toyota FJ Cruiser that was just bought. It's a simple process and the lady doing my transaction has shown in the past to be very knowledgeable about her job. I felt good as I sat down up until she started frowning at the computer screen, then her hand went to her forehead and possibly some slight mumbling to herself, barely audible. I knew then I might see many other people sit down, do their transaction and then leave way before I would. I remained calm. It ended up being a successful transaction taking longer than planned but at least I was given a huge credit.
With everything transpiring with the vehicle changes, mind changing on what rigs to buy, etc ... there has been a lot of thinking going on about my plans going on. Those plans have been thought about for a long time but a lot of it just got sorted out the past few weeks and hit loudly today and I feel its all part of the plan starting to come together. The pieces of the puzzle are showing up with the most appropriate timing, something I thought might happen once I was retired.
You probably remember over these past few years I have looked at, blogged about, a lot of different ideas, a lot of different rigs, a lot of different trailers. So what I am going to explain was NOT just something that flashed through my mind and a minute later I decided to do it .... I might be crazy but I'm not insane.
Last week after looking at the RV in Indy, since I was near one of two large RV dealers in the area, I stopped in to look at used trailers and new trailers. They all had one thing in common, they felt like trailers when I stepped inside them. Nothing impressed me, new or old. They were poorly constructed, it was just a feel I had again about them. When winds out west are up to 50mph at times and I am moving the trailer a little bit just by stepping inside ... I see that as a problem. It wasn't something I had not thought of before or felt before.
Through all my research there were a few manufacturers that had topped the list. Probably the Nash, Arctic Fox, Bigfoot and Escape (Canadian) always seemed to end up in my "favorites" folder of trailers I liked. The Jayco makes good stuff but it had that feel I described earlier.
So last week I was on a forum and saw "Production Dates" for a specific manufacturer. I didn't think much of it, because I always assumed I'd buy a used one. The problem with that theory was twofold. One, few were available and Two the used ones had retained their value to where there were a few $1,000s difference between a old and new one. The difference was small enough in most cases to make you consider just ordering a new one. Also rarely did I find a used trailer having everything I needed. The thing is with all of these trailers based on my past research and past Excel spreadsheets to compare ... they all ended up about the same total price but they all had different standard equipment and you were going to have to buy options to get what you NEEDED, not what you WANTED.
So a long story short .... {drum roll}
I called Escape Trailers in Canada today, late this afternoon, to place a deposit on a new build for a December 2014 delivery. I found out the last reservation spot sold earlier this morning. So they took down all of my information except my cc number and I am to call back soon for a January 2015 production date.
That is the trailer I am going to buy, no doubts, no changing my mind. Not only have I thought about that trailer before but with my recent change of tow vehicle, that changed the amount of weight I could tow ... it's all good, it wasn't a surprise. I have a close friend that has inspected them for me in real time, stepped inside them, touched and felt them and the trailer came highly recommended. With over 15 years of being on the road, more on the road than off, I felt their knowledge was more valuable than me traveling 2,000 miles to find out for myself on what very little experience I have.
Now that the trailer date has been decided ... and it definitely has ... that changes my plans of leaving this week or next because based on my other decision I am about to tell you about ... after months, if not years of thinking about it ... Since my retirement roughly 6 weeks ago, I found out some things that I suspected would happen and have. Some of these reasons are personal and will not be blogged about nor discussed with anyone but basically it is something I thought about last year, all through this year and even years before an RV was even part of my vocabulary. I felt that once I retired I would have my answer ... that has come to be true and I have an answer.
I am selling my house.
My two cars are already listed for sale as of today and in fact one was cleaned today and is parked down by the US Highway I live on, that gets a lot of traffic. It will take longer than my 1994 Chevy which lasted about a day down by the highway before it sold. Now before we all go freakazoid about this move, don't look at this decision as if I'm selling out to go full-time rving/traveling, something I have never done but look at it with the perspective of the hounds and I relocating back to the western states where I spent over 20 years of my life. Only this time I'll not be looking to live on the beach in Carlsbad Calif like I did in 1977, nor Whidbey Island NW of Seattle where I spent 10 years before moving back to Indiana for job related excuses. Some where out in states many miles west of the Mississippi River, there is a place that will let me know when the time is right ... that's it. In the meantime, what little I keep will be stored at a friends and small enough amounts that things can be shipped or driven out to me. There will not be much to take because honestly after my downsizing last summer and fall, I really don't have that much stuff to move.
So the new plan is and has already started:
1. Get down to one vehicle ... my tow vehicle the FJ Cruiser ... Two other cars are currently for sale.
2. Deposit on a new trailer after years of study.... the time spent searching for a rig or trailer are over!!!
2. Once the cars and house are sold I will hit the road and will either tent camp on my way to the western states and then find something locally to stay in until the January 2015 delivery date for my new trailer.
3. Based on weather, I plan to leave Indiana no matter what has or has not sold, no later than October 15. Based on local market information I received last week in a conversation, it is very possible that my house will sell faster than one of my cars. :) but I have to clean it out and clean it up for it to be shown to prospective buyers.
So as you see there is a reason I am not leaving for vacation or some camping like I had planned a couple of days ago. I cannot justify taking time off from here until I have prepped my house so that it it's prepared for the local Real Estate agent to show it. That also includes a final downsizing of possessions.
I HAVE A LOT of work to do, not only to prep the house for showings but also to get rid of the last of my possessions that I no longer want. It's NOT everything, just a few things that fall into that folder of either selling them online or donating them to libraries, Goodwill or local charities. This is stuff that I have not used or looked at in over a year or longer!! The stuff I blogged about in the past 3-4 months, that I didn't want to get rid of, most of that is going with me.
It's already close to June 1 and October 15, IF NOT SOONER is just right around the corner, so I don't have a lot of time. Currently the vehicles to do lists are all finished, either they are for sale or have been registered and have new tires. The humidity hit today and the hounds are panting on occasion and that's never a good sign. Highly motivating for me to get into action.
As far as selling the house and the moving part, I basically saw that decision weeks ago but put it on the back burner so to speak. Each day forward I could see it was the right thing to do.
So that is my plan update. Everything seems to be falling into place, just like I thought it would once I was in the retirement mode. I'm some of the readers are taking or placing side bets on if this happens ... when it does, I want a percentage of the winning amount. LOL
I do not plan, as some of the blogs I read a few years ago, do daily or weekly blog updates about the downsizing of possessions, the status of car sales or house sale. I'm going to be off the blog for a while doing what I just discussed. I will finally have to get my butt off this chair and away from this computer day after day to get the things done in time for hounds and I to head west.
Time waits for no one.
I have spent the last couple of days getting prepared to leave the area for a short vacation. Some of my camping gear is missing. I believe it's one of those "senior moments" you hear about...all speculation I know :) ... but a few years ago camping was more of a regular activity. A younger relative needed some equipment on the trips I did not have time to go on. I believe that is where some of my stuff is. I forgot to get it back or ask for it back. I was pretty job oriented then and was extremely busy with traveling, so I just spaced it. It's not a big deal because it's all replaceable.
I spent more time than I wanted and expected at the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles this morning. Since my plates for the Chevy Truck were just bought a few weeks ago because in this state, my plates expire 28 April every year for all my vehicles ... I was wanting to transfer those plates to the Toyota FJ Cruiser that was just bought. It's a simple process and the lady doing my transaction has shown in the past to be very knowledgeable about her job. I felt good as I sat down up until she started frowning at the computer screen, then her hand went to her forehead and possibly some slight mumbling to herself, barely audible. I knew then I might see many other people sit down, do their transaction and then leave way before I would. I remained calm. It ended up being a successful transaction taking longer than planned but at least I was given a huge credit.
With everything transpiring with the vehicle changes, mind changing on what rigs to buy, etc ... there has been a lot of thinking going on about my plans going on. Those plans have been thought about for a long time but a lot of it just got sorted out the past few weeks and hit loudly today and I feel its all part of the plan starting to come together. The pieces of the puzzle are showing up with the most appropriate timing, something I thought might happen once I was retired.
You probably remember over these past few years I have looked at, blogged about, a lot of different ideas, a lot of different rigs, a lot of different trailers. So what I am going to explain was NOT just something that flashed through my mind and a minute later I decided to do it .... I might be crazy but I'm not insane.
Last week after looking at the RV in Indy, since I was near one of two large RV dealers in the area, I stopped in to look at used trailers and new trailers. They all had one thing in common, they felt like trailers when I stepped inside them. Nothing impressed me, new or old. They were poorly constructed, it was just a feel I had again about them. When winds out west are up to 50mph at times and I am moving the trailer a little bit just by stepping inside ... I see that as a problem. It wasn't something I had not thought of before or felt before.
Through all my research there were a few manufacturers that had topped the list. Probably the Nash, Arctic Fox, Bigfoot and Escape (Canadian) always seemed to end up in my "favorites" folder of trailers I liked. The Jayco makes good stuff but it had that feel I described earlier.
So last week I was on a forum and saw "Production Dates" for a specific manufacturer. I didn't think much of it, because I always assumed I'd buy a used one. The problem with that theory was twofold. One, few were available and Two the used ones had retained their value to where there were a few $1,000s difference between a old and new one. The difference was small enough in most cases to make you consider just ordering a new one. Also rarely did I find a used trailer having everything I needed. The thing is with all of these trailers based on my past research and past Excel spreadsheets to compare ... they all ended up about the same total price but they all had different standard equipment and you were going to have to buy options to get what you NEEDED, not what you WANTED.
So a long story short .... {drum roll}
I called Escape Trailers in Canada today, late this afternoon, to place a deposit on a new build for a December 2014 delivery. I found out the last reservation spot sold earlier this morning. So they took down all of my information except my cc number and I am to call back soon for a January 2015 production date.
That is the trailer I am going to buy, no doubts, no changing my mind. Not only have I thought about that trailer before but with my recent change of tow vehicle, that changed the amount of weight I could tow ... it's all good, it wasn't a surprise. I have a close friend that has inspected them for me in real time, stepped inside them, touched and felt them and the trailer came highly recommended. With over 15 years of being on the road, more on the road than off, I felt their knowledge was more valuable than me traveling 2,000 miles to find out for myself on what very little experience I have.
Now that the trailer date has been decided ... and it definitely has ... that changes my plans of leaving this week or next because based on my other decision I am about to tell you about ... after months, if not years of thinking about it ... Since my retirement roughly 6 weeks ago, I found out some things that I suspected would happen and have. Some of these reasons are personal and will not be blogged about nor discussed with anyone but basically it is something I thought about last year, all through this year and even years before an RV was even part of my vocabulary. I felt that once I retired I would have my answer ... that has come to be true and I have an answer.
I am selling my house.
My two cars are already listed for sale as of today and in fact one was cleaned today and is parked down by the US Highway I live on, that gets a lot of traffic. It will take longer than my 1994 Chevy which lasted about a day down by the highway before it sold. Now before we all go freakazoid about this move, don't look at this decision as if I'm selling out to go full-time rving/traveling, something I have never done but look at it with the perspective of the hounds and I relocating back to the western states where I spent over 20 years of my life. Only this time I'll not be looking to live on the beach in Carlsbad Calif like I did in 1977, nor Whidbey Island NW of Seattle where I spent 10 years before moving back to Indiana for job related excuses. Some where out in states many miles west of the Mississippi River, there is a place that will let me know when the time is right ... that's it. In the meantime, what little I keep will be stored at a friends and small enough amounts that things can be shipped or driven out to me. There will not be much to take because honestly after my downsizing last summer and fall, I really don't have that much stuff to move.
So the new plan is and has already started:
1. Get down to one vehicle ... my tow vehicle the FJ Cruiser ... Two other cars are currently for sale.
2. Deposit on a new trailer after years of study.... the time spent searching for a rig or trailer are over!!!
2. Once the cars and house are sold I will hit the road and will either tent camp on my way to the western states and then find something locally to stay in until the January 2015 delivery date for my new trailer.
3. Based on weather, I plan to leave Indiana no matter what has or has not sold, no later than October 15. Based on local market information I received last week in a conversation, it is very possible that my house will sell faster than one of my cars. :) but I have to clean it out and clean it up for it to be shown to prospective buyers.
So as you see there is a reason I am not leaving for vacation or some camping like I had planned a couple of days ago. I cannot justify taking time off from here until I have prepped my house so that it it's prepared for the local Real Estate agent to show it. That also includes a final downsizing of possessions.
I HAVE A LOT of work to do, not only to prep the house for showings but also to get rid of the last of my possessions that I no longer want. It's NOT everything, just a few things that fall into that folder of either selling them online or donating them to libraries, Goodwill or local charities. This is stuff that I have not used or looked at in over a year or longer!! The stuff I blogged about in the past 3-4 months, that I didn't want to get rid of, most of that is going with me.
It's already close to June 1 and October 15, IF NOT SOONER is just right around the corner, so I don't have a lot of time. Currently the vehicles to do lists are all finished, either they are for sale or have been registered and have new tires. The humidity hit today and the hounds are panting on occasion and that's never a good sign. Highly motivating for me to get into action.
As far as selling the house and the moving part, I basically saw that decision weeks ago but put it on the back burner so to speak. Each day forward I could see it was the right thing to do.
So that is my plan update. Everything seems to be falling into place, just like I thought it would once I was in the retirement mode. I'm some of the readers are taking or placing side bets on if this happens ... when it does, I want a percentage of the winning amount. LOL
I do not plan, as some of the blogs I read a few years ago, do daily or weekly blog updates about the downsizing of possessions, the status of car sales or house sale. I'm going to be off the blog for a while doing what I just discussed. I will finally have to get my butt off this chair and away from this computer day after day to get the things done in time for hounds and I to head west.
Time waits for no one.
January 05, 2014
Snow Flies and Plans Moving Forward
The brutal storm in the Midwest is to arrive today. So far its only been rain/snow mix with the temps to drop around 4pm and then the snow will fly and by Monday our high temp is predicted to be MINUS 8. Looks like a lot of snow and ice by tomorrow morning. Borrego Springs comes to mind when I see that temperature forecast.
I have finally moved out of my "winter blahs", hibernating mood and am fully charged and excited to get back on track for my departure in May 2014. That date will be here before I know it. Thanks to the downsizing I did last summer I am not that far away of being able to pack what little stuff I want to keep for the future when I decide to settle. Sports memorabilia, books and some music that I would rather not sell or give away will be stored somewhere until I decide where the settling spot is.
I've been following all the blogs on my blog roll daily this winter but kinda tuned out all the informative forums, RVs for sale sites while I hibernated. After all the information I have read and collected these past two years, I seem to have forgotten some of it so I'll start doing a little review of rving fulltime. During this time I will also start packing the Coachmen and will have a better idea of what to take or get rid of.
As it stands, I'll leave in May 2014. The house will be empty and a realtor will show it for sale. I may tow my H3 Hummer since that can be towed wheels down and is a 4x4. I will sell the old Chevy Pickup and my Mini Cooper. All of these different plans/options have been tossed around for years and every time there is one plan that consistently shows back up ... the one I am going to follow in May.
Things change, places change over time and after 17 years this March I find it is time to move on. I just didn't enjoy living here this past year for various reasons that I will not discuss here but some things can't be changed for the better. It is the longest period of time I have ever lived in one place in my life. All ranging from the beach in Carlsbad CA, to Whidbey Island WA, Breckenridge CO and back to the Midwest, the land of humid muggy summers and freezing winters.
It's time to move.
I have a few places in mind but will find the place during my travels. This traveling itch has never gone away and I know if I don't get out on the road now (May 2014), that traveling thought will linger in the back walls of my mind for the rest of my life and continue to bother me.
So, I have 5 short months to go back through each room and discard or load things into the Class C (no name yet) and 5 short months to prepare the house for showing.
I know time is moving so fast that May will be here before I know it.
I can't wait to hit the road!!
I have finally moved out of my "winter blahs", hibernating mood and am fully charged and excited to get back on track for my departure in May 2014. That date will be here before I know it. Thanks to the downsizing I did last summer I am not that far away of being able to pack what little stuff I want to keep for the future when I decide to settle. Sports memorabilia, books and some music that I would rather not sell or give away will be stored somewhere until I decide where the settling spot is.
I've been following all the blogs on my blog roll daily this winter but kinda tuned out all the informative forums, RVs for sale sites while I hibernated. After all the information I have read and collected these past two years, I seem to have forgotten some of it so I'll start doing a little review of rving fulltime. During this time I will also start packing the Coachmen and will have a better idea of what to take or get rid of.
As it stands, I'll leave in May 2014. The house will be empty and a realtor will show it for sale. I may tow my H3 Hummer since that can be towed wheels down and is a 4x4. I will sell the old Chevy Pickup and my Mini Cooper. All of these different plans/options have been tossed around for years and every time there is one plan that consistently shows back up ... the one I am going to follow in May.
Things change, places change over time and after 17 years this March I find it is time to move on. I just didn't enjoy living here this past year for various reasons that I will not discuss here but some things can't be changed for the better. It is the longest period of time I have ever lived in one place in my life. All ranging from the beach in Carlsbad CA, to Whidbey Island WA, Breckenridge CO and back to the Midwest, the land of humid muggy summers and freezing winters.
It's time to move.
I have a few places in mind but will find the place during my travels. This traveling itch has never gone away and I know if I don't get out on the road now (May 2014), that traveling thought will linger in the back walls of my mind for the rest of my life and continue to bother me.
So, I have 5 short months to go back through each room and discard or load things into the Class C (no name yet) and 5 short months to prepare the house for showing.
I know time is moving so fast that May will be here before I know it.
I can't wait to hit the road!!
October 20, 2013
What Makes a Person Want to Sell Everything They Own?
What makes someone have the urge to sell everything they own and hit the road full-time with only tent camping experience? Is it boredom? A need for change? Curiosity? Adventure?
I don't have the answer but I know the urge has hit me numerous times over the past two years.
Prior to my discovery of Glenn's story in October 2011 and my starting date to even think about RVing, I was planning on retiring in the same time frame (May 2014) but had no plans of selling my house or toys. I was into bicycling, have great areas to ride those bikes, lived near the town where I attended college (IU) that is a great town. I was content and happy. No confusion on what to do, no second thoughts, the path was smooth and on schedule.
Then a boring Friday at work, I tuned into Yahoo Business and there is Glenn on the front page with a sub-headline on how he was living on less than $1,000 per month traveling full-time. Not making less than $1,000 per month in income but living on the road on less than $1,000 per month. While reading the article I flashed back to a summer during college where I rode a bicycle cross country and up the pacific coast, remembering how much I enjoyed that trip. Or the the short time I lived in my VW bus in southern California on the beach while working 2nd shift. I took showers at the gym in the mornings after playing racquetball and then heading for a different beach in San Diego county that night after work. With no rent, electric bills, water bills etc....it was a great way to live.
So the travel and simple lifestyle started to scramble my brain cells. I went home that weekend and read Glenn's blog from the start date to current date. That led me to other blogs of people traveling and living full-time in RVs, trailers, Vans or Truck Campers. I read blogs all weekend late into the night or early morning. I was obsessed.
By the end of the weekend, my plans of a smooth retirement, no thoughts of selling anything and traveling when I wanted ... were gone!! All I could think about was downsizing, selling everything I had and "escaping" this rut called routine life.
What I needed to do and did, was start researching about this RV lifestyle. I never had the urge to even buy one let alone live in one. The only camping I had done in the past was tent camping, some hiking and snowmobiling in the Cascade Mts and plenty of traveling by car cross country at times from the west coast to Indiana. So I had seen a lot of great land, mountains etc but was always on a schedule needing to be somewhere at a certain time.
Still I knew nothing about RVing.
An old friend had just spent 5 years full-timing in a Class A but was back in Indiana with his MH parked. He sent a additional sites and attachments full of information. When I was sitting at home in a freezing snowing month in Indiana, I would picture the people I had read about on my blog roll and all the great places they were at that was much warmer than where I was.
The more I read about RVing, the stronger the urge would be. Then out of nowhere I would have no interest and would prefer to go back to my original plan of staying put with a little traveling when I had the time.
Then the urge to sell everything and hit the road would hit me with such force, that I downsized, listed the house, the cars, the truck for sale ... numerous times, changing my mind each time not to sell.
Each time I had doubt about selling everything I took that to mean I should keep what I had and try the different RV lifestyle first. I had the same advice from many that did travel full time or did travel full time and returned back to a house and part time travel. Even a few people that had never been a homeowner but traveled full-time suggested I keep what I had, but have an RV/trailer, travel part time or take a year to travel, then decide.
So over the two years since this RV lifestyle was discovered I have downsized and that is good even if I don't travel a mile. I have only what I need in my house and my music collection and books are probably the most I have of any one thing.
My hounds were a factor in this decision and more than a couple of times they probably kept me from packing up everything and hitting the road on impulse. They like to ride, like my current rv but they still have a great situation here with acres of land behind us for their daily walk and their recon missions when they need to work out their hound noses.
This is a place I have lived for 16-1/2 years after spending time in southern California and NW of Seattle on Whidbey Island. Still I have urges to sell everything I own.
So what makes me have these urges, as recently as this past week, of putting everything up for sale and hitting the road?
I don't have the answer but I know the urge has hit me numerous times over the past two years.
Prior to my discovery of Glenn's story in October 2011 and my starting date to even think about RVing, I was planning on retiring in the same time frame (May 2014) but had no plans of selling my house or toys. I was into bicycling, have great areas to ride those bikes, lived near the town where I attended college (IU) that is a great town. I was content and happy. No confusion on what to do, no second thoughts, the path was smooth and on schedule.
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| 2013 Giant Defy II |
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| 1984 Custom Made Romic |
Then a boring Friday at work, I tuned into Yahoo Business and there is Glenn on the front page with a sub-headline on how he was living on less than $1,000 per month traveling full-time. Not making less than $1,000 per month in income but living on the road on less than $1,000 per month. While reading the article I flashed back to a summer during college where I rode a bicycle cross country and up the pacific coast, remembering how much I enjoyed that trip. Or the the short time I lived in my VW bus in southern California on the beach while working 2nd shift. I took showers at the gym in the mornings after playing racquetball and then heading for a different beach in San Diego county that night after work. With no rent, electric bills, water bills etc....it was a great way to live.
So the travel and simple lifestyle started to scramble my brain cells. I went home that weekend and read Glenn's blog from the start date to current date. That led me to other blogs of people traveling and living full-time in RVs, trailers, Vans or Truck Campers. I read blogs all weekend late into the night or early morning. I was obsessed.
By the end of the weekend, my plans of a smooth retirement, no thoughts of selling anything and traveling when I wanted ... were gone!! All I could think about was downsizing, selling everything I had and "escaping" this rut called routine life.
What I needed to do and did, was start researching about this RV lifestyle. I never had the urge to even buy one let alone live in one. The only camping I had done in the past was tent camping, some hiking and snowmobiling in the Cascade Mts and plenty of traveling by car cross country at times from the west coast to Indiana. So I had seen a lot of great land, mountains etc but was always on a schedule needing to be somewhere at a certain time.
Still I knew nothing about RVing.
An old friend had just spent 5 years full-timing in a Class A but was back in Indiana with his MH parked. He sent a additional sites and attachments full of information. When I was sitting at home in a freezing snowing month in Indiana, I would picture the people I had read about on my blog roll and all the great places they were at that was much warmer than where I was.
The more I read about RVing, the stronger the urge would be. Then out of nowhere I would have no interest and would prefer to go back to my original plan of staying put with a little traveling when I had the time.
Then the urge to sell everything and hit the road would hit me with such force, that I downsized, listed the house, the cars, the truck for sale ... numerous times, changing my mind each time not to sell.
Each time I had doubt about selling everything I took that to mean I should keep what I had and try the different RV lifestyle first. I had the same advice from many that did travel full time or did travel full time and returned back to a house and part time travel. Even a few people that had never been a homeowner but traveled full-time suggested I keep what I had, but have an RV/trailer, travel part time or take a year to travel, then decide.
So over the two years since this RV lifestyle was discovered I have downsized and that is good even if I don't travel a mile. I have only what I need in my house and my music collection and books are probably the most I have of any one thing.
My hounds were a factor in this decision and more than a couple of times they probably kept me from packing up everything and hitting the road on impulse. They like to ride, like my current rv but they still have a great situation here with acres of land behind us for their daily walk and their recon missions when they need to work out their hound noses.
This is a place I have lived for 16-1/2 years after spending time in southern California and NW of Seattle on Whidbey Island. Still I have urges to sell everything I own.
So what makes me have these urges, as recently as this past week, of putting everything up for sale and hitting the road?
September 02, 2013
Is This All There Is? Really?
It's almost 10pm local time and I have completed 3 days off in temps of 90s and a lot...a lot of humidity. So it was a lot of computer time and college football time which started Thursday night with the local university's first game. Strange but I didn't go, and only 25 miles away. I use to never miss a home game and even traveled for some away games. That's a whole different story I will not go into here.
Still, these 3 days off just like all of my other long weekends (3 days) prove to me, if I were to retire and stay here I would be one very very bored individual. Thus, my blog post title - "Is This All There Is? Really?"
I need more than bored, especially once retired and I wake up every morning with no schedule. Nice. So let's move on.
Official retirement day is May 2014. But (never start a sentence with but), I have been thinking as always, my mind never slows down, even when sleeping. I did some "what if's" on the finances and assets and I believe I have found a way to leave much sooner and have enough to live on that would carry me to more income in May 2014.
So that is what I have been spending most of my weekend doing. Of course I have some new ideas, some familiar and should have something to report more definite in the coming week. A few things "in work" right now....all with the same goal.
Get out alive as soon as possible. LOL
Just like some of the current athlete's when they are being recruited for college or the pros becoming free agents......I have reopened my decision processes on which trailer!!! LOL
I know you will love reading that. Yet, all of my email informants tend to agree with my current plans and searches.
I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear something but I hope to have a pretty firm plan this week around my week full of meetings at work....nothing but meetings and Power Point slides....are those slides recyclable?
It's all good ... really.
Clues are everywhere.
Still, these 3 days off just like all of my other long weekends (3 days) prove to me, if I were to retire and stay here I would be one very very bored individual. Thus, my blog post title - "Is This All There Is? Really?"
I need more than bored, especially once retired and I wake up every morning with no schedule. Nice. So let's move on.
Official retirement day is May 2014. But (never start a sentence with but), I have been thinking as always, my mind never slows down, even when sleeping. I did some "what if's" on the finances and assets and I believe I have found a way to leave much sooner and have enough to live on that would carry me to more income in May 2014.
So that is what I have been spending most of my weekend doing. Of course I have some new ideas, some familiar and should have something to report more definite in the coming week. A few things "in work" right now....all with the same goal.
Get out alive as soon as possible. LOL
Just like some of the current athlete's when they are being recruited for college or the pros becoming free agents......I have reopened my decision processes on which trailer!!! LOL
I know you will love reading that. Yet, all of my email informants tend to agree with my current plans and searches.
I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear something but I hope to have a pretty firm plan this week around my week full of meetings at work....nothing but meetings and Power Point slides....are those slides recyclable?
It's all good ... really.
Clues are everywhere.
August 25, 2013
Changes
Grab some popcorn, the movie continues!! LOL
When I left you last, all the vehicles were for sale on Craig's List and I had an appointment on Wednesday to show the house and list it with a Realtor.
I made it to Wednesday morning, appointment was set for 3pm and my day started by my bloodhound Sadie trotting through the kitchen toward the door for her first thing in the morning trip out to the field, followed by Winston and Heidi, the basset hounds.
"Was that water I heard"???? Couldn't be. Not on the same day the appointment was set for. I flicked on the light switch only to see a small lake of clear water on the kitchen floor, all coming from the closet that holds the small water heater. Strike 1.
Before anything, coffee must be made, so I tip tow around the edge of the "lake" toward the refrigerator to get some nice filtered water to make coffee. With the door open I catch a small glimpse of water puddled at the bottom of the fridge, NOT connect to the "lake" on the other side of the room. Strike 2
By 9 am I had the "lake" under control, calls made for cost estimates and availability for a water heater replacement. Also all of my refrigerator contents were loaded in cold Coleman coolers and the defrost processed had started. It is a self-defrosted fridge but a few weeks ago I realized the door was left open for many hours and thinking I had the same problem from last year where those small drain tubes were full of frozen water, I would try to defrost before looking for repair.
Since the most of the morning was taken with DCC, it left me little time to "stage" the house like I had planned before the appointment at 3pm. The more I thought about it, I decided it was not the right day for the appointment, called Linda and cancelled.
Within the hour I had also changed my mind about selling my house.
The rest of the day I continued to think and as you all know "thinking" gets me in trouble. Not bad trouble, just trouble.
By that night I had confirmed to myself once again, I really didn't need to sell my house to travel nor to buy the Starcraft trailer. The more past emails I read, some blogs I read, I had people that have been on the road for 6 years or longer telling me in more than one email over the year, to hold off selling the house until I try living on the road with 3 dogs to see if it was really what I wanted to do ... and not go by "the beautiful stories" I read about full-time rving on different blogs.
One little tidbit passed on by a full time traveler with 2 large dogs in a very small trailer. She told me something I had never thought about it. She said it's harder to camp in the winter, not because of the temperatures but the decreased time of daylight hours. Meaning the winter months I would be spending more time inside my trailer with the hounds due to shorter days.
I also decided if I wasn't going to sell the house, I didn't need to sell my old Chevy pickup (I used it a lot this past week). I also decided I would not sell the Mini Cooper S. I had zero emails or calls about the car the weeks it was listed on Craig's List and other Mini Cooper Forums. I also was not going to "give it away" by selling for a lower price just to get rid of it.
So I sit here a week later with the house, truck and cars but with less clothing, less pots and pans, less kitchen utensils, less ice tea pitchers, less juicers .... all taken to the Goodwill.
The downsizing continues.
I admit I did feel better after those decisions and continue to do so even after 5 days since deciding.
So without selling the house the departure date has been moved back to the date I originally planned in 2011....to the spring 2014. I can keep my bank savings intact and my 401's instead of using part of them for monthly expenditures. There have always been financial reasons not to leave before the spring of 2014....unless the house sold. If I were to leave before November I would spend the winter in Arizona, eastern Southern California, possibly NM and/or Texas. Whereas in the spring I will head west and by the hot months of the summer travel up through my old neighborhood of Washington, down through Oregon and Idaho....then maybe to Montana and Colorado.
Those were plans I had even before I thought of RVing of any kind .... then come back to the house when I got tired of the road or come back and clear out the rest of my stuff and leave an empty house to the Realtor to sell.
So I have come a full circle since October 2011....only the mode of travel has changed.
The dealership has had 3 2013 17RDs since last summer, has not sold one, so they will most likely have them next March when I am ready to leave. I didn't see any reason to buy a trailer, winterize it and store it if I wasn't going to use it until spring.
I have ruled out the Class A and most likely the C's based on how I want to travel. The Starcraft 17RD will be the trailer I choose. Nothing has changed to make me look or think of a different trailer. It has everything I need and the size is good.
Hope your popcorn tasted good! College and NFL football starts this Thursday!!
August 18, 2013
Negative Thoughts
I don't watch much tv but a few years ago I became addicted to a show that lasts only 12 weeks??, not sure...So I watched it tonight, this being it's last season. This summer after that show CNN has a 1 hour special where they send one of their reporters out in normal off the news living.
Tonight he was in Nebraska with a rancher, along with someone else reporting on the river traffic in St Louis on the Mississippi River….the major highway for transporting corn throughout the Midwest.
The theme of both locations….drought.
They were about the close down the river traffic because it has become so shallow. The Rancher in NE is about to lose his ranch, unless he is getting rain this summer. I could not tell which year they were in, 2012 or 2013. I think it has rained a lot through there this year but I'm not sure.
By the end of two shows I had some interesting thoughts….no couch. The trailer has no couch and during these two shows or the few times I watch tv, always, the bloodhound and the older basset hound lay under the coffee table and the younger basset lays on the couch.
So I wondered how that would be with the trailer having no couch?…just then a "brief" thought on selling the house….but more thoughts on what if nothing sells…the house, the truck, the Mini Cooper??
So my response tonight to all of this fast bombardment of negative thoughts I think is interesting because it is different than all the other times this happened to me. In the past when I had some quick negative thoughts like that, I would be outside right now at 11:40pm, pulling my for sale sign up in the dark…..but not this time.
I thought about what if the house and the cars sell….what if the house sells quick and I have not sold my vehicles yet….I would leave my vehicles on my friends car lot and sell them on consignment.
So I no longer wondered about the couch…..I saw the dogs finding their own sleeping/hanging out places inside the trailer once we came inside…I saw getting up early in the morning and after a cup of coffee, pulling out to a new camp within a few hours. I saw traveling when I had an urge to go somewhere I had either been before or a place I've wanted to see and towing my house behind me…a bed the same size I have in my house, AC IF I want it and peace and quiet away from people, traffic noise, stuffed up sinuses, and to save electricity….a lantern.
So instead of freaking out with doubt….I have finally been able to recognize those thoughts (tiny negative voices) and then think of what I really want to do and that is to be moving around the western states with no yard work, tornadoes, freezing snow, boring work. Then pull into some small town for some gas, groceries maybe a dog park or a local diner.
I can't wait for Linda to show up on Wednesday to sign paperwork for her agency to list my house.….and I can't wait for my cars to sell. Her schedule was not open until Wednesday for us to meet and get the house on the market.
Looking at the "completed" listings on eBay on my Mini Cooper, there were a lot of listings the past two weeks and a lot of no sales and the couple that did, sold way below book value. My friend mentioned to me that it's August and that may not be the best time trying to sell cars or trucks because people are having to spend a lot of money getting their children into school, with book fees and clothes. I then remembered my co-worker telling me she was spending about $1,500 for her 6, 8 and 18 yr old to start school.
Still it only takes one person that likes that color of car, or the location or the low miles.
Spent the day cleaning....for just one person living in this house, its amazing where dust comes from. I took my biggest load of clothes yet to Goodwill, yes they are open on Sundays. I am down to what I would call the bare minimum....I have a closet and 1/2 to clear out but that will take place this Saturday when I take 8 plastic tubs of sports programs and magazines that I use to sell online to recycling. Then I will have 8 tubs for storage on the road. The other part of the closets are throw away stuff. I even cut down my dishes and silver to a 4 pcs setting, even though I plan to use paper/plastic on the road.
Spent all day getting rid of stuff and as I sit here, it hardly looks like I put a dent in downsizing.
Tonight he was in Nebraska with a rancher, along with someone else reporting on the river traffic in St Louis on the Mississippi River….the major highway for transporting corn throughout the Midwest.
The theme of both locations….drought.
They were about the close down the river traffic because it has become so shallow. The Rancher in NE is about to lose his ranch, unless he is getting rain this summer. I could not tell which year they were in, 2012 or 2013. I think it has rained a lot through there this year but I'm not sure.
By the end of two shows I had some interesting thoughts….no couch. The trailer has no couch and during these two shows or the few times I watch tv, always, the bloodhound and the older basset hound lay under the coffee table and the younger basset lays on the couch.
So I wondered how that would be with the trailer having no couch?…just then a "brief" thought on selling the house….but more thoughts on what if nothing sells…the house, the truck, the Mini Cooper??
So my response tonight to all of this fast bombardment of negative thoughts I think is interesting because it is different than all the other times this happened to me. In the past when I had some quick negative thoughts like that, I would be outside right now at 11:40pm, pulling my for sale sign up in the dark…..but not this time.
I thought about what if the house and the cars sell….what if the house sells quick and I have not sold my vehicles yet….I would leave my vehicles on my friends car lot and sell them on consignment.
So I no longer wondered about the couch…..I saw the dogs finding their own sleeping/hanging out places inside the trailer once we came inside…I saw getting up early in the morning and after a cup of coffee, pulling out to a new camp within a few hours. I saw traveling when I had an urge to go somewhere I had either been before or a place I've wanted to see and towing my house behind me…a bed the same size I have in my house, AC IF I want it and peace and quiet away from people, traffic noise, stuffed up sinuses, and to save electricity….a lantern.
So instead of freaking out with doubt….I have finally been able to recognize those thoughts (tiny negative voices) and then think of what I really want to do and that is to be moving around the western states with no yard work, tornadoes, freezing snow, boring work. Then pull into some small town for some gas, groceries maybe a dog park or a local diner.
I can't wait for Linda to show up on Wednesday to sign paperwork for her agency to list my house.….and I can't wait for my cars to sell. Her schedule was not open until Wednesday for us to meet and get the house on the market.
Looking at the "completed" listings on eBay on my Mini Cooper, there were a lot of listings the past two weeks and a lot of no sales and the couple that did, sold way below book value. My friend mentioned to me that it's August and that may not be the best time trying to sell cars or trucks because people are having to spend a lot of money getting their children into school, with book fees and clothes. I then remembered my co-worker telling me she was spending about $1,500 for her 6, 8 and 18 yr old to start school.
Still it only takes one person that likes that color of car, or the location or the low miles.
Spent the day cleaning....for just one person living in this house, its amazing where dust comes from. I took my biggest load of clothes yet to Goodwill, yes they are open on Sundays. I am down to what I would call the bare minimum....I have a closet and 1/2 to clear out but that will take place this Saturday when I take 8 plastic tubs of sports programs and magazines that I use to sell online to recycling. Then I will have 8 tubs for storage on the road. The other part of the closets are throw away stuff. I even cut down my dishes and silver to a 4 pcs setting, even though I plan to use paper/plastic on the road.
Spent all day getting rid of stuff and as I sit here, it hardly looks like I put a dent in downsizing.
August 17, 2013
Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD is Back !!!!
The more blogs I read with people in small trailers, vans, tents....made me go back through reading a lot of saved information I had. Looked at a lot of pictures of all the above mentioned ways of living on the road. I then went back and re-read my blog posts on why I "almost" bought and why I didn't, I read comments to those posts.....I read emails concerning those indecision's.
Then Friday night after seeing my Cincinnati Reds lose a game on the road in the bottom of the 9th inning with their "Flame Thrower" on the mound .... I went to claz and looked at different trailers for sale. Claze is a site that combines all for sale sites on the net for whatever "term" you put in the search box. What popped up first in my search for Casita was the Casita trailer that was 30 miles from me in Bedford Indiana...from the same guy that told me he had two buyers if I did decide to change my mind. Well that trailer was still there and $600 cheaper on the asking price. He had dropped it off the site that sells nothing but fiberglass trailers to a website that sold trailers, rv's and 5'ers. When I didn't see it on the fiberglass trailer site I figured it has sold.
So I went back through my Casita notes, pictures and still could not see any way the hounds and I could survive full time in that 14' of living space.
What that did do was take me back to the Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD notes I had taken, the blog posts, and the pictures I had collected, or took and saved. The inside of that trailer looked large compared to the Casita. I looked at prices for used trailers and they were higher than what I was buying a new 2013 for. So by midnight Friday night my brain cells are scrambling like mice that found a ton of free cheese!! The more I read, the more I looked, the more convinced I was on the right path before in June when I backed out at the last minute with dollars in hand at the dealership.
Before there were some conflicts in opinion on how long the interior was based on the Model name "17RD" and what the dealership was telling me. I couldn't honestly tell what size the inside of the trailer was. Plus I needed to see if my hounds were bigger than I thought inside that trailer.
I decided about 2:45am....yes, AM....on Saturday morning (still Friday night to me), that I needed to go back to that trailer with a tape measure in my hand and perform some further investigation.
The first thing I measured were my 3 dogs, just to see how long they were and tall the bloodhound was. These measurements were used when I sat in the trailer later in the day. When I sat at the kitchen table and on the opposite end on the bed.....I stretched out the measuring tape to 29" (bloodhound length) to see what I was going to be looking at, along with 2 24"er's. Surprisingly, everything looked like it should work.
Long story short ... the interior is 17'L and 6'9" wide. So the model number is the inside measurement instead of the length from tongue to bumper like most trailers are labeled. I don't think you want to see all the numbers but I measured aisle width, front entry space, bed size, bathroom shelves (potential ballgame/movie dvd's) ... cabinets, floor to ceiling (6'1") and that nice exterior storage space that goes the complete width of the trailer. I even measure the ground clearance to the lowest hanging pipe (11"), an inch higher than my H3 Hummer.
The 3 windows in back are not as big as a Class C or even a larger trailer but they are still good size. The top of the trailer has plenty of room for the solar panels installation. The AC is 8,000 btu's...I am guessing that is enough for a 17x6'9" space. I won't use the AC any more than I do here at home, last year I survived the 100 degree temps with windows open and fans on, just to see what the cost savings would be at the end of the year.
Sooooo the Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD deal is back on. I will pick it up in a couple of weeks. I am having 2 vents changed out for 2 Fantastic fans, plus their prep which includes the anti sway bar, the brake controller installed, propane filled and the new Interstate Marine battery fully charged.
The house is being listed with an AGENT!! for the first time on Monday. The Chevy Truck and Mini Cooper that are on Craig's list will be added to eBay and/or Cars dot com on Sunday night 11pm local....so that 7 day listing will end on Sunday night 8 pm on the west coast. In my past eBay full-time selling experience that seemed to be the best time and day for me for total sales.
Anyone wanna bet if I change my mind? lol lol
Plan is to be heading west no later than 30 October 2013! When the vehicles sell, then I can leave at any time, with the house vacant, move in ready and with a real estate agent.
It took a while, I admit, but it feels great to finally have a firm plan of action and a totally different feeling within myself than anytime in the past.
Then Friday night after seeing my Cincinnati Reds lose a game on the road in the bottom of the 9th inning with their "Flame Thrower" on the mound .... I went to claz and looked at different trailers for sale. Claze is a site that combines all for sale sites on the net for whatever "term" you put in the search box. What popped up first in my search for Casita was the Casita trailer that was 30 miles from me in Bedford Indiana...from the same guy that told me he had two buyers if I did decide to change my mind. Well that trailer was still there and $600 cheaper on the asking price. He had dropped it off the site that sells nothing but fiberglass trailers to a website that sold trailers, rv's and 5'ers. When I didn't see it on the fiberglass trailer site I figured it has sold.
So I went back through my Casita notes, pictures and still could not see any way the hounds and I could survive full time in that 14' of living space.
What that did do was take me back to the Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD notes I had taken, the blog posts, and the pictures I had collected, or took and saved. The inside of that trailer looked large compared to the Casita. I looked at prices for used trailers and they were higher than what I was buying a new 2013 for. So by midnight Friday night my brain cells are scrambling like mice that found a ton of free cheese!! The more I read, the more I looked, the more convinced I was on the right path before in June when I backed out at the last minute with dollars in hand at the dealership.
Before there were some conflicts in opinion on how long the interior was based on the Model name "17RD" and what the dealership was telling me. I couldn't honestly tell what size the inside of the trailer was. Plus I needed to see if my hounds were bigger than I thought inside that trailer.
I decided about 2:45am....yes, AM....on Saturday morning (still Friday night to me), that I needed to go back to that trailer with a tape measure in my hand and perform some further investigation.
The first thing I measured were my 3 dogs, just to see how long they were and tall the bloodhound was. These measurements were used when I sat in the trailer later in the day. When I sat at the kitchen table and on the opposite end on the bed.....I stretched out the measuring tape to 29" (bloodhound length) to see what I was going to be looking at, along with 2 24"er's. Surprisingly, everything looked like it should work.
Long story short ... the interior is 17'L and 6'9" wide. So the model number is the inside measurement instead of the length from tongue to bumper like most trailers are labeled. I don't think you want to see all the numbers but I measured aisle width, front entry space, bed size, bathroom shelves (potential ballgame/movie dvd's) ... cabinets, floor to ceiling (6'1") and that nice exterior storage space that goes the complete width of the trailer. I even measure the ground clearance to the lowest hanging pipe (11"), an inch higher than my H3 Hummer.
The 3 windows in back are not as big as a Class C or even a larger trailer but they are still good size. The top of the trailer has plenty of room for the solar panels installation. The AC is 8,000 btu's...I am guessing that is enough for a 17x6'9" space. I won't use the AC any more than I do here at home, last year I survived the 100 degree temps with windows open and fans on, just to see what the cost savings would be at the end of the year.
Sooooo the Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD deal is back on. I will pick it up in a couple of weeks. I am having 2 vents changed out for 2 Fantastic fans, plus their prep which includes the anti sway bar, the brake controller installed, propane filled and the new Interstate Marine battery fully charged.
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| 2012 Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD |
The house is being listed with an AGENT!! for the first time on Monday. The Chevy Truck and Mini Cooper that are on Craig's list will be added to eBay and/or Cars dot com on Sunday night 11pm local....so that 7 day listing will end on Sunday night 8 pm on the west coast. In my past eBay full-time selling experience that seemed to be the best time and day for me for total sales.
Anyone wanna bet if I change my mind? lol lol
Plan is to be heading west no later than 30 October 2013! When the vehicles sell, then I can leave at any time, with the house vacant, move in ready and with a real estate agent.
It took a while, I admit, but it feels great to finally have a firm plan of action and a totally different feeling within myself than anytime in the past.
August 15, 2013
House Trucks & Trailers
Once again I recently tried to put this living on the road for any length of time out of my mind. I still read the blog lists but moved all of my bookmarked RV info out of site. Tried convincing myself that I would work until I drop, make more money than I need and keep buying toys as I had the urge. That would surely make me the happiest.
The "itch" to leave it all never disappeared as it never did in past attempts to shove it aside in the past 22 months. This time I also realized a couple of new things. I have been buying "toys" for a long time and I have made more money than I need for a while and I have lived in this low cost of living area for 16+ years .... guess what? All of this was just a rut or routine, little true happiness and different periods of deep depression.
My happiest times were when I was younger of course, traveling cross country to San Diego from Indiana and then up the coast highway to Seattle....all with a tent, sleeping bag and traveling riding a bicycle. The best summer I ever had. Other times I was happy were the times driving cross country from the west coast to Indiana and back or about 6-7 years ago when I was buying old '60s VW buses online, flying to their location and driving them back...keeping some of them and selling others.....it was the traveling cross country where I was the happiest.
I think there are some pretty obvious answers there ... answers that I should follow.
So I made some decisions.....again, but at least I keep catching myself when I am about to make a purchase recently, ask myself "am I going to need this on the road?" ... that stops the purchase.
As far as the house I have decided a different approach. When people call me to ask about it, in the past they would ask what the price is. This time I am going to tell them to make an appointment to look at it and I am considering all offers!! With it being paid for, I am willing to take less to move it and that puts me on the road sooner. Yes, the For Sale sign is back in the yard.
The 1994 Chevy 2500 truck is back on Craig's list and will be on eBay by the weekend. My 2006 Mini Cooper is back for sale on Craig's List and will be on eBay or Cars.com by the weekend. In the meantime I am going to keep the H3 Hummer to tow a small trailer unless feedback from the question I ask below, leans towards a larger trailer.
My question is ... being a "rookie" in pulling camping trailers ... which would be better for me, a smaller trailer to tow and learn the RV lifestyle, towed by my H3 ... or trade for a Tundra or F150 so I can tow a trailer around 21' and 6,000lbs. Would the bigger trailer be a problem for a trailer towing rookie? My only experience in towing a trailer were the times I moved, driving a Uhaul truck, and towing my car.
I've made these decisions to sell in amongst the best weather we have had for a while, very cool nights, low humidity and highs of 70's during the day. Everything is green. I feel better selling and leave rather than play it safe and stay in the rut/routine that has engulfed me.
My house has peaked out for me personally and all I see when I think of the future is money spent on house maintenance and house repairs ... neither of those two options thrill me at this point in time of my life. I'm 61. I get more excited when I think of starting my day outside with a cup of coffee, with a great view and no plans unless I want to.
The "itch" to leave it all never disappeared as it never did in past attempts to shove it aside in the past 22 months. This time I also realized a couple of new things. I have been buying "toys" for a long time and I have made more money than I need for a while and I have lived in this low cost of living area for 16+ years .... guess what? All of this was just a rut or routine, little true happiness and different periods of deep depression.
My happiest times were when I was younger of course, traveling cross country to San Diego from Indiana and then up the coast highway to Seattle....all with a tent, sleeping bag and traveling riding a bicycle. The best summer I ever had. Other times I was happy were the times driving cross country from the west coast to Indiana and back or about 6-7 years ago when I was buying old '60s VW buses online, flying to their location and driving them back...keeping some of them and selling others.....it was the traveling cross country where I was the happiest.
I think there are some pretty obvious answers there ... answers that I should follow.
So I made some decisions.....again, but at least I keep catching myself when I am about to make a purchase recently, ask myself "am I going to need this on the road?" ... that stops the purchase.
As far as the house I have decided a different approach. When people call me to ask about it, in the past they would ask what the price is. This time I am going to tell them to make an appointment to look at it and I am considering all offers!! With it being paid for, I am willing to take less to move it and that puts me on the road sooner. Yes, the For Sale sign is back in the yard.
The 1994 Chevy 2500 truck is back on Craig's list and will be on eBay by the weekend. My 2006 Mini Cooper is back for sale on Craig's List and will be on eBay or Cars.com by the weekend. In the meantime I am going to keep the H3 Hummer to tow a small trailer unless feedback from the question I ask below, leans towards a larger trailer.
My question is ... being a "rookie" in pulling camping trailers ... which would be better for me, a smaller trailer to tow and learn the RV lifestyle, towed by my H3 ... or trade for a Tundra or F150 so I can tow a trailer around 21' and 6,000lbs. Would the bigger trailer be a problem for a trailer towing rookie? My only experience in towing a trailer were the times I moved, driving a Uhaul truck, and towing my car.
I've made these decisions to sell in amongst the best weather we have had for a while, very cool nights, low humidity and highs of 70's during the day. Everything is green. I feel better selling and leave rather than play it safe and stay in the rut/routine that has engulfed me.
My house has peaked out for me personally and all I see when I think of the future is money spent on house maintenance and house repairs ... neither of those two options thrill me at this point in time of my life. I'm 61. I get more excited when I think of starting my day outside with a cup of coffee, with a great view and no plans unless I want to.
August 03, 2013
Nothing For Sale
(Editor's note: On August 11, 1013 I put the For Sale sign for the house back up, listed the Chevy Truck and Mini Cooper on Craig's List. Both vehicles will be posted to eBay August 18, 2013 and I am considering listing the house with a realtor)
As the title says....nothing is for sale. It doesn't mean I have changed my mind about traveling, just decided I did not NEED to sell everything to travel.
First of all, in the past selling cars and old vw's...I had great results on eBay and cars.com This past week on Craig's List brought nothing but spam emails...a LOT of spam emails, then a few spam texts. No calls to see them, to test drive them....zip, nada.
The decision not to sell the automobiles yet actually started when I thought about not selling my house. Would I want to sell my vehicles if I didn't sell the house? Not really. My house with me in it or leaving it empty while I travel, costs me $1,000 per year in insurance and property taxes. The water and electric I can shut off and then pay the electric company $25 when I get back and need to have it activated.
Do I need the house sale proceeds to buy a trailer? No. Do I need the house sale proceeds to travel? No. Then the only reason to sell the house was to move the base camp 1,500 miles west.
I decided there was not a need to sell a house that I like, own and is perfect for the hounds just to move a base camp 1,500 miles west. Overall Indiana has great weather except for roughly 5 months (subject to change in 5 minutes), Dec, Jan, Feb, July and Aug .... I can be away during those months with no problem.
If I am out traveling and see a place that I am overwhelmed by feelings that I have to move there, then....I will put the house up for sale in Indiana.
So I guess I have FINALLY come to realize what friends, fellow bloggers and co-workers have told me over the past months....."try RVing first and if you don't like it, you have a house you can move back to" or "when you get tired of Rving, you have a house you can move back to". ....and I add, with very little money to maintain it while I am gone.
The vehicles might change if I decide to go big and sell the '94 Chevy 2500 truck and my H3 for a 4x4 F150 or Tundra just to tow a bigger trailer. Otherwise I can tow with what I have, the H3 or even as suggested by David not to rule out the old truck....the old truck with the 5.7L V8 and the heavy duty suspension added for towing, along with a brake controller. Still, neither of those vehicles can tow the Nash 17' all season trailer, but it can tow more than 4,500#'s.
So currently I am thinking the H3 towing a small trailer and then setting up a 10x10 tent as spare room once the camp site is set up. If extremely bad weather hits all of us can sleep in the H3 with room to spare.
So the house stays as do the vehicles.
As the title says....nothing is for sale. It doesn't mean I have changed my mind about traveling, just decided I did not NEED to sell everything to travel.
First of all, in the past selling cars and old vw's...I had great results on eBay and cars.com This past week on Craig's List brought nothing but spam emails...a LOT of spam emails, then a few spam texts. No calls to see them, to test drive them....zip, nada.
The decision not to sell the automobiles yet actually started when I thought about not selling my house. Would I want to sell my vehicles if I didn't sell the house? Not really. My house with me in it or leaving it empty while I travel, costs me $1,000 per year in insurance and property taxes. The water and electric I can shut off and then pay the electric company $25 when I get back and need to have it activated.
Do I need the house sale proceeds to buy a trailer? No. Do I need the house sale proceeds to travel? No. Then the only reason to sell the house was to move the base camp 1,500 miles west.
I decided there was not a need to sell a house that I like, own and is perfect for the hounds just to move a base camp 1,500 miles west. Overall Indiana has great weather except for roughly 5 months (subject to change in 5 minutes), Dec, Jan, Feb, July and Aug .... I can be away during those months with no problem.
If I am out traveling and see a place that I am overwhelmed by feelings that I have to move there, then....I will put the house up for sale in Indiana.
So I guess I have FINALLY come to realize what friends, fellow bloggers and co-workers have told me over the past months....."try RVing first and if you don't like it, you have a house you can move back to" or "when you get tired of Rving, you have a house you can move back to". ....and I add, with very little money to maintain it while I am gone.
The vehicles might change if I decide to go big and sell the '94 Chevy 2500 truck and my H3 for a 4x4 F150 or Tundra just to tow a bigger trailer. Otherwise I can tow with what I have, the H3 or even as suggested by David not to rule out the old truck....the old truck with the 5.7L V8 and the heavy duty suspension added for towing, along with a brake controller. Still, neither of those vehicles can tow the Nash 17' all season trailer, but it can tow more than 4,500#'s.
So currently I am thinking the H3 towing a small trailer and then setting up a 10x10 tent as spare room once the camp site is set up. If extremely bad weather hits all of us can sleep in the H3 with room to spare.
So the house stays as do the vehicles.
July 27, 2013
House Truck Car and H3 Hummer For Sale
Craig's List was not a fast process but I have listed my 2006 Mini Cooper S and Chevy 2500 Truck on Craig's list. This was after spending the day washing all 3 vehicles and taking some current photos for the ads.
The For Sale Sign for my house has gone back and forth from the front yard to out of view ... LOL
Each time I have posted it out front, down by the highway, I get calls asking about it. The small town local people probably know more about this house than I do and I have lived here for 17 years. My friend that is a popular real estate agent has told me over the years people have asked about my house and if it was available. She feels it will sell fairly quick based on the current market.
So I'll see what happens with everything for sale. I have only tried selling 1 set of Z4 wheels and tires on Craig's list in the past and the only response I got was from my favorite people down in Nigeria with the best shipping costs there is. (j/k)
Yet, people I work with tell me they have always had great luck selling cars and trucks on Craig's List.
It is still early tonight, so I will be listing some personal items on eBay, I still have good results selling there. That will be the plan tomorrow, taking pictures and writing eBay ads...a lot of this stuff I was going to sell even I had stayed here.
The days off I have from work (The Forced Friday Off by the Government) show me what retirement would be like if I were to stay "status quo" .... and I can't do it that way. I have to be on the move otherwise I would go nuts sitting here day after day. I have seen about all I want to see within a 5 hour drive from here, over the years I have lived here. I have looked at keeping the house and traveling, yet that changes with costs on the road and costs at home to keep it maintained, also with possible additional stress leaving a house empty for extended period of time. I have had to do that in the past for 6-10 month periods, all with negative results.
There are periods of great weather in Indiana over the course of the year but it's tough living through the extreme weather changes as you get older. As temps and humidity become unbearable, the cost of electricity increases rapidly. As those temps drop into the single digits with ice and snow in the winter, the cost of electricity increases rapidly. I don't know about your local electric company but mine prefers to charge you more per kilowatt during the "high usage" months, as they call it.
I would prefer to be pulling my electric from a solar system and at times a small generator if needed or boondocked in locations to beat each extreme weather and not paying the overpriced power companies. I even have to pay $32 per month for a "facility" charge on my utility bill....they could have built a castle with that monthly fee per customer!! LOL
So, even when traveling full time was not even a thought ... I was still thinking about moving back out west after I retired and do that I would have been selling my house.
Here are my 2 Craig's List ads links. For some reason when I post links, they never change to the color of font that I have chosen for links....so you can hover your curser over each and click. Feel free to send the links to your friends if they interested. I am also open for suggestions for a better ad if needed.
It's good to see a plan come together. No time limits, just continuous daily action toward that goal of traveling....hounds and all.
June 17, 2013
House Back on the Market !!!!
Basically I have to make changes, I don't want to keep living safe like this when I would rather be living back in the western USA. The more I think about it, I go back to my original train of thought in October 2011. Sell the house and everything I own and hit the road. If/when I settle down again it will be out west somewhere, not in the same western places I spent 20 years living but in the west somewhere. I will find that place during my travels.
The sign is back in the front yard. The blog is back online http://leavingbloomfield.blogspot.com and by late tonight I will have listed my car, and the house on Craig's list, with a link to the blog for more pictures and description. There are more pictures at the end of this post.
What about the "backup plan" or the "need to have a base camp" thoughts in past posts. Well if I decide I don't care for the traveling or need to get back to a 'sticks n bricks' then I'll find something out west, possibly some land and put up one of those new 'tiny homes' on it, or buy land and build a home around 800 sq ft, or a small town with a small home that I can work on while I live there.
Endless possibilities!!
In the meantime I could be up camping right now in the Dakotas, Montana, PacificNorthWest at higher elevation to keep cool, then head for Arizona, or New Mexico, eastern Calif for the winter...just like I have been dreaming of the past 20 months.
Ballgames??? I have a DirecTv account where I can watch a game on any device (iMac, iPad, iPhone) as long as I get an internet connection and if not, it will not be the first time I have missed ballgames...not really a big deal. I was wondering this weekend, is the reason I watch so many games on tv is because of boredom?
Today I could picture hiking or mountain biking trails off the grid, dogs off a leash and spending most of the day outside. I could get use to that type of day real easy.
I also sold my '94 Chevy Truck today to a manager at work. He commutes by my house daily to work and noticed and laughed about "one day your house is for sale, two days later it isn't"...I see "my" truck is still up on the hill waiting for me to buy it....well I'm ready to buy it.
My Mini Cooper will be on Craig's List tonight and Cars dot com. That will leave me with trading the H3 Hummer in for a 4x4 Truck that can tow more than 7,000 lbs. Some of my friends are still pushing me to get a diesel truck and a 5'er. I am thinking a Ford F-150 4x4, towing a Bigfoot or a Nash Trailer.
Exciting times!! Stay Tuned!!
I swear, I only have one personality. LOL
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| NOT Part of Sale - Property Behind House |
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| Early Morning From The Front Corner Of The House |
June 14, 2013
House Not For Sale
The longer the For Sale sign stayed in the yard these past 5 days, the more I did not want to sell it. I decided I could not sell it until I had experience on the road traveling in an RV or trailer to see if that was really what I wanted to do. It will be my base camp in the meantime.
So, I pulled the sign up today.
I am still looking at BigFoot Trailers. I am still looking for a full size 4x4 Truck to trade my H3 for, so I can tow more than 4,500 lbs or 3,500 lbs out west in the mountains. Like neighbors before me, I'll probably leave my house late October/early November, travel through the winters in the SW and then return in April just in time to catch up with yard work and any house stuff. If during my travels I see somewhere I would rather live, then I'll put the house on the market and sell it ready to move in, empty.
I've always liked this house for more than a few reasons. I guess that is one reason I have stayed here longer than any other place I have ever lived ... SoCal, Whidbey Is, Breckenridge. I also noted comments by bloggers I follow that would say they enjoy having a base camp and with my base camp paid for, extremely low property taxes, low water and electric bills, it just makes it easier to keep.
As much as I want to be a full-timer, I will never know if that is a fit for me and my dogs until I am doing it. Until I know for sure that I want to travel full-time after experiencing real time miles on the road, I cannot sell it.
So, I pulled the sign up today.
I am still looking at BigFoot Trailers. I am still looking for a full size 4x4 Truck to trade my H3 for, so I can tow more than 4,500 lbs or 3,500 lbs out west in the mountains. Like neighbors before me, I'll probably leave my house late October/early November, travel through the winters in the SW and then return in April just in time to catch up with yard work and any house stuff. If during my travels I see somewhere I would rather live, then I'll put the house on the market and sell it ready to move in, empty.
I've always liked this house for more than a few reasons. I guess that is one reason I have stayed here longer than any other place I have ever lived ... SoCal, Whidbey Is, Breckenridge. I also noted comments by bloggers I follow that would say they enjoy having a base camp and with my base camp paid for, extremely low property taxes, low water and electric bills, it just makes it easier to keep.
As much as I want to be a full-timer, I will never know if that is a fit for me and my dogs until I am doing it. Until I know for sure that I want to travel full-time after experiencing real time miles on the road, I cannot sell it.
June 12, 2013
Are You Crazy????
Well, it's only been 4 full days, only 96 hours, since the for sale sign was put in the yard....and in that short time I have received a lot of email, some from people I know and some I don't know but each group has an opinion .... and many think I am crazy!!!!
For those readers that have already gone through this process, I assume this post will be old news, reminders of what you went through.
A large percentage of readers feel that I should keep the house until I spend time on the road with a truck/trailer/dogs etc. Some would like to buy the house but only if they could move it to their current location, which is usually outside the state of Indiana. Other's say "go for it", good luck, why?, are you really going to do this? or that's a nice house ..you should keep it.
I have had some interest in the house locally. One couple stopped to look along with their daughter, whom is in the market to buy a house. A couple of others may stop by this weekend, while tonight I had someone at work that planned on stopping by but didn't. Such is life in house selling.
My house prepping is moving at a slower pace than I had planned. I am getting things done but those short breaks in front of the computer, answering emails, reading blogs and looking at trailers almost stops my momentum. I've procrastinated in almost everything I have done for as long as I can remember. Am I lazy? Will this attitude hurt me on the road?
At work I am totally opposite. I hate to be behind, love being on time with paperwork and very little procrastination is taking place with me at work. Don't confuse that thought with me liking my job...I can't say I do.
I live here. At times it's a "man cave". I think it will be hard for me to keep it immaculate, "spotless" for possible viewers. As I go through my list of things to do, I see more and more stuff I have to get rid of. I wonder when to put my car and old truck up for sale, or the Hummer? I wonder if I will find what I want before I sell this house? I value privacy ... how will I react to having complete strangers walking through my house??
I believe you all get the picture. No word verification anymore....comment away!!
For those readers that have already gone through this process, I assume this post will be old news, reminders of what you went through.
A large percentage of readers feel that I should keep the house until I spend time on the road with a truck/trailer/dogs etc. Some would like to buy the house but only if they could move it to their current location, which is usually outside the state of Indiana. Other's say "go for it", good luck, why?, are you really going to do this? or that's a nice house ..you should keep it.
I have had some interest in the house locally. One couple stopped to look along with their daughter, whom is in the market to buy a house. A couple of others may stop by this weekend, while tonight I had someone at work that planned on stopping by but didn't. Such is life in house selling.
My house prepping is moving at a slower pace than I had planned. I am getting things done but those short breaks in front of the computer, answering emails, reading blogs and looking at trailers almost stops my momentum. I've procrastinated in almost everything I have done for as long as I can remember. Am I lazy? Will this attitude hurt me on the road?
At work I am totally opposite. I hate to be behind, love being on time with paperwork and very little procrastination is taking place with me at work. Don't confuse that thought with me liking my job...I can't say I do.
I live here. At times it's a "man cave". I think it will be hard for me to keep it immaculate, "spotless" for possible viewers. As I go through my list of things to do, I see more and more stuff I have to get rid of. I wonder when to put my car and old truck up for sale, or the Hummer? I wonder if I will find what I want before I sell this house? I value privacy ... how will I react to having complete strangers walking through my house??
I believe you all get the picture. No word verification anymore....comment away!!
June 09, 2013
For Sale Sign is Up This Morning
I felt a feeling of excitement and being motivated to get that list completed as I printed the phone number on the sign ... it's going to be good day!!!
Just as I started to post this ... a car stopped in the driveway.
June 08, 2013
House Prepping for Sale - Day 1 - Potential Delays
I'm sitting here at 9:22pm local and don't have nearly as much done in my first day of prepping my house for sale ....but I still could, as I said 'plant' the For Sale sign in the front yard by 5pm Sunday. I did get a lot done even with my late start after my Internet addiction rearing it's ugly head ... as I spent the morning drinking coffee, reading blogs, facebook groups and looking at RV sites ... before I knew it, it was past 12:30pm and I am WAAAAAYYYYY behind my planned schedule.
I had a major rally.
Mowed, trimmed the yard, cleared my gutters again ... which I was planning to do on Sunday but when I checked the weather forecast it looked like possible rain on Sunday. In Indiana they say if you don't like the weather just wait, because it will change within hours and now it shows that Sunday should be a clear and warm day. Still the yard work is finished and that is another reason I want to live on wheels with no mowing, weed eating etc.
So, I moved my plans and reversed the days for my list. While cleaning out some closets (more clothes to goodwill) and some nooks and other spaces that are not cleaned on a normal basis ... I found my first problem that MAY prevent the sign being planted in the yard tomorrow.....drum roll "homeowners" ......and that first problem is????
1. The floor that the water heater sits on is damp ... not wet ... damp!!
So I track through my organized files and see the receipt that shows the water heater was replaced recently IT SEEMS but after subtracting 2013 - the year of replacement = more years than I remembered and I need a new water heater.
I shut the door hoping the issue goes away and I move to the next item on my list ... cleaning the walls. This is where my 2nd problem raised it's ugly head ... drum roll "homeowners" ... and that second problem is???
2. Each of my rooms has their own heater switch for baseboard heating and in my bedroom for some reason TODAY....TODAY....WHY TODAY ??? The baseboard heat kicks on FOR NO REASON!!!! while I am mowing outside, so when I enter the house I feel it's about 100 degrees inside the bedroom and that heat is spreading like a forest fire through my house. It is hot, it's really hot. The hounds are panting, drooling, water dishes are empty and they want outside....they are smart even with their sagging eye lids and long ears ... they still know when things are not good.
So I turn off the circuit breaker to the baseboard heater and wall switch. Of course since my house was built in 1975, I doubt that same wall switch can be found and I will find out Monday when I call the local Plumbing and Electrical shop downtown on the square. They know this house better than I do. I have been here 16 years but they tell me they installed the original equipment in 1975. So there may be a chance for a switch replacement.
The Amish built this house in 1975 ... it is strong as a Clydesdale horse, not a sound during high wind storms but I swear they day they were running the wiring in this house .. they had to be drinking at lunch and were drunk because nothing makes sense when finding which circuit breaker goes to which rooms and outlets. This is not a new revelation, I realized the confusion years ago but it's a reminder the times you are trying to match the right circuit breaker with that room/outlet.
So, that's my OFFICIAL first day of prepping my house for sale.
I am glad I didn't start early in the morning and then figure all of this out, then the day would be a waste ... (laughing) ... after all, I got all my blogs read, RV facebook groups, RV sites that sell sell sell and a few emails....plus some great coffee.
So the question is ... do I go ahead and 'plant' the For Sale sign in the yard tomorrow as scheduled? Remember I am doing this different than most. After I shampoo the carpet tomorrow, this place is nice enough to show ... as long as they don't ask to see the water heater .... LOL.
After all my plan has always been, even last fall, was to advertise for selling while I lived here and also did regular maintenance or improvements as if I would stay here ... except the floors. I will let the buyer decide what they want to put in....as per the advice of a friend that is a real estate agent.
So that is my fun for today. I hope and feel optimistic I will get an earlier start tomorrow morning on my carpet shampooing and clearing my tables, desks of all my books and magazines that I don't read.
Here is one of the main reasons I decided to 'plant the For Sale sign in the yard before everything is perfect .... I am the type of person where it will never be perfect enough in my mind. There will always be something that needs cleaned, changed or improved on before I would put the sign out front ... understand???
So I know it's good enough to sell as is, I've been told that by friends ... so the sign is going out.
I can use issue #2 as a prime example ... IF they cannot find the same replacement for that one wall thermostat switch due to the age .... MOST LIKELY, I will replace all the other wall thermostat switches so they all match. That is just the way "I'm wired" so to speak.
Suggestions are welcomed from all ... except that "anonymous" commenter today on a different post. :)
I had a major rally.
Mowed, trimmed the yard, cleared my gutters again ... which I was planning to do on Sunday but when I checked the weather forecast it looked like possible rain on Sunday. In Indiana they say if you don't like the weather just wait, because it will change within hours and now it shows that Sunday should be a clear and warm day. Still the yard work is finished and that is another reason I want to live on wheels with no mowing, weed eating etc.
So, I moved my plans and reversed the days for my list. While cleaning out some closets (more clothes to goodwill) and some nooks and other spaces that are not cleaned on a normal basis ... I found my first problem that MAY prevent the sign being planted in the yard tomorrow.....drum roll "homeowners" ......and that first problem is????
1. The floor that the water heater sits on is damp ... not wet ... damp!!
So I track through my organized files and see the receipt that shows the water heater was replaced recently IT SEEMS but after subtracting 2013 - the year of replacement = more years than I remembered and I need a new water heater.
I shut the door hoping the issue goes away and I move to the next item on my list ... cleaning the walls. This is where my 2nd problem raised it's ugly head ... drum roll "homeowners" ... and that second problem is???
2. Each of my rooms has their own heater switch for baseboard heating and in my bedroom for some reason TODAY....TODAY....WHY TODAY ??? The baseboard heat kicks on FOR NO REASON!!!! while I am mowing outside, so when I enter the house I feel it's about 100 degrees inside the bedroom and that heat is spreading like a forest fire through my house. It is hot, it's really hot. The hounds are panting, drooling, water dishes are empty and they want outside....they are smart even with their sagging eye lids and long ears ... they still know when things are not good.
So I turn off the circuit breaker to the baseboard heater and wall switch. Of course since my house was built in 1975, I doubt that same wall switch can be found and I will find out Monday when I call the local Plumbing and Electrical shop downtown on the square. They know this house better than I do. I have been here 16 years but they tell me they installed the original equipment in 1975. So there may be a chance for a switch replacement.
The Amish built this house in 1975 ... it is strong as a Clydesdale horse, not a sound during high wind storms but I swear they day they were running the wiring in this house .. they had to be drinking at lunch and were drunk because nothing makes sense when finding which circuit breaker goes to which rooms and outlets. This is not a new revelation, I realized the confusion years ago but it's a reminder the times you are trying to match the right circuit breaker with that room/outlet.
So, that's my OFFICIAL first day of prepping my house for sale.
I am glad I didn't start early in the morning and then figure all of this out, then the day would be a waste ... (laughing) ... after all, I got all my blogs read, RV facebook groups, RV sites that sell sell sell and a few emails....plus some great coffee.
So the question is ... do I go ahead and 'plant' the For Sale sign in the yard tomorrow as scheduled? Remember I am doing this different than most. After I shampoo the carpet tomorrow, this place is nice enough to show ... as long as they don't ask to see the water heater .... LOL.
After all my plan has always been, even last fall, was to advertise for selling while I lived here and also did regular maintenance or improvements as if I would stay here ... except the floors. I will let the buyer decide what they want to put in....as per the advice of a friend that is a real estate agent.
So that is my fun for today. I hope and feel optimistic I will get an earlier start tomorrow morning on my carpet shampooing and clearing my tables, desks of all my books and magazines that I don't read.
Here is one of the main reasons I decided to 'plant the For Sale sign in the yard before everything is perfect .... I am the type of person where it will never be perfect enough in my mind. There will always be something that needs cleaned, changed or improved on before I would put the sign out front ... understand???
So I know it's good enough to sell as is, I've been told that by friends ... so the sign is going out.
I can use issue #2 as a prime example ... IF they cannot find the same replacement for that one wall thermostat switch due to the age .... MOST LIKELY, I will replace all the other wall thermostat switches so they all match. That is just the way "I'm wired" so to speak.
Suggestions are welcomed from all ... except that "anonymous" commenter today on a different post. :)
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