Full Time in One Location

[clicker1944]

Going to be full timing in one location, what have you learned about insurance, cable vs satellite, wifi, anything else I may have not thought about, lay it on me.

[Gumpster808]

Friends of ours moved from their S&B to their RV full time. They were surprised when the insurance went to about what it was for their home. Guess they figure more chance for claims if living in it full time.

[A32Deuce]

Some CG allow the phone company or cable company to run a line to your unit. That could cover phone, internet and tv. Some I have been in already have it in place, you just contact the company and get the service you need. Research before making a decision where. Also when you do full then some CG have an elec meter at your unit and you pay accordingly. Hope this helps.

[clicker1944]

Yes, I'm aware of paying for electric seperately. Park has cable at each site i guess I would need hd box and any additional channels i would want. Just asking if there are options we may not have thought about, especially for wifi. The new home base will be in Tampa Fl.

[A32Deuce]

WiFi depends on the CG. The one we left in Bama had secure and rather fast WiFi. Not 4g fast, but faster then most. We use Dish for tv.

[ependydad]

A lot of campgrounds will allow you to contract to have high speed Internet brought to you. The RV park’s WiFi is usually substandard - especially somewhere like Tampa that sees a high influx of snowbirds.

Insurance-wise, contact a RV insurance specialist. Don’t trust your regular ole insurance agent to steer you right.

[DougW]

Only once have I ever been in an RV park where the Wi-Fi worked good, and that was when we stopped overnight on a trip south and there were only 3 sites occupied.

As far as Cable or Satelite, first question is if you will have a clear view of the sky for the satellite to get good reception. After that, if cable is available, it is up to you to decide which one suits your needs at an acceptable cost.

[Cottage_Owner]

We "full-time" at a park. Our insurance was converted from "RV" to "Mobile-Home", and considerably less money. May/may not be available where you are, check with your Insurance Company locally. We had to prove intent that we were permanent and that required either having semi-permanent stairs (in our case) into the rig, or some sort of fence at the front of the rig.

We were able to value the rig and contents for whatever amount we selected. (Do not know if there are limits). You would need to check with local Insurance companies where you are, to determine if this is possible. We do have a state RV license on the unit as well.

Our insurance is only good while on the lot - period.

Our park has Wi-Fi and cable. Some parks in the area, have either or both. Not all wi-fi and cable are the same, as you probably know, so take a long-hard look. Ours is park owned, others in the area allow outside vendors. You really should look into this very closely and consider which is best for you.

[tdemeyer1]

In response to Clicker1944 we have been full time at an RV resort in So. Cal where it probably is more expensive than most but it is all very reasonable. Our property (which is not for sale) is listed at $148,000 for oversize lot and a beautiful stucco, tile roof enclosed casita 700+sq ft. taxes are only $650 year, Insurance is very reasonable, of course that depends on your coach, Wifi is$50-70 month depending on how fast, water and sewer are included in HOA, so it's much cheaper than driving around and paying camp grounds and then never knowing what your getting. And if you are not here you can rent your lot out daily, weekly, monthly or yearly depending on your traveling plans.

[camaraderie]

If you can get cable internet to your site...then you can set up your own wifi AND use the internet and Roku, AmazonFireStick or GoogleChrome cast with the wireless network to deliver TV content or even subscribe to DirecTV now etc.

Keep us posted on what you decide and how it works out.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by clicker1944

Going to be full timing in one location, what have you learned about insurance, cable vs satellite, wifi, anything else I may have not thought about, lay it on me.

I'm going to think outside the box for a minute. Is your goal Tampa specific or are you open to SW Florida, say 100 miles south? And why in an RV?

We found that the majority of RV plus permanent parks are large corporation owned. Monthly fees are high and the people are held hostage to rising fees. The last park we camped in was $1,300/month plus utilities. Permanents were paying $625 plus utilities (except water). Permanent RVs were paying more. A park employee read the meters and we paid the park management having no idea if the meter fees were accurate. There were a lot of permanents for sale in that park, but they were hard to sell because of the fees.

Don't need to answer, but this is what we did. We sold the RV and now have a very nice/comfortable mobile home in a friendly park with all the amenities other than golf course and tennis courts. It is on salt water canals, very convenient to shopping and the Interstate. Monthly fees are $170 to include water, sewer, grounds maintenance and use of all facilities, including a full work shop of loaner tools. The park is member owned, well maintained and solvent. Each unit has shares that are fully refundable on the sale of the mobile. The units available in the park are an absolute gift comparing parks in the area. Most of the units that do become available are due to sickness or death of family member. Some of the neighbors have been here over 30 years. It takes a 90 percent vote of the membership to sell the park. Just ain't gonna' happin' because the residence here know they have a good thing.

If you have an interest in something like this, it is no gimmick. We, personally, should have done this years ago. Most of the mobiles in the park are 2006 and newer and built to 130 mph wind specs. The crime rate is low in the area. You can private message and I can give more details.

[cberry]

We have a new Palamino Puma 24 ft TT. Will it hold up for full time living for one year in Alabama (FT Rucker)? What are the concerns/considerations? Will the air conditioner and refrigerator work long-term?

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

If you can get cable internet to your site...then you can set up your own wifi AND use the internet and Roku, AmazonFireStick or GoogleChrome cast with the wireless network to deliver TV content or even subscribe to DirecTV now etc.

Keep us posted on what you decide and how it works out.

We have a phone line with high speed internet only (no contract). We use rabbit ears for the local stations, ROKU for NetFlix, Amazon Prime and a host of other channels. Total cost about $80/month total. We gave up the dish and cable services a long time ago. The neighbor just put up a dish and will be paying $160/mo for the next year. I figure that's $720 in my pocket. That $720 nearly pays for the home owners ins. We are not that mad at our money.

[Rookiewood]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

We have a phone line with high speed internet only (no contract). We use rabbit ears for the local stations, ROKU for NetFlix, Amazon Prime and a host of other channels. Total cost about $80/month total. We gave up the dish and cable services a long time ago. The neighbor just put up a dish and will be paying $160/mo for the next year. I figure that's $720 in my pocket. That $720 nearly pays for the home owners ins. We are not that mad at our money.

We use our phone LTE connection with hotspot and "DirecTV Now" (no dish, no cable) $35 for 60 channels ( you can get more if pay more...) we stream with an Apple TV device on one TV and an Amazon stick on the other one.

[dahagen]

If you are going to be full time in the same park or resort, I recommend a "Park Model" RV. Cheaper than a motorized RV and more room than a 5th wheel. And no wobble when you walk. We did for several years in an Arizona corporation park but annual rent and other fees got too high. Now we live in a park model where we own the land in the resort in the mountains. We also have a motorhome for trips when the weather gets cold.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by clicker1944

Going to be full timing in one location, what have you learned about insurance, cable vs satellite, wifi, anything else I may have not thought about, lay it on me.

I just did a lot of shopping. Most insurance companies require a trailer to live in the state it is registered in. Allstate does not care where it is. Trailer insurance is cheaper if it is not on the road. Different states have different rules for insurance. I do know for sure that if you don't have an auto-registered in MA, you can't insure a trailer there. I live in Florida and my trailer lives in MA.

You must keep up the registration every year.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by cberry

We have a new Palamino Puma 24 ft TT. Will it hold up for full time living for one year in Alabama (FT Rucker)? What are the concerns/considerations? Will the air conditioner and refrigerator work long-term?

Yes, you can fulltime in just about any trailer out there. They get more wear and tear- we've had unusual things fail for us: drawer slides in the kid's bunk houses (they're rough on stuff- no surprise) and I've now re-secured the bottoms of 3 drawers that came out fully (some staples and wood glue). Appliances have all worked, though we have had 2 microwaves fail in almost 6 years of use (3 part time, almost 3 full time). One of my two air conditioners is a little finicky- though if I remember right, it has done this since before we went fulltime.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by dahagen

If you are going to be full time in the same park or resort, I recommend a "Park Model" RV. Cheaper than a motorized RV and more room than a 5th wheel. And no wobble when you walk. We did for several years in an Arizona corporation park but annual rent and other fees got too high. Now we live in a park model where we own the land in the resort in the mountains. We also have a motorhome for trips when the weather gets cold.

In Florida, we looked at that option. What is happening is that large corporations are gulping up these parks and raising the monthly fees. $625 to $800 plus utilities for what we found. It's holding the park model owners hostage with high rates. When they try to sell, the high monthly fees turn customers off.

If looking at this option, I would suggest a single or double wide for about the same coins. In a residents owned park that likes low monthly fees the way they are. In our park, it takes a 90percent yes to sell. It will never happen. Some of the residents have lived here for 30 years.

The park adjoining to us sold to corporate and regret it.

[twdenman]

Originally Posted by Gumpster808

Friends of ours moved from their S&B to their RV full time. They were surprised when the insurance went to about what it was for their home. Guess they figure more chance for claims if living in it full time.

Our Insurance cost will double if we "camp" more than 150 days. (Which is the same cost as our brick'n stick.) Don't get me started on insurance. Sell the brick'n stick to the kids. :-)

[mikehagl]

We passed our house on to our gdaughter for them and their family. And we are full-timing in the back acreage with a dump station connected to the double tank and city water. Our own elec meter and propane deliveries. Cell phones and our own mail box. Gave away our truck to a son-in-law. Got a 2008 Sierra 345RET 8 mo ago. Sure a change from 4 BR, 3Bath.

Learned a lot of lessons, some painfully. So far it is better, but only a little and only on some days.