Did you sell your house to purchase a van for full timing

In reply to cobweb the 5% achieved was after fund charges and financial adviser charges over a 5 year period using Axa for a investment portfolio of various equity based on a medium to high risk ( 7 on a scale of 10) .We took a monthly drawdown rather than a annuity.It has its risks rather than a simple savings account but over a long term has born fruit.It has been down as well as up ! but after 5 years a good choice. Not for everyone as its a stocks and shares gamble.
 
Great news, good luck. We have chosen to rent our house out, move out on Sunday into our static caravan which fortunately for us is sited for free.
A few problems still to solve with motor home repairs and them we will be on our way. First stop Southport to see our granddaughter and then to South Wales to meet up with friends.
 
We sold our house back in 2006, could buy it back tomorrow for less than we got. Didn't live in London.
 
Really great thread,lots of ideas and my head is swimming with all the plans we are making,our plans are to og full time and sell our house in Norway,we will then buy something like this in Sweden at a fraction of the cost back home,...its approx 48000 uk pounds,just to have a home base if anything goes very wrong,

http://www.hemnet.se/bostad/villa-6rum-morjarv-kalix-kommun-smedjegatan-2-6595377

Kris

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the real problem that no one has mentioned is when are you going to die if we all knew this then budgeting would be much simpler if we sold our house we could easily live on the money for ten years but them we would be seventy and living in a camper with no income
 
mitzimad said:
the real problem that no one has mentioned is when are you going to die if we all knew this then budgeting would be much simpler if we sold our house we could easily live on the money for ten years but them we would be seventy and living in a camper with no income
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no one has mentioned probably because no one wants to contemplate it..

I've said this many times before.. it's no good just.. 'hitting the road' or following advice often given by those not doing it.. to 'just do it'

you need a long term sustainable financial plan.. savings don't last long
 
well i for one would never sell our home to live in a motorhome ive worked to bloody hard to loose it all.dont get me wrong we love owning a motorhome but for us its a hobby not a lifestyle.just our view.
brian and jo
 
At this rate all housing stock will be redundant and everyone will be on wheels :LOL:

I better take care of my MH as it will soon start increasing in value(y)

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We sold our house with the intention of buying a hose in Crete, where we had spent many happy holidays. We rented a cottage there and tried the life there. Sadly, the winters there, although warm were no fun, due to the lack of infrastructure. Everything closed October, and the people all went back to Athens. After just over a year there, we returned to UK and bought a VW camper, to try other places. We spend the winters in southern Spain, and the summers in UK, France, and Germany.
 
I am still trying to get the wife to go full timing,no luck yet.
 
buttons said:
Around here it is like the old days. Agents dont even have time to get a sign up. I must admit it has come as a surprise to me. What is it like around the country.:thumb:
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The boom didn't get as far as us. House prices have been static or even fallen over the past 5 years.
 
Malagamike said:
We sold our house with the intention of buying a hose in Crete, where we had spent many happy holidays. We rented a cottage there and tried the life there. Sadly, the winters there, although warm were no fun, due to the lack of infrastructure. Everything closed October, and the people all went back to Athens. After just over a year there, we returned to UK and bought a VW camper, to try other places. We spend the winters in southern Spain, and the summers in UK, France, and Germany.
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Thanks Mike, that was a good move to test the water before you settled. I have known some who didn't have your forethought and lived to regret it. Where are you living now.

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in my view, not many people are truly suited to live full time in a motorhome. its nothing like spending a few months touring.
holding onto a bricks and mortar home is just common sense. imagine what will you do if the engine fails needing weeks in the garage, or a fire, or a theft of the van and all your life's possessions with it. only a fool would rush headlong in without a serious backup plan and plenty of cash in the bank
 
TheBig1 said:
in my view, not many people are truly suited to live full time in a motorhome. its nothing like spending a few months touring.
holding onto a bricks and mortar home is just common sense. imagine what will you do if the engine fails needing weeks in the garage, or a fire, or a theft of the van and all your life's possessions with it. only a fool would rush headlong in without a serious backup plan and plenty of cash in the bank
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It is a strange thing to say but full timing would bore me senseless. I couldn't live with the restrictions of living on the road and not having a real home.
 
buttons said:
It is a strange thing to say but full timing would bore me senseless. I couldn't live with the restrictions of living on the road and not having a real home.
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Yes, I agree, as you know we tried it for 3 years so speak from experience.
It's not just the house and garden I missed, it was all the other social infrastructure we take for granted which we don't realise how much we actually have until we don't have it.. Oddly enough, I also missed not having a 'man shed'.. my own garden.. my own 'castle'

Being on the road is fine when it's just an extended trip, 6 or more months or even a couple of years and you know you have a safe port to come back to when you get fed up with it.
Travel is fun... and educational.. fulltiming is a way of life.. not a long trip...and few are equipped mentally and or physically for the challenges it presents on a daily basis.. many do it.. but most eventually go back to a house..

Traveling is for gypsies, they are born into it, for them it is a way of life. For most of us it's an adventure.

I am not knocking it.. it's a great adventure but I would urge anyone contemplating it to have an exit strategy ..

We once met an old couple.. in their 70s .. living in an ancient Hymer.. been on the road for many years but were now physically unable to continue but had little money and had no idea how to proceed. The lady was crippled with arthritis and could barely get out of the van.. Th old gent was doing his best but you could read the anxiety on his face .. an old van, little money and failing health.. I felt really sorry for them and it made us think long and hard about our future..
 
TheBig1 said:
in my view, not many people are truly suited to live full time in a motorhome. its nothing like spending a few months touring.
holding onto a bricks and mortar home is just common sense. imagine what will you do if the engine fails needing weeks in the garage, or a fire, or a theft of the van and all your life's possessions with it. only a fool would rush headlong in without a serious backup plan and plenty of cash in the bank
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buttons said:
It is a strange thing to say but full timing would bore me senseless. I couldn't live with the restrictions of living on the road and not having a real home.
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I agree with both of you(y)

We did not sell our house but we rented it out for one year whilst we went away 'full timing'

During that time we had periods of feeling 'homeless'......we could not come back even if we wanted to:eek:

The problem with spending each and every day in the van is that is can become fatiguing .......... every single thing you do has to be considered......... where to go, where to get water, food, fuel etc. The costs or inconvenience of staying in some places.

Since being back in our house for the last 8 weeks it has felt lovely............ we no longer feel like gypsy travellers.

What being away for a year has taught us is that we want a home (of our own) to return to......... then we can plan for the next trip in comfort ;)

Everyone is different and we certainly are...... we like to be on the road for about 8 to 12 weeks then it's nice to return 'home' for a while:):)

Our plan now is to sell the place we have and buy something smaller that we don't mind leaving behind whilst we are awayo_O

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ScotJimland said:
Yes, I agree, as you know we tried it for 3 years so speak from experience.
It's not just the house and garden I missed, it was all the other social infrastructure we take for granted which we don't realise how much we actually have until we don't have it.. Oddly enough, I also missed not having a 'man shed'.. my own garden.. my own 'castle'

Being on the road is fine when it's just an extended trip, 6 or more months or even a couple of years and you know you have a safe port to come back to when you get fed up with it.
Travel is fun... and educational.. fulltiming is a way of life.. not a long trip...and few are equipped mentally and or physically for the challenges it presents on a daily basis.. many do it.. but most eventually go back to a house..

Traveling is for gypsies, they are born into it, for them it is a way of life. For most of us it's an adventure.

I am not knocking it.. it's a great adventure but I would urge anyone contemplating it to have an exit strategy ..

We once met an old couple.. in their 70s .. living in an ancient Hymer.. been on the road for many years but were now physically unable to continue but had little money and had no idea how to proceed. The lady was crippled with arthritis and could barely get out of the van.. Th old gent was doing his best but you could read the anxiety on his face .. an old van, little money and failing health.. I felt really sorry for them and it made us think long and hard about our future..
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Crikey Jim, you said it all for me! (y) (we were typing our replies at the same time)
 
chockswahay said:
I should add, we did it for 3 years on a sailing yacht and the same still applied there.

In the end, there is nothing like home :)
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We also contemplated doing that..
I think on it like this..

Motorhoming is like eating chocolate .. awesome.. and addictive..

but you don't want to work at Cadbury's ..it's sickening after a few weeks..
 
ScotJimland said:
We also contemplated doing that..
I think on it like this..

Motorhoming is like eating chocolate .. awesome.. and addictive..

but you don't want to work at Cadbury's ..it's sickening after a few weeks..
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Good analogy jim. Dont know where she has hidden it. ;)
 
Never understood the 'old with ill health' scare stories with regard to full timing.

How many people with the exact same ailments are trapped in high rise flats, or on estates? A thousand for every single fulltimer!? Are they better off? How? Given a choice to be old and ill in a house like that, or even in a chocoloate box cottage in the middle of nowhere, then the motothome isn't as bad a choice as it at first might seem.
At least a fulltimer with ailing health can get to choose which hospital they are treated at, their partner as I've witnessed a few times now can live on the grounds (as a friend at the Radcliffe hospital Oxford did recently) or at least very nearby. They can move closer to family or friends, witnessed that also. There are plenty of disadvantages to fulltiming in a motorhome compared to a house, but I don't think that old chesnut is one of them.

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buttons said:
It is a strange thing to say but full timing would bore me senseless. I couldn't live with the restrictions of living on the road and not having a real home.
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It is strange, isn't it.
My opinion is diametrically opposed.
I became utterly, utterly bored with living in a house.
The same surroundings, the same people.
Bored with the diy and maintenance, bored with gardening.

Nearly three years in now and no intention whatsoever of having a house again :)
 
Jim said:
Never understood the 'old with ill health' scare stories with regard to full timing.
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Not a scare story.. and call it an old chestnut if you like.. but it is a real life story and I'm just giving my viewpoint on their situation... it's not to scare but to make people think beyond the next aire .. it's up to others to decide how they want to end their days... Stuck in an old van or in a house .
 
We know that we can go away for 6-8 weeks and enjoy it, but at the end of that time we really want to go home. It's true that 2 weeks of being at home is enough and we want to be away again, but we know we are psychologically unsuited for fulltiming.
Although we are away a lot of the time, we couldn't consider anyone else living in our house, and I'm sure nobody would want to as they would be chucked out every 6 weeks or so.
Does mean we have to pay someone to 'do' the garden though, but as I hate gardening we probably would anyway.
 
But where on earth do you fulltimers keep all your toys. I would need a fleet of trucks following me around and thats just for the road legal ones. That reminds me, I must chase up that Ural bobber :rolleyes:
 

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