Lessons Learned, and the Quest for Our Forever Home
December and January in Ohio is not the ideal time to start living in an RV but that was when our house sold. In life the only true constant is change. Everything changes, so be ready to change when you need. That is how this stage of our journey began.
Learning that campgrounds have limitations on the number of animals that you may keep, even if they never go outside, made for interesting moral questions. When asked how many cats we had, because someone had seen a couple in the window, I answered honestly. Eight. Unfortunately, that honestly meant that we couldn’t stay at the first site that we chose. They gave us time to make other arrangements but we had to move on. If it hadn’t been for that move, we might not have found our forever home.
Moving On
It wasn’t a quick journey, we lived at the next campsite for two years. Not long after we moved in, the pandemic hit. We aren’t social people; so not going out in groups was not a problem. We had plenty of time to get used to our new environment.
We had beautiful country views; our own nature channel just outside our door. Most neighbors are very friendly and helpful when needed. Living in an RV makes for a much quicker cleaning day. Learning exciting storage solutions and multipurpose gadgets were fun experiences.
The RV community is vast and there is no shortage of blogs and newsletters out there. We did a lot of research but there are always going to be things that you didn’t think to learn about.
An Bit of Planning Needed
Always plan RV trips well in advance so there is time to research the requirements and limitations of campgrounds that you want to stay. Costs can vary greatly from place to place, with many offering discounts for stays over a week. The perks that come may differ just as much. Some RV parks are year round (some with and without winter water service) while others are closed in the winter months.
If your RV happens to be large, say 39 feet long, it may be too large for some RV parks. There’s no discount for an old camper and it may get you blocked from staying at some places if the one you chose happens to be more than ten years old.
You also must consider how tall your RV is when you are traveling. There are many roads that larger RVs cannot pass because they are too tall or they weight too much. Before we had an RV, I never considered how much weight a road could handle.
Defining Our Forever Home
Where Shall We Go?
Location is everything, and not just when it comes to the end point but also the path to get there. We knew we wanted to stay in Ohio to be close to the majority of our family members. Initially thinking we would like to move closer to the Indiana-Ohio border, where there were some very nice looking tiny home communities. After a few drives out to that area, and knowing that my job would be over an hour trip each way every day, we decided that wasn’t the right area for us.
We also noticed the direction that the sun would be facing during those daily trips. Looking at places more to the east of work kept the sunshine behind me on the way to work in both directions, at least during the months the sun is up at those times.
Beyond Location: Taxes, Neighbors, and Must-Haves
We didn’t need to consider the schools in our area, but we did need to look at the neighborhoods and the property taxes. According to Bankrate, Ohio is the second most affordable place to live overall but some areas are a bit more than others. We looked for townships which offer a little more freedom than living within city limits, including allowing you to park your RV next to your house if you choose.
Our Realtor asked what we were looking for and we said we wanted to have neighbors but we didn’t want to see them. When you live very close to your neighbors, you see them all the time, regardless of what you want. When we lived in Dayton, it seemed like we couldn’t get away from people.
We looked at other must-haves for our property: a water source, enough land that we could have a garden, a small, one-story home. Our house is just around four miles from the camp ground that we stayed at for two years. We are close to town, the highway, and two different country stores.
A Cautionary Tale
In the process of looking at homes, there was the frustration of the quick sales, where a property barely made it online before it was sold. While having the inspection done can slow down the process a bit, we understood how important it can be (many loan companies require it also).
When we bought our first house we chose not to have an inspection. Being built in the 1930s, we knew there were problems and would be more to come but we never truly knew all of the issues with that house. When we first moved in we found many wiring issues, such as uncapped live wires in the ceiling. We learned our lesson.
The first inspection we paid for was well worth it! We knew there were some imperfections but we thought they were just superficial. Some paint chipping around the window casing, little things. Then the inspector gave us pictures that showed a car jack precariously holding up the house. That was a huge, “No, thank you.”
The Perfect Imperfect House
We ended up finding that “perfect” house not long after. We have a small house on a little under an acre of land with a small creek in the back yard. It has one bedroom, one bathroom, and a shed out back. It crossed off most of the boxes on our wish list and all the must-haves.
The neighbor across the street, came over our first day to introduce himself and welcome us. We are friendly with three of our neighbors, which is a whole new world for me. I’m glad we didn’t rush the process, the right house will come when it’s time for it.
Embracing Imperfection
It was bound to happen eventually, the rose glasses wore off. We started noticing the parts of the house that we don’t love, little things.
That cute little creek in the back yard, when there are large amounts of rain it gets rather big. There is also grass on the other side and the property did not come with any solution to crossing to the other side. My husband and I bought the boards to build the bridge ourselves this year. It looks great and we can easily cross on the riding mower without any concerns.
Who puts the water heater and water softener in the only bedroom closet? I understand that there is limited spacing but designers, this is just silly! We plan to move both out of the closet and into the laundry room on the other side of the wall someday.
Storage was not a priority for whoever designed this house in general. Living in an RV helped us understand that there are many options out there to improve our spaces. Shelves and cube storage are of great help! We have kept with a minimal approach, although there will always be things that will be added to your life. We continue to plan for more use of our space like buying a kitchen island.
Don’t Make a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill
Changing up the decor of your house can help to shake off the blues when you start to wonder why they chose that color combination. Painting the walls fresh colors are a nice way to make your house feel more like your own. After living in rental properties most of my life, I love that we can paint the walls any color we want.
Getting new wall art, throw pillows, or towels (depending on the room) are also little ways that you can change up your space to add the touches that sport your style without breaking the bank.
When choosing your new forever home, don’t look at the little stuff that might get on your nerves like the color of the wall. You can change that, even if you have to wait for a while because hey you just bought a house! Look at the important things, your must-haves.
What are your must-haves in a forever home? Share your stories at #homeownership and don’t forget to follow us on your favorite social media platform!
