What to do about personal property insurance.

[DoggieDaddy]

We have just started full timing this summer. We have changed our domicile from Minnesota to South Dakota. Sold our Minnesota house but still have some pieces in storage in Minnesota. We are being told that we cannot get insurance on our stored items in Minnesota because we do not have a physical address there. Anyone ran into this? Anyone got a solution?

[JFXG]

Do you have a friend or family member nearby the storage? Sell the goods to them for a buck, have them re-rent under their name, and subsidize their insurance.

[Bullitt]

Interesting question. Looking forward to hearing from those with experience.

When my wife and I sell the house and start full-timing, we will be putting mostly family-related heirlooms, photos (although most have been scanned), and other miscellaneous items we want to keep (not much, really) in a climate-controlled small storage unit in the Southwest.

Haven't considered insurance for any of these items, actually. Probably because most things will only have sentimental value. We do not have any close relatives that we trust with caring for these items.
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[twogypsies]

If possible, have a relative or friend store the small items such as photos, keepsakes, and small items. Give them a nice Christmas gift! It's a LOT cheaper than paying for storage.

If you're thinking more than just 'trying' full-timing for a year you are more likely to full-time for many years and will quite possibly be buying something else in an altogether different state and much smaller in square footage.

Storing things really isn't practical because your tastes will change and your stored furniture won't fit with looks or size. Appliances will be outdated.

After 16 years we settled in an altogether different type of home than we last had before full-timing and in a different part of the country. We bought a very small townhome with 1100 sq. ft. and it was completely furnished, down to silverware and linens, in Southwest style to go with the area. We didn't have to buy one thing.

When we began full-timing we never said 'let's TRY it'. We started out thinking, 'let's DO it'. We never put a time limit on it. It's a lifestyle, not a vacation. Just 'trying' it makes it too easy to get out of it.

My point is that if you're sincere in full-timing, just think about how much you'll be spending on a storage unit. It will really add up.

[Clay L]

We "rented" a room in our daughters basement and got a renters insurance policy that covered the property in that room as well as the property in our 10 X 30 storage unit.
She lived in Andover NH and our storage unit was in Bow NH about 20 miles away.

When we got full timers insurance for our motor home we had the personal property coverage increased from the low level included in the policy to about $25,000 for a modest increase in the policy cost.