Need advice how to sell

[dmcquinn]

We have been full-timing for five wonderful years seeing the sights in every state. We had retired and we felt freedom as we traveled from place to place without any schedule. We are both close to 80 years old and had planned to travel in the coach for five more years.
But as what happens to all plans, things have changed for us. I have injured my back and can no longer travel, sightsee, or even get up and down the coach steps without a great deal of pain. My back is a long term problem but has never been this bad and my doctor does not see much hope for improvement and says the traveling is aggravating the injury.
Therefore, we need to sell our coach and use the money in the purchase of permanent home.
Our problem is trying to determine what is the best way to sell a coach if you are living in it or is that possible? What is the current demand for coaches?
Our coach is a 2016 Tiffin 40’ Phaeton QBH [moderator edit]
It is very hard to see the end of our dream but it is necessary now that we figure out how and where to sell our coach.
1. Has anyone sold a coach while they were living in it?
2. What state is best to sell the coach in?
3. What is the market now for selling used coaches?
4. Is it better to sell it yourself or .... ?
If anyone can give us any advice , we would really appreciate it.
Thanks so much
Marg & Don

[Xmcdog]

Sorry to hear of your back pain and that you will be leaving the RV life. Many of us will be in a similar position as time passes.

I am about where you were 5 years ago. Looking to sell the house and full time.
As far as selling your coach, private sale is always the best for getting the best price but can be a hassle dealing with tire kickers.

I wish you all the best and hope your back recovers.

Just a final thought. There are wheel chair accessible coaches available I understand. Would this be an option for you.

[Ljwt330]

Your questions:

1. Has anyone sold a coach while they were living in it? I cannot address this question, but it would seem to be the one with the most complications. If you are going to be in a particular park for the duration of the sale, it may turn out to be a benefit as the location will be accessible. However, at some point you will have to find a place to live away from the coach while potential buyers have it inspected and test driven.
2. What state is best to sell the coach in? I would think any state that has a draw for RVers is good, but with the internet, buyers shop from all over.
In your situation, access to inspection services and transportation hubs will be a plus.
3. What is the market now for selling used coaches?I've never seen the market hotter right now. The description of your coach would put it on the top of the list for many shoppers, IMO.
4. Is it better to sell it yourself or .... ?Pluses on both sides of this. Consignment dealers will do a lot of the work, but will take about 10% of the sale price. Since you live in your coach, the consignment will be remote and may not be as effective as having your coach on a lot. Selling yourself may get you more of the sale price, but you will have to field all the calls yourself, filter out the riff-raff/scammers, and be prepared to show the coach. Do not, under any circumstances, allow a "service" to advertise and sell your coach, for a fee. These are well known scams in that they do little work and their "money back guarantees" are non-existent. If you choose to sell yourself, these "services" will be the first to call you.

Selling outright to a dealer will not get you anywhere near the market value, however.

[Firedog53]

I'm also sorry that you're experiencing these issues; hopefully things will get easier.

As far as disposing of the coach I would think it not much different than a sticks & bricks in that you strike an agreement that allows for exchange of possession 30-45 days after sale. That could allow you to find and buy a residence and time to move into it; short of that an apartment could be a quicker possession. I'm aware of a friend that just sold their condo and arranged a 90 day possession to the new buyers to allow the sellers to finish construction of their new home.

I'm not an expert on buying/selling coaches but I would think a private sale would give more $$$ offset by some hassle of negotiations but...
National advertising is readily available via popular websites like RVTrader.com and RVT.com as well as others. This website also has a classified sale section as do other sites. This should negate your "best state to sell in" question.

Best of luck to you!

[Jlo11111]

Originally Posted by dmcquinn

1. Has anyone sold a coach while they were living in it?
2. What state is best to sell the coach in?
3. What is the market now for selling used coaches?
4. Is it better to sell it yourself or .... ?
If anyone can give us any advice , we would really appreciate it.
Thanks so much
Marg & Don

1. We sold this summer. We were able to unload everything in the rig at a friend's house, but you could just use a storage facility and stay in a hotel.

2. We sold in California figuring there were a lot wealthy people there afraid of covid, but I think we would have done well most places.

3. Market is scorching hot.

4. We sold on RVtrader. Had a ton of interest. Private sale is probably best, but you might look at consigning. Given the hot market, you maybe able to do just as well with a consigner without a lot of the hassles of a private sale. Don't sell your van to a dealer. They will rip you off.

[Mudfrog]

I would think moving out and getting all your possessions out of the coach would be the best thing to do before putting it up for sale. I'm sure an arrangement for you to live in it for another month could be made with some buyers but I would imagine that many would walk away because they didn't want to wait.

Renting would be my first thought. This way, you could take more time to find a permanent home that you really liked.

I've sold cars, boats, and even a cheapy motorhome, but for an expensive rig like the OP's, I would rather have a company like PPL do the work. Most likely not going to get as much as selling myself but the lack of potential hassles would probably be worth it to me.

[noserider]

I think the advice so far is spot on. While you are considering options, I would list it on this site in the classified section. It only takes one. Good luck!

[MSHappyCampers]

So sorry to hear that you will have to leave the RV'ing community! At least you've got some wonderful memories to look back on.

I've never been in your situation but will give you my opinion, for what it's worth. I would probably pick a location in a southern state, in or close to Florida, and book a three-month stay. I would advertise in the free classifieds here on IRV2 and on RVTrader.com. Post lots of pics on RVTrader. The demand for used RV's is very high right now. I think that how long this continues will depend on whether the pandemic is brought under control. Of course, springtime is traditionally the best time to sell.

One more suggestion. I would put the following statement in every ad. "I can only accept a direct transfer of funds between your bank and mine, NO EXCEPTIONS! That's the only safe way to do it!

Sure hope your medical condition improves! Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[dmcquinn]

Thank you for your reply.
Amazingly, we did not realize that IRV2 even had a Classified section, so realize appreciate your heads up!

[dmcquinn]

Originally Posted by noserider

I think the advice so far is spot on. While you are considering options, I would list it on this site in the classified section. It only takes one. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

Your questions:

1. Has anyone sold a coach while they were living in it? I cannot address this question, but it would seem to be the one with the most complications. If you are going to be in a particular park for the duration of the sale, it may turn out to be a benefit as the location will be accessible. However, at some point you will have to find a place to live away from the coach while potential buyers have it inspected and test driven.
2. What state is best to sell the coach in? I would think any state that has a draw for RVers is good, but with the internet, buyers shop from all over.
In your situation, access to inspection services and transportation hubs will be a plus.
3. What is the market now for selling used coaches?I've never seen the market hotter right now. The description of your coach would put it on the top of the list for many shoppers, IMO.
4. Is it better to sell it yourself or .... ?Pluses on both sides of this. Consignment dealers will do a lot of the work, but will take about 10% of the sale price. Since you live in your coach, the consignment will be remote and may not be as effective as having your coach on a lot. Selling yourself may get you more of the sale price, but you will have to field all the calls yourself, filter out the riff-raff/scammers, and be prepared to show the coach. Do not, under any circumstances, allow a "service" to advertise and sell your coach, for a fee. These are well known scams in that they do little work and their "money back guarantees" are non-existent. If you choose to sell yourself, these "services" will be the first to call you.

Selling outright to a dealer will not get you anywhere near the market value, however.

Thank you so much for your reply.
It is very encouraging to hear that RVs are in a hot market right now. Haven’t always been that happy with the up and downs of the real estate market.
Thanks again.

[dmcquinn]

Originally Posted by Jlo11111

1. We sold this summer. We were able to unload everything in the rig at a friend's house, but you could just use a storage facility and stay in a hotel.

2. We sold in California figuring there were a lot wealthy people there afraid of covid, but I think we would have done well most places.

3. Market is scorching hot.

4. We sold on RVtrader. Had a ton of interest. Private sale is probably best, but you might look at consigning. Given the hot market, you maybe able to do just as well with a consigner without a lot of the hassles of a private sale. Don't sell your van to a dealer. They will rip you off.

Thank you so much for your reply.
Good to hear that selling location can affect the RV selling price. We are here in SE Florida ... Miami/Fort Lauderdale are so maybe that will help us. Hope so.
Thanks again.

[ArtJoyce]

I would think you would be better to rent an apartment. Put it in storage and detail the inside and out. List it on rvtrader and craigslist.

I dont think I would have much interest in MH with someone living in it and all the compications to complete the sale. Unless you were giving me a great deal.. I'm thinking you missed the peek season?

[Bahamaniac]

Sorry to hear about your health problems. From someone who has health problems themselves, i feel your pain and frustration. I would empty as much personal possessions as possible and start advertising. Look at short term rentals. And spend time researching your medical options for recovery. Best of luck to you!

[happy2rv]

Sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope things improve.


We aren't full timers either, but unfortunately I tend to agree with others that suggest moving out of the RV to sell. If you can swing it financially, I'd look to where you want to be long term. If you can't work it out to do that, or are unsure of what the next step is, I'd look to rent an apartment or house, possibly in a retirement community. I think many retirement communities offer a lot of perks and many offer very reasonable rates.



The advice most realtors give when selling a house is to "declutter" and "depersonalize". This holds true for the RV as well. It just won't show as well with the artifacts of everyday life strewn about, no matter how neat and organized you are. Also, most buyers are going to be ready to buy, not ready to wait while you make arrangements.



With regards to selling, there are trade offs. You likely will make significantly more selling to a private party than selling to a dealer or even consigning through a dealer. However, you have to weigh that against the hassle of dealing with everything yourself.



If it were me, I would decide where I wanted to settle and then look at the RV market in that area. I would also look at NADA and RV trader online to see what the "going rate" is. Assuming there are any medium to large size used RV dealers in the area you're planning to settle in, I'd ask a couple of them to make me an offer. With the offer(s) and researched value, you can then decide if its worth it for you to try to sell it yourself vs selling it to a dealer. You might be surprised at what dealers are willing to offer given that they can't get new coaches fast enough to meet demand.



I also agree with previous posters, a couple of months ago was "peak" time for trading, but the industry is still very hot and supply is nowhere near demand. So it should still be a good time to sell.


Best of luck to you and your family!