Nerves of Steel ( Not)

[Spdracr39]

So you have a home that has been so comfy for many years and you are used to it. You know it is too big and has to go to live your dream. How do you take that first step and sell it so you can move forward? We almost get there then chicken out everytime.

[rbTN]

I am in the last step of that process now (and have been for 2 weeks as closing keeps getting delayed..)

I picked a date I wanted to leave after planning the first couple months of travel. Granted the virus issue delayed starting a bit but the date was the date. I started packing, donating, giving away and as I got closer to the listing date the house was fairly empty, which helps in the sale since it wont look as full.

After I got the contract and things looked good I went full steam into the unloading process. The house was empty and I was driveway camping 2 days before the first closing date. Its actually worked out ok as it gave me more time to get settled into the travel trailer while still local to the area I know and the storage room for things I might not have loaded (or things I loaded and decided I didn't need after tripping over them because I had no placed to put them)

I will admit the last week or so in the house I got a few of those what am I doing thoughts, but reminded myself it will be a great adventure no matter how long it lasts.

[super_rep]

Just think of how relieved you will be when you are finished and keep working toward that goal. That what we did, and it worked.

[Old-Biscuit]

We called up family and told them we were going to sell the house and go FT so if you want something come get it...NOW
We them made same offer to cloose friends.


We then went thru and desided on what we needed to take for FTng
*Items we KNEW we needed (basics)
*Items we thought we would need/use
*Items we thought we might need
*Items we wanted to keep


We then hired an Estate Auctioneer.
3 person crew spent 4 days going thru our stuff....putting together 'Lots' for the auction
Then that Saturday auction was held. 8am to 5pm and at end of day EVERYthING was SOLD and GONE.
Auctioneer announced we were selling home and going FT
Couple that came to auction made offer on house. We countered/they accepted---45 day escrow



We then moved into the RV parked on side of house and went back thru the Items we needed, thought we needed, wanted and culled those items----took them to Salvation Army


House sold and we had 3 days to vacate.
As we drove away we looked at each other and SCREAMED......we are FREE and going on a NEW Chapter in life. OH YEAH!!!!!




Items are just STUFF (Listen to Geroge Carlins STUFF)
Life adventures make memories that last forever.
Go make some new memories!!

[Sky_Boss]

Some good suggestions already. When we went FT 6+ years ago it was easy for me because I'm not the most sentimental person. For Sandee it was different plus she isn't as adventurous as me.

For her it was easier because we took about 6 months for the full transition. We were living in the MH with the home on the market while downsizing.

We did it like peeling an onion. There were a host of things that were easy to get rid of. Donations, family and such. Then there were things that we had a little more attachment too or held back to see if it would fit in the coach with expectations they wouldn't fit. The next layer was more on deciding what was really important from a sentimental point of view. Rinse and repeat.

On about a weekly basis we sat and chatted about what our goals were and what we needed to achieve them. There were easy days and some harder days with a few tears. We were also able to store with family a few items we would retrieve in the future but not that much. We used storage during that time to move things around while we peeled the darn onion but by the end we emptied it.

There were a few key points we agreed upon. The most important one was that we didn't want to store furniture. We had no intention to return to central IL with targeted final destination being in the SW. We feel it would be cheaper in the long run to just buy new stuff and avoid the cost of storage and shipping. We also agreed that keeping our basic medical needs based out of Champaign/Urbana IL. This did require us to go back to that area each spring/summer for a few months which also gave us time with family. Of course, there were other points we discussed but it was much like that darn onion as new issues/discoveries presented themselves. Listening to each other was key.

Even after we hit the road we had to adjust our expectations and planning to meet each other's needs and wants. It is still an ongoing process but we love it.

It would be a good idea to have an exit strategy. Have an idea on what you will do if you decide or need to end your journey. The FTer life style isn't for everyone. Some folks quickly regret the move or sometimes unexpected circumstances (health, family...) cause a need to anchor down again. Some folks have a hard time adjusting to the ups and downs. A major mechanical break down can be EXTREMELY distressing with both the cost of repair and time out of the RV while it is being fixed. Adjusting your approach to medical care on the road can be a real stress too. Working with your health insurance with different billing systems can drive you crazy. (Thank you Sandee for doing all of that crap!)

Speaking of medical costs...make sure you have a good, nation wide health insurance provider. This can be a tricky issue depending on your state of domicile. Do a LOT of research on that issue.

Finally, you and your spouse/partner MUST have a good sense of humor and a level head about things because the unexpected/unpleasant will happen. You are trading away the familiar with the unfamiliar and it can/will throw you for a loop on occasion. You will have to band together, laugh/cry, roll your sleeves up then adapt and overcome.

In the end, if you come out the other side with your sanity intact, your relationships strengthened and a huge smile on your faces it will be the journey you were happy you took.

[twogypsies]

Successful full-timers can easily part with their 'stuff'.

We had a huge home on a lake complete with the boats and toys. Our first winter of being retired (actually downsized from our jobs) we took our 27' travel trailer to Florida for the winter. We met many full-timers and since we had never heard of people doing this, we were fascinated with the lifestyle.

On our drive home in April we talked and said "why don't we do that"? We sold the home and everything in it by August and enjoyed 16 years of traveling the country and volunteering in parks. We never looked back and didn't miss anything. We took along only what fit in our 33' 5th wheel. Eight years later we got a 40' motorhome so we could have some Jeeping fun and lived in it for another eight years. It's an awesome lifestyle.

[Spdracr39]

We are making a lengthy transition. We have already begun the downsizing and have culled about 1/3 of our stuff. Going through the sentimentals now. The Corona event has actually sped up our plans to sell because the housing market is crazy fast and pricey right now and I don't want to miss the opportunity to get prime dollars. I will continue to work full time with a required physical presence until I can retire in 4 years or my employer sells/closes whichever comes first. The plan is to sell the house and buy something smaller to use as a home base and bank the extra money I'm making till we can go travel. I would be good with a lot and RV pad if that's how it plays out but a small house would be better psychologically. The plan is solid but we just can't seem to make the leap.

[twogypsies]

It seems like you're definitely committed and yes, this is a good time to do it to make some money on the house. It may be completely different months from now. Have you found a smaller house to purchase? Perhaps that would get you moving on selling the larger one.

Do you both have the same ideas? That's important.

[jacwjames]

We didn't go full time but instead had to decide if we really wanted to sell the house we had lived in for +25 years and in a leap of faith build a new house with me being the general contractor. I had to really look at the financials and see if it made sense since I had already retired (at 54), did the pro's and con's, and costs.

In the end I guess it worked out although I put a lot of sweat equity (and blood, yes I hurt/cut myself several times) into building the house.

I guess you just have to have confidence that everything will work out and have a fall back position just in case it doesn't.

[wjohnson913]

We needed to downsize anyway with the kids grown and gone. Sold the house and hit the road. I will say the thing that made it easier was the kids settled in different parts of the country so we had to travel to see kids and grandkids. We get to see them and not intrude. We committed to trying it for a year. The year is almost up and we got next year booked. We’ll play it by ear and see where life takes us. We may settle down somewhere sometime but the health is good and the finances are good and good Lord we are enjoying the lifestyle.

[Spdracr39]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

It seems like you're definitely committed and yes, this is a good time to do it to make some money on the house. It may be completely different months from now. Have you found a smaller house to purchase? Perhaps that would get you moving on selling the larger one.

Do you both have the same ideas? That's important.

We are in agreement on the long term goal. It is impossible to find a smaller house in this area that isn't in crackville. They just don't build small nice houses with room to park an RV here. If we could find something it would definitely be easier to jump. I am currently contemplating listing the house for really high price since they are selling like hotcakes and park the bus in a nice rv/mobile home park till we find something if it sells. Like I said it all makes sense it's just actually doing it that seems to foil the plan.

[astrnmrtom]

I'm writing this sitting in a 3 bedroom house where the only furniture is a couch, my chair, a dresser, a dining room table/chairs and a mattress on the floor in the master bedroom. Painters are coming tomorrow to paint the interior. Soon we hope to put the house up for sale. The couch and mattress will go to the dump and my chair an our antique dresser and dining room table will go into storage along with a few of my must keeps. All that stuff will fit easily into a 5x9 storage room.

It's been a process of letting go for me. 10 years ago my wife spent a year on a job out of state, and lived in a small apartment with minimal furniture and that's when she learned she didn't need "all this stuff." For her getting rid of stuff has been easy, even fun. She offered our daughter a few things, and we've sold, donated or thrown away 90+% of our stuff. For me it was a little tougher as I'm sentimental. I felt I'd spent my life getting the things I want, so getting rid of them was more of a loss. That changed as we started purging. I got rid of the easy stuff first, and had certain things I was GOING to keep and put in storage. What I discovered was, once I realized my life was changing, a lot of the things that were important to me became no longer relevant. Many of the things I thought I'd keep were important in my past life, but not in my future life. I started looking at the move differently. It wasn't like it was an end to my current life, but a beginning of a new one.

Armed with that new attitude, I found I'd let go of stuff in stages, each time my must-keep pile got smaller. There were days when I was less sentimental and those were the days I'd get rid of stuff. The more I did it, the more I realized once the stuff was gone, I didn't miss it. It got easier with time.

As for the family side of leaving. The only family we have nearby is our daughter and granddaughter. I have a son that lives 2000 miles away. My daughter almost never comes and visits, and my granddaughter is reaching the age where hanging out with the grandparents isn't nearly as fun as it used to be. We used to see her every other week because I'd pick her up from school, but since school closed, we've hardly seen her unless we make the effort to visit. They have their own life now which rarely involves us which is ok, it's what growing up is about.

I only have one long time friend, and my wife has none. My friend and I have grown apart in the past 5 years as our interests have gone in different directions, but it will still be difficult saying good bye. My wife and I have always been each other's best friend and we do everything together and always have. So we head into this new adventure together.

We've lived here for 35 years and always dreamed of leaving the area because we hate the PNW weather. For 2-3 months in the summer it is stunning, but for 9-10 it's grey, wet and chilly.

We figure we will come back to this area at least a few times during the summer to visit, and we have no idea where we'll settle when we come off the road, but that's part of the adventure.

[saddlesore]

We put our 4br home of 40 years with 16 x 65 concrete FHU pad in back on the market last March. and started "peeling the onion".
Started clearing out one closet at a time, then the room it was in..then on to the next.
The garage and outside storage sheds were last.

Moved the rubber tired shack to a nearby mobile home park that had a few RV spots by the month.

When the home was empty did some deep cleaning and needed repairs while we waited for the offers.
After the final trips to the dump , sold the pickup.
DW took the remainder of her vacation and we made a fast trip to Box Elder, SD and became residents using the Escapee's SD storefront as our state address, moved everything legal to that address.

DW finally retired after 33 years end of July. continued to live in the coach @ the MoHo park until closing last of December and away we went..
We rent a 4' x 4' storage locker for our records file cabinet and the very few things that must be kept.


Also discovered that if the kids want to move back home [or borrow money] they cannot find us..

Just keep at it one closet- one room at a time.. The more you get rid of, the easier it becomes to let go..


Happy Trails..

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by spdracr39

We are in agreement on the long term goal........Like I said it all makes sense it's just actually doing it that seems to foil the plan.

If you have reached an age where you have the ability and wherewithal to make life changes and pursue a new direction, then along the way you both have developed the ability to make important decisions. This is just another life decision.

“If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” —Henry Ford