Selling an RV=ughhhhhhh!!!!!!

My two week absence from this blog has mostly to do with Lil’ Sprinty taking up too much of my free time!  After a few weeks of getting him ready, I am ready to sell.  Selling such large expensive things can be annoying, but here is what I am learning so far:

1. The next time I buy anything large, old, and expensive I am going to think about if I will ever want to sell it and if so, ask myself if it will be worth the hassle.
2. Treat everyone who is interested in the kindest and most loving way and go over the top with customer service because even if they don’t buy, you never know who they might pass your info to.
3. Sandwich the bad stuff between good stuff in an ad.  Matt taught me this one:) Thank you Matt.
4. Have all the paperwork ready to go.  When I bought it, it took me a month to get the title from the owner, who left it in another state.
5. Just like when you purchase something, selling takes 3 times as long as you think it will take and will cost twice as much.
6. People buy paint jobs.  My mom’s ex-boyfriend John taught me this.  I washed the exterior so it’s all pretty, and I cleaned the windows and painted the interior. Sometimes all he did when he bought a car to resell it for more money was wash and wax it and shine up the tires.

Even though I am annoyed by the whole process of selling my RV, I am so thankful for the entire experience of having one.  A year ago, I didn’t know how to drive a large vehicle, I didn’t know how to install laminate flooring, I didn’t know how to even caulk anything.  I didn’t know how to buy a vehicle and I didn’t know how to sell one.  I didn’t know what water could do to an old RV.  I underestimated winter and didn’t know how to fully appreciate dry weather.  I didn’t know much damage procrastination can cause.  Most of all I learned something about idealism.  Being an idealist is a trait I adore about myself, but it also can lead me to make decisions that may not be in my best interest in the long run.  So, friends and family…next time I come to you with a crazy idea, you have my permission to remind me of my experience with Lil’ Sprinty.  🙂

Lil’ Sprinty Seeking a Snowbird Girlfriend

After thinking long and hard, it is time for me to let Lil’ Sprinty go on an adventure with someone else.  My boyfriend and I have been spending most of our time in his bus and since our goal is to save as much money as we can, the extra space the RV provided really isn’t needed.  The decision to sell has been really difficult because I enjoyed remodeling with my dad over the summer.  We put a lot of love and work into it and it will be sad to see it go.  When I bought the RV, Matt and I didn’t know that we would enjoy living together as much as we do!  Living in an RV saves lots of money, but living in a bus with the man I love and sharing expenses saves even more money!  Yes, I will be sacrificing my own sanctuary, and life in the bus will get even cozier, but our goal is to save money and we are willing to do what it takes.

I would be a liar if my only reason for selling was to save money and live with my boyfriend.  After enduring an insane rainy season, I realized that I don’t want to endure another one in an RV.  I came to the conclusion that Lil’ Sprinty needs a snowbird girlfriend or boyfriend to take him to where rain isn’t a constant concern in the winter.  The RV was born in 1989 and needs a drier place.  Old RV’s require a  lot of love and care and even though I had fun remodeling, the thought of maintenance and doing anymore remodels is stressful to me.

One thing I have learned from this experience is that sometimes when you try to simplify your life, it just becomes more complicated!  I saved money and simplified my financial situation in many ways, but having an RV caused a lot of stress and created complications. (Read my post titled “Fuck It!”).  Since this learning experience is still being experienced, I will create a post after I do a little more processing so check back later:)

 

 

 

 

Natural Light

I love all the windows and the natural light they provide.  My RV is positioned so that I take advantage of the sun.  During the day, even when it is cold outside, my RV feels comfortable without heat!!

80’s Fixtures Be Gone!

One of the first things I did was rip out the 80’s fixtures from the bathroom.  The medicine cabinet had to go, but it left a hole in the wall.  I patched it up and then found this mirror at Goodwill for 5 bucks.  I mounted it with super strong double sided tape.  It looks a bit funny with so much space under the mirror, but it was hard to find a mirror that would cover the hole 😦

Fuck It!

The other night the sky was dumping on Lil’ Sprinty and I threw a fit and told my boyfriend that my next blog post was going to be titled “Fuck It” and I was going to add a line though Lil’ Sprinty’s picture.  I’ve never seen him laugh so hard.

Seriously though!  I am ready to be done with it.  Grants Pass has received So.  Much.  Rain.  Lil’ Sprinty needs to find a snowbird girlfriend.  I resealed the entire cab over the summer and rain still found its way in.  *Whimper*  I should have resealed on my day off when it was dry, but I am an idiot and learned a massive lesson.  Three days passed before it was dry enough to apply caulking and even then it was damp and I did a bad job that will need to be redone next summer.

Aside from the leak, the water heater smells like rotten eggs, and I won’t have the money to have it repaired for another few weeks.  I am glad I can shower at my boyfriends place…

And…my front door is broken, so I must enter through the cab.  Hahahahahahahahahah.  Lmao.

I am done.

I think.

Well, maybe.  I am stubborn so we’ll see

RV Stands for Reno-Vation!

One of the best ideas my Dad and I had was to turn the closet into a bookshelf thus expanding the closet in the bathroom because they were only separated by a thin wall!  I’ll add pictures of the bathroom closet when I clean it:)

Obviously the pink counter tops had to go so I sanded them and painted over them with a non toxic chalkboard paint I ordered from Home Depot.  I will have to touch them up because I didn’t do a good job sanding, but for $30 they look great!

When I bought the RV my Dad and I didn’t know how extensive the dry rot was above the cab.  We ripped out as much as we could and there is still dry rot but it’s not worth fixing because we would have to rip out the entire bed area and rebuild.  So my lovely dad built a steel frame and put in a new platform for the bed and we repainted it with Kilz which will keep it from rotting further and will prevent mold from growing.  My next step is to buy a wool mattress which is ideal is many ways, but wool is great because it is mildew resistant!

 

Labor of Love

All that I own fits into a 26 foot 1989 Mallard Sprinter.  That’s only 75 square feet, but 75 square feet means freedom to me!  I love that each time I make a payment, the money is going towards paying off my RV, not to a landlord.  I do pay a tiny amount of “rent” for a parking space with full hookups, but that is nothing compared to the $850 plus utilities I was paying with my ex husband for 350 square feet in Portland.  So…all in all, I pay $450 for water, sewer, garbage, electricity, insurance and my credit card payment!  I save $100 a month because I get a discount, but still!!!  I am free to decorate, I am free to renovate, I’m free to unplug and drive my home around, I am free from roommates, and I am free to save money!  My boyfriend Matt and I want to be able to have a patch of dirt to call our own someday and living in an RV is one choice I can make to achieve that goal.

Above all though, living in an RV means that my ecological footprint is lower.  I use less water and electricity, and I can’t buy stuff I don’t need because I simply don’t have room for it!

If my story inspires you, hold up for a second…You probably won’t listen to this advice (I didn’t), but here it is anyway:

Adjust your expectations.  Expect to pay three times as much and spend four times as long as you think it will take to make it livable.  You are going to think to yourself that your situation is different but it won’t be.  The reality is that an old RV is an old RV.  Water will find it’s way in.  RV’s decorated within 10 years of the 90’s are hideous and you will want to make updates and this will cost money.  Engines need constant maintenance and old things break.  Simply accept and expect that having an RV will be a labor of love and you’ll be so much happier:)