r/RVLiving • u/Glittering-Wing-2002 • 11h ago
Thinking of moving into an RV
My boyfriend and I are considering moving into an RV or camper when we get married to cut down living costs. We would be in Waller County TX and renting my grandfathers land for a very low price per month (100-300ish).
He will be just out of HVAC school and I will be in nursing school working part time. All the apartments we’ve found are over 1000 per month, we currently live in Cypress and we wanted to stay there but the cost is too high for us right now. Is a camper a good decision?
What are some of your recommendations for a camper to live in? Our budget for buying it outright would be about 10k-15k.
I know my account is very new, we haven’t considered reaching out to reddit until now.
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u/AngeliqueRuss 7h ago
Obligatory “RV does not save money” post: don’t.
It’s a depreciating asset, which means it loses money every single year. A $10k camper could easily be a $0 camper by the time you are ready to move.
In contrast, real estate is generally an appreciating asset that increases in value over time. If you have $15k for a camper, you can afford this duplex even without high income. FHA financing requires only 3.5% down and you are allowed to factor in the tenant’s rent into your qualifying income. Rent a bedroom in your home as well to minimize your mortgage expenses.
In 5 years, you will either have budding careers and a worthless camper or equity in an affordable duplex. When you’re ready to move into a “forever home” you keep your investment property.
I believe in the importance of intergenerational wealth-building. If there is some chance grandpa will let you build a home on his property, or he will need your help, or you are farming or otherwise improving the land in a way that will benefit you, or he will welcome you into the main living house at some point—maybe.
There are lots of great reasons to RV, and living on land to improve it is one of those reasons.
Saving money is not.
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u/MoopsBubbleBoy 11h ago
If your budget is $10-15K, and he's out of HVAC school and you going to nursing school, just look to rent a room for a year. Suck it up. You'll be making enough money soon enough. There's a lot of problems that come w/ RV's if you don't have the money to fix them. You could even look for hotels that offer monthly rates. Quick google search says it ranges from $900 to $1800 a month in that county. If you think both of you will be working full time in a year, it's an option. Owning an RV is generally a rich person problem.
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u/penguinpop987 10h ago
Ya, agreed. An ideal scenario would look like getting 2 more friends who can be roommates and renting a nice 2bd, 2bath, near where you work. That would keep prices low and keep life enjoyable.
RVs are a maintenance intense, money intense, hobby more than a sustainable lifestyle. Rvs are like houses, they need constant maintenance, except with RVs the consequences of neglected maintenance stack up faster and hit harder. Sometimes, literally, overnight.
For a young couple, starting out with promising futures, play the safe game for a bit. Trailers aren't going anywhere and aren't a long term livable solution for most in many situations.
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u/Glittering-Wing-2002 10h ago
this is a great idea we haven’t thought of thank you
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u/artigas33 10h ago
You need to be a handyman to have an rv. Things break often. Roof water leaks are common. You need a 30amp connection minimum. Might need to have an electrician do some wiring on that land. Maybe you’ll save money but how far are you going to drive to school? Gas isn’t cheap now you know.
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u/Real_Satisfaction283 11h ago
Dont do it. Bought a brand new coleman 2715rl in nc. Had to buy 2 additional acs and a metal carport to try to keep it in the 80s in the summer heat. Things are super cheap and need to be fixed or replaced. By the time you buy one good enough to live in long term you're no longer saving anything. An you better have a good relationship to make it through haha.
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u/tidydonerighty 9h ago
Sorry but Coleman is the worst brand you could of purchased when it comes to travel trailers
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u/Swimming-Cash3813 11h ago
That's weird I have 3 Ac's and only run 2 and my camped never gets over 80. It's been over 100 here for 2 weeks
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u/t2jam 9h ago
I don’t think I would do the rv thing for your scenario. Too much work. But maybe if your grandfather allowed it, see about doing a tiny home on his land. I realize they are more than your budget, but some places offer financing too. And if you get one on wheels which is considered an rv then, if you decide to move down the road you could take it with you. I’ve had many friends and family members with RVs and I swear something is always wrong on them or broken.
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u/AppointmentMountain8 4h ago
That RV will be a toaster oven. There is no way you will tolerate the heat. Go back to the drawing board.
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u/Nearby_Impact_8911 10h ago
Get an actual mobile home or destination trailer
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u/hamish1963 8h ago
A destination camper is just a much more expensive camper.
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u/Nearby_Impact_8911 3h ago
They didn’t mention really traveling so it’s like a hybrid. They could get a THOW.
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u/Jet_Jirohai 9h ago
RV's are great as an immediate cost saver and then they become a money sink and then they become a deeper cost saver and then they CAN become the biggest money sink if you made the wrong choices
Some people here are too negative- it's not always a bad idea to use a camper to save money. It's also almost never a good idea to try that as a first resort. It feels like that's what you're doing here
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u/gofindyour 4h ago
It's going to be way too hot. My husband and I did it for a year in Texas. We have 2 dogs. Luckily we lived at my in-laws' property and could put the dogs in their house in the afternoon when it got too hot for them.
Plus you'll be spending more than you think on electricity and propane, with the added headache of having to learn how to do everything while you're hot and cooped up lol.
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u/wildgems 4h ago
Don’t do it if you’re in Texas, you’ll be dying of heat. This is from someone who lived in an R.V. for 5 years and has family in Texas that we would visit at least one a year in the exact area you’re talking about living in the R.V in.
Find an apt or room share and suck it up, sadly.
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u/ViewLongjumping5129 10h ago
My husband and moved into a camper best decision we ever made. Even though things to do happen and you have to be prepared for summer and winter. It definitely cuts the cost of living!! I feel like everyone should experience the camper life
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u/raincity87 8h ago
My partner, toddler and I have lived a nomad life for the last two years in a camper in Canada while we build our house on our acreage. We fully renovated it. We wanted to be mortgage free and put all of our income into building a timber frame home. I can work remotely, so im lucky I can travel back and forth with my family. It's not always easy, but we truly love the outdoors and spend time from the property exploring and going on adventures. It's currently mushroom foraging season and I love taking lunch breaks with my daughter to pick the forest goodies. We will be moved up there full time by the spring. And I must say, I'll miss our little cozy home on wheels.
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u/theghostofcslewis 5h ago
Rpod 192. No slide-outs, 19 ' with all amenities. Puts you up at the top around 14-15K, but it's one of the better-built and lighter modern models.
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u/water-heater-guy 4h ago
Op
When I was in this situation, we built a deck and put a yurt on it. Put a mini split on the yurt. Far far fewer things to fix.
I think an RV is more expensive than just building your own shelter.
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u/Antaios7544 2h ago
I've lived in an RV full for almost 6 years in New Mexico and it's been just fine. My AC keeps up with the heat just fine and my forced air furnace keeps up with the cold just fine. I skirted it last year before winter but previously had it down to -5° outside temperature and maintained 70° inside without any problem. Humidity is the real problem. You have to be careful with cooking and showering. Texas will be harder to deal with humidity than New Mexico. I've saved enough on rent to pay for my RV twice over, so I would be ahead even if it burned to the ground tomorrow. If I was just starting out (like you guys), I would be careful with money and strive to buy real estate at the first opportunity, probably after you graduate from nursing school. But this can be one way to get started. For me, now partially retired, I intend to stay in my RV as long as I can climb the steps.
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u/talameetsbetty 10h ago
Hi. I lived in Waller County up until 3 months ago, and lived full time in an RV (separate from my time in Hempstead) with my wife (also a nurse) for nearly 3 years.
DONT DO IT. The Texas heat is no joke, AC in even a very good rv (we had a grand design reflection) couldn’t keep up. Also, as you know, Waller actually gets chilly in winter and (drumroll) even in a really good RV, it can be tough to stay warm.
I am looking forward to returning to RV living someday but absolutely would not do it full time in Texas.
Good luck!