My landlord (owns four duplex units) moved out of the other side, into an RV on his land, in order to rent out an additional $900/month unit. No A/C, in the American Southeast [not worth it IMHO].
Freaking property owners are starting to get priced out (of living)!
Made that choice 12 years ago. I have no regrets. I was also very lucky. I found a good RV park that had grass yards surrounded by fences with plenty of trees for shade.
The RV itself has been incredibly sturdy and I've only had a few issues. I did have to spend 1 day upgrading the electrical from 30 amp to 50 amp so I could run the A/C and the Water Heater at the same time. I had to replace the city water inlet check valve after 8 years. The spring valve on my toilet broke after 5 years but it was less labor to just install a new one. The mattress got replaced immediately.
Otherwise, if you can get a good park to live in and don't have large pets or children, I can only highly recommend it.
If anyone is thinking about this, please do research into how crappy modern, mass-produced RVs are built.
Lemon Laws do not apply to RVs (except maybe in one state).
Many RVs can easily spend most of a year waiting to get a single item half-assed repaired multiple times while the 1 year warranty runs out and the 20 other things don't get fixed.
There is a relatively-new YouTube channel called Liz Amazing that showcases RV horror stories, including the most recent one where a luxury RV manufacturer didn't properly install VINs on the RV leading to a $600k fine for the user:
How about truck+trailer combo. The vehicle can be used without taking your house everywhere. And the reliability of each of these things alone is higher than an RV
In Portland, it's legal to live in an RV on someone's land as long as there is a proper sewer/electric/water hookup. This is beneficial because it makes for more dispersed RV living rather than concentrating everyone in an RV park.
This Sightline article talks about some of the people it has helped:
Long term, we should make other more permanent forms of housing cheaper and easier for people to get into, but this is a good solution for some people some of the time.
It's a sad situation and really shows our collective failure to build enough housing. But in articles about the financial struggles of single parents, why do journalists frequently not report anything about child support payments? The reader is left to wonder whether the father of the Stitt children is paying his share, or dead, or a deadbeat. In a number of cases I know about the custodial parent didn't even bother to pursue a legal support order. Even a few hundred dollars per month can make a huge difference in paying rent. I understand that navigating the legal system is difficult and many single parents are overwhelmed, but most counties have social workers or legal aid agencies that will help with court filings and collections.
>She house sat for a family member to get her finances back in order, but she found it difficult to afford a rental apartment on the $58,000 a year she gets in disability and Social Security payments.
It's not for everyone, but that's more than enough to retire in much of the world. You can get a very nice apartment in much of Seoul for around 700$.
I had considered doing this about 3 years ago. I purchased a 1986 Vixen 21TD (a BMW diesel powered, 5 speed motorhome, build specifically as a motorhome, and gets 30mpg).
Ultimately, my goals ended up changing. I did a bit of modifications (modern brakes, improved electrical, upgraded alternator, 300aH 12v Lithium, and more), but I ended up only doing a couple trips in it.
It was really incredible, being able to have enough space to work, traveling anytime I want without worrying about crashing at a friend's place, or paying for a hotel or being stuck in a boring part of a city where the hotel is, etc.
I did a ton of research before purchasing, and loved the fact that it was fully built from the ground up to be a motorhome, rather than how modern conversions or RVs are built. It has a full queen size bed, and a wet bath, and I could comfortably stand when the roof is up.
What stands out to me about the people in the article is that they don't seem to be poor in the conventional sense. The woman who sold her 5 bedroom / 3 bathroom house and the guy getting 3k/month in pensions.
I don't hail from the US but wouldn't it be possible for people like that to move to one of the low cost states and rent a modest apartment? I have a friend in Tulsa and I think he pays something like 750 bucks per month for what looked like a pretty nice flat, seems possibly cheaper than this:
"When the family is unable to afford a spot at a campground, which can cost $25 to $45 a night[...]"
There is affordable housing, but it's not where people want to live. I am concerned articles like these support the notion that everyone must live in a bustling metropolis in the heart of everything. The article cites up to $45/night to park an RV. Thirty days is $1350. In Valdosta, Georgia, the average apartment rent is approximately $1,004 per month
Arkansas median rent of $868.
There is affordable housing, even buying, but more publications must get off this notion that everyone must live in Highland Park, or the Castro, or even Midtown Atlanta.
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[ 1.7 ms ] story [ 55.4 ms ] threadFreaking property owners are starting to get priced out (of living)!
The RV itself has been incredibly sturdy and I've only had a few issues. I did have to spend 1 day upgrading the electrical from 30 amp to 50 amp so I could run the A/C and the Water Heater at the same time. I had to replace the city water inlet check valve after 8 years. The spring valve on my toilet broke after 5 years but it was less labor to just install a new one. The mattress got replaced immediately.
Otherwise, if you can get a good park to live in and don't have large pets or children, I can only highly recommend it.
Lemon Laws do not apply to RVs (except maybe in one state).
Many RVs can easily spend most of a year waiting to get a single item half-assed repaired multiple times while the 1 year warranty runs out and the 20 other things don't get fixed.
There is a relatively-new YouTube channel called Liz Amazing that showcases RV horror stories, including the most recent one where a luxury RV manufacturer didn't properly install VINs on the RV leading to a $600k fine for the user:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zGOANydJURQ
What positive attitude in such a rotten situation. It really hurts reading such stories about hardworking honest people.
- it can be more expensive to repair items on or in the RV
- i wouldn't want to permanently reside in an RV in an area where tornadoes are a possibility
- they're a depreciating asset
This Sightline article talks about some of the people it has helped:
https://www.sightline.org/2025/09/11/homes-on-wheels-are-fil...
Long term, we should make other more permanent forms of housing cheaper and easier for people to get into, but this is a good solution for some people some of the time.
It's not for everyone, but that's more than enough to retire in much of the world. You can get a very nice apartment in much of Seoul for around 700$.
Food and healthcare is going to be better too.
Ultimately, my goals ended up changing. I did a bit of modifications (modern brakes, improved electrical, upgraded alternator, 300aH 12v Lithium, and more), but I ended up only doing a couple trips in it.
It was really incredible, being able to have enough space to work, traveling anytime I want without worrying about crashing at a friend's place, or paying for a hotel or being stuck in a boring part of a city where the hotel is, etc.
I did a ton of research before purchasing, and loved the fact that it was fully built from the ground up to be a motorhome, rather than how modern conversions or RVs are built. It has a full queen size bed, and a wet bath, and I could comfortably stand when the roof is up.
Alas, the home life ended up being for me.
P.S. It's for sale.
I don't hail from the US but wouldn't it be possible for people like that to move to one of the low cost states and rent a modest apartment? I have a friend in Tulsa and I think he pays something like 750 bucks per month for what looked like a pretty nice flat, seems possibly cheaper than this:
"When the family is unable to afford a spot at a campground, which can cost $25 to $45 a night[...]"
This reminds me of how the stacks get started from that novel.
Arkansas median rent of $868.
There is affordable housing, even buying, but more publications must get off this notion that everyone must live in Highland Park, or the Castro, or even Midtown Atlanta.