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The problem is more than interest rates though, it's about the widespread housing shortages around the country. If you sell your house and get a nice little return on it, that probably won't be enough to get you into another comparable place. My mom's neighbor's house just sold for nearly $900k (in Southern CA). This young couple wanted to be closer to work, so they sold their place, and the only comparable they could find was something they got for just over $1 million. It's a crazy real estate world out there.

That is EXACTLY why we purchased a property in 2021, after not having one for many years. It was terrifying not having a place we could go and feel at home. We squeezed in right before interest rates went up.

LOL thanks for calling me a youth! I'm 54. You're right, that's high interest. The highest we've ever paid was 8.75%. Great points about being frugal.

Should be OK. The road to avoid is CA 36 between Red Bluff on I-5 and the coast.

The Pandemic may have influenced the latest poll. Many fulltimers found themselves with nowhere to stay when the government shut down recreational facilities nationwide including most campgrounds. My lot in the Pahrump co-op saved me from a similar fate when "two weeks to slow the surge" stretched into several months of a total shutdown. Having a place where I could go and ride out the closures was priceless.

While I'm not trying to speak for Rod, it sees to me that the point was to see what other's opinions on the issue are, and that was successful. To me one of the more interesting aspects of the poll is that it seems to have changed significantly since a similar one was run about 15 or 20 years ago. While that may be true in the recent past, over the long term, Investopedia has a very different opinion. In terms of averages, stocks have tended to have higher total returns over time. The S&P 500 stock index has had an average annualized return around 10% over very long periods (higher if you include dividends), while average annual real estate returns are often more in the 4-8% range.

Ahh. the youth of today doesn't have a clue what high interest rates are. When we bought our first home, (after living in a trailer for 8 years with two small kids), in 1982, our interest was 16 1/4%. We refinanced every time we could drop the rate by 2% or so, finally using a home equity loan to pay off the higher cost mortgage. It took discipline and determination, but we paid off a 30 yr loan in 17 years. All of which has nothing to do with the original question. You don't have to be "wealthy" to buy a house, just live like your parents did when they were your age. Beater cars, no cable tv, no Starbucks, cook your own meals.......and poof, you too can be "wealthy."

Absolutely. I'm mentioning that in my article for the magazine, because in today's tight housing market, and with high interest rates on mortgages, getting into a new home is really tough for all but the wealthiest people out there.

We are pulling a 36ft fifth wheel from Reno to Trinidad in June and wonder what the best route might be. We would like to take the 395/44 to Redding then 299 to Trinidad. Anyone have thoughts? Thank you.

It is an interesting topic. I didn't answer the poll because I am not full time. We don't plan to go full time. The wife is retired but I have a few more years. We plan on keeping our place for sure as we plan to be there more than we will be on the road. I think I would always like a home base, however, if we did go full time I could see the advantages to selling it. Keep in mind that unless you have a big nest egg it could be tough to buy something later on if you change your mind.

But is that good or bad in their minds? Or just the way they chose to live? If they don't want the responsibilities of real estate ownership, why would they keep it?

I know people who own property they visit every few years and ignore otherwise. I know people who constantly worry about their property so they have to check on it often and thus cannot travel far. Add buildings or rules about maintenance and it gets more complicated.

I don't find it surprising that the numbers are similar on both surveys. I don't understand the subject of this thread though, since I don't see where owning property is either good or bad, but rather depends on each individual's particular circumstances and what works best for them.

Interesting feedback from the Xscapers Facebook Group. I put up a poll and here are the results. I wish I wouldn't have given people an option to post write-in answers, since it skewed the results a bit. But you can still see that 56% own some type of real estate or co-op lot, and 44% are property-free. It's prompted me to do a few interviews and put together a story for the July issue of Escapees Magazine, so stay tuned!

Not planning on passing it down, most likely obsolete by the time I pass. At least I hope so. It's also not corded per se' only the charger has a cord and it's working fine. Haven't torn it apart yet, still thinking about trying an in person return to the store where I bought it. I'll be there in a month. Rod

If you're counting on having equipment worth passing down to future generations, Harbor Freight isn't the place to buy anything with a cord. Pull it apart, focusing on wire connections. A bad solder joint will only get worse with use, before getting bad enough to fail. Check out the trigger switch, if the solder joints all pass inspection. I've had a HF variable speed drill switch fail to all or none mode.

Having gown up in Kansas, it is clear that you, like many others didn't see much of Kansas. This was taken not from from where my relatives live in the Kansas Flint Hills. You should also return to Oklahoma and travel through the areas east of OK city.

Observations along the trip. Texas. Always was kinda neutral on Texas. Crossed into Texas at El Paso. That was NOT neutral. What an awful place to travel through town. It has a million people, but the traffic, etc makes it feel like LA. Not a good introduction. Then Texas got real nice with El Paso in the rear view mirror. Good drivers. Little traffic particularly on 190 to Waco. Nice small towns. Great Courthouses!!! You can probably write a tour book on the Courthouses of Texas. There must be a lot of history in those courthouses. Great radio stations. Lots of fiddles and steel guitars with Merle, EmmyLou, and a host of others. Never put in a CD while in Texas. Only downside was it was tough to find places to stop for the night. Lots of truck stops, which does not meet my definition of boondocking. Oklahoma. That was quick. I thought the panhandle of Idaho was quick to cross. Kansas. I once read an article that if you made Kansas pancake size it would be flatter than a pancake. I can handle flat, Florida is flat. Kansas is flat with crops.. Once I crossed into Kansas the music stopped. It didn't stop, it just got bad. Nebraska. The drive across Kansas was pretty boring. It got interesting as I crossed into Nebraska. Liked North Platte and the river. The next day driving into the Sand Hills was incredible and I was there at the worse time of the year before green up!! Sand Hills were on my bucket list and they way exceeded my expectations. The Niobrara Wild and Scenic River was great. The Sand Hills were pretty. Even the Nebraska National Forest was scenic. The icing on the cake was all the wildlife areas and prairie potholes. Every duck got its own pothole. I would not mind spending a month in the Sand Hills. Thanks to DJohns for the tips on Nebraska. Wyoming. Been a long time since I was in Wyoming. The population growth was just amazing. People everywhere these days, outside the public lands. Thank god, for those. After the relative solitude of the Sand Hills, it was jarring to run into people again. I really liked the Jackalope on the hillside above Douglas, Wyoming. Wish I had a kid in the truck to watch their reaction! Jackson Hole on a Monday morning in April was filled with traffic!! Eastern Idaho. Same story. Where did all these people come from ?? Montana. Did enjoy the drive across I-90, but quickly went onto Highway 12 and into Idaho and home. Next time I think I will go east of highway 83 and try highway 385 and 27. That means I would have to double back to revisit the Sand Hills, but it would be worth it. That country just north in South Dakota looks real good.

Sometimes on things like this it is the on switch. Hopefully it is something simple. Likely the battery was made in China since they make nearly all of the lithium batteries. China battery production is second to none. It doesn't seem bad by your description.

What size Class C are you looking for and how much do you expect load in the RV. I have looked at many Class C's and found many longer Class C's to be near maxing out on weight before the owner added added the groceries. The Super C's have a heavier frame, So that said, what is your planned use. Are you going to be 3-4 hours a day, driving maybe 15,000 miles yearly. The diesel may more sense. Driving shorter distances go with the gas. Presently, I have noticed the price of gas and diesel (with fuel card) and nearly the same, not the dollar difference not long ago A school system had several small trucks and they specially would look and spec only gas trucks that starter easily can be changed and door hinges easily replaced. Look over you what need, Modern trucks are quieter by either noise reduction in the engine or better insulation in the cab. Does the Class C have front end insulation. Clay

The battery has never been discharged fully and shows a full charge. I haven't taken the volt meter to it yet, but I'm sure it's at max voltage. Thanks for the reply. Rod

It's probably a bad battery - especially if it's Chinese made. When I opened my Chinese made rechargeable fan I found the battery puffed up (a lithium polymer battery) and the amp hours much less than claimed on their advertising. Dead battery. The manufacturer either lied or their battery supplier cheated them. The lipo batteries will die if their voltage drops below a certain point. I suspect that, over time, they self-discharge to the point where they won't take a charge.

True, but at higher elevations, fuel burns slower, negating the need for higher octane. Go to Denver, or higher, and 85 octane will run just fine in most gas vehicles, unless they're of European origin. Fuel is indeed getting pricey, but no more than most other things. My grandsons, working at McDonalds, work less to drive 100 miles than I did at their age. But, my '68 Barracuda 6 cylinder only got 17 mpg. Fuel today is a relative bargain.

Makes for a cool flashlight now! Good luck finding the problem. Lenp

Around here right now anyway, midgrade or premium gas is more than diesel. The new Ford 7.3 gas engine calls for 87 octane which in high elevation states would be midgrade. Fuel in general is getting pricey.