RoamingRanger

Hi Kirk- Yes, we have considered RV traveling as part of making the decision about the house, potentially moving elsewhere, etc. All options are are on the table at this point. This is another reason to keep it and rent it out for the time being, until we have a better sense of our plan. Before moving to Africa, we had previously considered moving to both TX and FL so perhaps one of these two states would be a logical place to land when returning to the US. We have friends in both which would certainly help the transition. We are currently on a Christian Health Sharing plan so moving wouldn't have a significant impact from a medical insurance perspective. Also, we are still considered residents of CA since it was our last place of residence since leaving the US. Thank you all for your wonderful input and questions. You've been a tremendous help!

Twotoes- Thanks for your valuable input. It's nice to know things have worked out with your domicile in SD while maintaining your properties in CA. Linda- Sounds like such a great adventure!! I like the idea of giving your daughter the ability help decide where you traveled. Hopefully she has fond memories as she looks back on her childhood travels.

Hi Linda, Did (or do) you camp with your kids? If so, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Both good and bad. Thanks so much for your input!

Thanks for the link 2gypsies! I've heard of Fulltime Families but need to research further. Seems like a great opportunity for community. Kirk- The plan is to have renters in the house. We have never owned an RV but have owned a boat with sleeping quarters so I'm very familiar with maintenance, upkeep, cost of ownership, depreciation, etc. Our kids are already in a homeschool program so education would remain unchanged with exception to "being able to see" history firsthand as opposed to just reading about it in a book. Our oldest child (10) is gung-ho, the others are a bit more impartial. It would no doubt be different than anything they've experienced but then again our transition would be from Africa, not suburban America so I'm fairly confident we'd do fine. If not, we'd still have the option to return to our domicile, move back CA or even Africa :-). Thanks for your great questions. You are certainly correct, there are many factors that need to be considered. It's not a decision to be taken lightly.

Lots of great information, thank you everyone for your contributions. I'll try to address the questions/comments below. Because this home has been in our family, property taxes remain relatively low(ish) due to Prop-13 which is another pro for keeping it. In reality, if we sold it now, the likelihood of being able to afford the same home in CA at some point in the future is low. If we choose to keep it we keep the door open for being able to return at some point after our mortgage is paid off and thus living there is a little more affordable. We still have a lot of family in CA so I'm sure we'd visit on occasion however the vast majority of time would be spent outside of the state. If I continued to consult for my former company I'd also anticipate a couple 2-3 day work related trips per year. Agreed regarding an attorney, that sounds like the next logical step. I'm just trying to educate myself a bit before seeking paid, professional advice.

Hello, We're new to the forum and have a question regarding a domicile. Our family is originally from California where we still own a residence however we have been living in Africa for the last two years. We are looking to transition back to the US at some point but aren't eager to go back to the hustle and bustle CA lifestyle. We've considered leaving California permanently for various reasons but have recently began to seriously consider RVing full time as a means to see America and allow our children to view American history firsthand. We've began to research moving our domicile to SD, TX or FL but wonder if this is even possible if we continue to maintain our home in CA. While we don't plan to move back to CA anytime soon and would thus prefer not to continue to pay the high CA taxes, the home we currently own has been in the family for sometime so we'd prefer not to sell it for sentimental reasons. Is is possible to domicile in a different state while continuing to hold a CA residence? If so, do additional steps need to be taken to ensure CA doesn't try to continue to classify us as a CA resident? Also, for income, I would likely consult remotely for a company I used to work for while my wife has the opportunity to work as a traveling nurse in the states we visit. Thanks for any insight you can provide.