This is not good news for fulltimers

[kurtsara]

16 hours ago, ToddF said:

What is facebook?

 

12 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

X2!!  ☺️

I don’t use it either, but I’m guessing you both know what it is.

[Pat & Pete]

Facebook . Anonymously only . 

[LDreamer]

FT or long term RV use is exploding for two reasons, and it will not be temp:

1. An enormous shift towards work from home. Lots of companies permanently change their policies. An army of people now dont need to rent/own overpriced RE in the cities.

2. Starlink by Space X offers high speed satellite internet available anywhere. It doesnt depend on cell or wifi. It is becoming a fact, not a novelty.

The influx of two new market segments is  on the rise. Young adults without kids. And 45+ empty nesters. Both groups did not previously consider FT RV lifestyle due to office work. Now, because of the above 2 reasons, many will.

Both groups have perm income and purchasing power, since they are FT working professionals.

This trend will change RV lifestyle significantly.

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, LDreamer said:

FT or long term RV use is exploding for two reasons, and it will not be temp:

Welcome to the Escapee forums! If you happen to be one of those new to fulltime RV living, we are happy to help in any way that we might be able. 

[LDreamer]

22 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Welcome to the Escapee forums! If you happen to be one of those new to fulltime RV living, we are happy to help in any way that we might be able. 

Thank you Kirk W. I am one of them. 🙂 Was RVing recreationally in the past. Had to pause due to kids-teens, no time. Soon, will be able to do it again, and seriously considering FT.

One question. Is there a good site/resource/directory/list about campgrounds/resorts geared primarily to winter camping for FTimers?

[sandsys]

59 minutes ago, LDreamer said:

One question. Is there a good site/resource/directory/list about campgrounds/resorts geared primarily to winter camping for FTimers?

Not that I am aware of but if you tell us a preferred location we can tell you about places with which we are familiar. For instance, I only know of one RV park that stays open all winter in Minnesota but there are lots of them in Arizona, Texas, and Florida.

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

While not specific to winter camping, there are two groups that do list campgrounds by locations with reviews. You can probably find most of what you want to know on one of them and then check the campground's website for anything additional. 

Campground Reviews

Campendium

[LDreamer]

I should have been more clear. Looking for locations where FTimers prefer to spend winters. South/SouthWest.

Minnesota would be a non-winter destination for us.

Will explore the sites. Thank you.

[2gypsies]

3 hours ago, LDreamer said:

I should have been more clear. Looking for locations where FTimers prefer to spend winters. South/SouthWest.

Minnesota would be a non-winter destination for us.

Will explore the sites. Thank you.

Places to stay in the winter are all along the southern U.S. and the south part of each state - CA, AZ, NM (although that can be colder than others), TX, LA, MS, AL, FL.

[sandsys]

Escapee Parks are often a good place to start since they let you get a feel for different states before you commit to anything. When we first started full-timing in 2008 we were told to spend time in lot of places south of I-10 to find the one right for us. Otherwise you might settle for good when you could have had great. Personally, we found we didn't care for Florida or South Texas so we picked Arizona. But, your tastes will not match ours so you need to go see for yourself.

Linda Sand

[CFerguson]

Agree with "the sky is falling" post on p1.

fwiw, i drove by a local Escapees park in TN last week and while busy, it was far from full. Speculation and opinions are wonderful, but lets dont present them as facts.

[Lou Schneider]

13 hours ago, CFerguson said:

Agree with "the sky is falling" post on p1.

fwiw, i drove by a local Escapees park in TN last week and while busy, it was far from full. Speculation and opinions are wonderful, but lets dont present them as facts.

Racoon Valley is an exception, it caters to short term visitors and unlike most Escapees parks doesn't offer long term sites.  The waiting lists referred to above are for the Escapees Co-op parks which do offer long term sites using a different business model.

There are several types of "Escapees" parks.  Escapees RV Parks (formerly Rainbow Parks) are owned by Escapees, Inc. and with a couple of exceptions offer short term campgrounds and deeded sites within the parks.  The deeded sites are bought and sold as real estate and are only for the use of the site owner, short term guests stay in the seperate campground.  Racoon Valley is one of the exceptions that don't have deeded lots because Escapees bought it as an existing RV park instead of building it from scratch.

Escapees Co-Op parks were the original park model, they're owned by individual members who buy a share in the co-op and get a lifetime lease on a specific site in the park.  Escapees who aren't co-op members are welcome to stay on a space-available basis - when a leaseholder is away from the park they can place their vacant site in a rental pool for other Escapees to use.

The Co-ops have waiting lists, where prospective members put down a deposit to join the park when a space becomes available.   A waiting list is part of the co-op's business model and is what was being discussed above.  Lots in the co-op park belong to the co-op and can't be bought and sold like real estate, they can only be transfered with the co-op membership.  If a person decides to leave the co-op they turn in their membership and it's re-sold to the next person on the waiting list, who then gets unrestricted use of that space.  When the park gets the money from the new member, they refund the purchase price paid by the departing member.  Having people on a waiting list primed and ready to buy into the co-op facilitates this process.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Lou Schneider

[Dutch_12078]

I'm not seeing the Escapees owned parks that have "ERPU (Escapees Rainbow Parks Unlimited) sites listed on the individual park pages any longer. If this program still exists, the ERPU sites are leased with an initial paid up front 5 year lease that can be renewed in 5 year increments for a dollar. There have typically been a waiting lists for these sites. Sumter Oaks is one of the ERPU parks and Raccoon Valley is not, but I don't recall which of the others have or had the program.

[Dutch_12078]

Duplicate post...

Edited March 18, 2021 by Dutch_12078
misposted

[Kirk W]

6 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

The Co-ops have waiting lists, where prospective members put down a deposit to join the park when a space becomes available.

I know that is the plan, but at present The Ranch in NM shows 2 currently available lots. As far as I can tell, all of the other co-op parks do have a current wait list.

[kb0zke]

We're leaseholders at The Ranch. Yes, there are lots available now, and probably more in the future. There was a waiting list for a bit, but for the most part there isn't one. We were on the waiting list at Lone Star, but when a lot we liked became available at The Ranch we took it and gave up our slot at Lone Star.

Generally, the co-ops require that you be a member of Escapees in order to get or keep a lot. Most, if not all, require that you visit the co-op before getting a lot. The amenities vary from one to another, so do your research first.

If you are looking to travel during the winter months there are plenty of places to go. We like the Corpus Christi area. Livingston is also good.

[Customer1]

On 3/18/2021 at 8:47 AM, Dutch_12078 said:

I'm not seeing the Escapees owned parks that have "ERPU (Escapees Rainbow Parks Unlimited) sites listed on the individual park pages any longer. If this program still exists, the ERPU sites are leased with an initial paid up front 5 year lease that can be renewed in 5 year increments for a dollar. There have typically been a waiting lists for these sites. Sumter Oaks is one of the ERPU parks and Raccoon Valley is not, but I don't recall which of the others have or had the program.

There are three parks in the ERPU program.

Rainbows End @ Livingston, TX

Rainbow Plantation @ Summerdale, AL

Sumter Oaks @ Bushnell, FL

We are on the list at all three and hit #5 from the top in Livingston earlier this year.

[Dutch_12078]

Thanks, it's good to know the ERPU program still exists. I wonder why it's not mentioned on the site any longer...

[bigjim]

There used to be some ERPU sites at Dreamcatcher in Deming, NM.  If they eliminated them I wonder if they grandfathered in the people that had those sites. I believe they were all along the very last row.

[sandsys]

11 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

Thanks, it's good to know the ERPU program still exists. I wonder why it's not mentioned on the site any longer...

If existing site holders keep renewing there would be nothing to market.

[Dutch_12078]

8 hours ago, sandsys said:

If existing site holders keep renewing there would be nothing to market.

I know a couple of ERPU sites at Sumter Oaks have changed hands in the last couple of years. I expect there will be more as people age out...

[sandsys]

7 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

I know a couple of ERPU sites at Sumter Oaks have changed hands in the last couple of years. I expect there will be more as people age out...

If there is already a waiting list for those sites there would still be no reason to advertise.

[Chalkie]

56 minutes ago, sandsys said:

If there is already a waiting list for those sites there would still be no reason to advertise.

That is true, and while it is a separate program the COOPs still advertise for their waiting lists. In all honesty I had forgotten all about the ERPU program until this thread. 

[Dutch_12078]

2 hours ago, sandsys said:

If there is already a waiting list for those sites there would still be no reason to advertise.

There have been waiting lists for years when the program was still mentioned on the website. I think it's only been since the latest website "remodel" that mention of it disappeared.

[Kirk W]

Because of the discussion of ERPU sites, I sent an email to the business office to ask if the program is still available. This is from the response.

Quote

We have ERPU leases and annual leases, below is the information on each.

The ERPU program is in Rainbow Oaks in Livingston TX, Sumter Oaks in Bushnell FL, and Plantation in Summerdale AL.

 

The ERPU membership is:

Rainbow Oaks, Livingston TX: $12,500.00   Maintenance fee: $715.00

Sumter Oaks, Bushnell FL: $14,500.00   Maintenance fee: $825.00

Plantation, Summerdale AL: $14,500.00   Maintenance fee: $825.00

 

The waiting list currently has:

Rainbow Oaks, Livingston TX: 18

Sumter Oaks, Bushnell FL: 40

Plantation, Summerdale AL: 28

 

We have annual leases in Plantation in Summerdale AL, Dream Catcher in Deming NM, North Ranch in Congress AZ, and Rainbow’s End in Livingston TX.  Each site is metered, and you pay for electricity at the manager’s office. You are responsible for the mowing and weed eating all year whether you are on site or off.  There are no refunds on any annual lease. 

 

Plantation, Summerdale AL: $4,320.00 + $300.00 dep. 

North Ranch, Congress AZ: $4,080.00 + $300.00 dep.  

Dream Catcher, Deming NM: $2,640.00 + $300.00 dep  

Rainbow’s End, Livingston TX: $3,840.00 + $259.00 dep

 

The waiting list for an annual lease is free, and the waiting lists currently have:  

Plantation, Summerdale AL: 33

North Ranch, Congress AZ:  no waiting list

Dream Catcher, Deming NM: no waiting list

Rainbow’s End, Livingston TX: 20

There are no reservations on any lease. The contracts start when you take the site.

I hope that this information is helpful. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Kirk W