Class of 2013 is awful quiet

[dosbeagles]

Well we are back in escrow and have contacted an attorney regarding the deposit on the last one. Turns out we need either their agreement to give us the deposit or a court order. If we have to go to court and prevail we get attorney fees as well. Per the contract we have to go to mediation first. Our attorney sent them a nastygram detailing how real estate contracts work in California and we will see what happens, meanwhile their deposit money sits in an escrow account until this thing is settled. Going to have new floors put in the motorhome since we are waiting and getting rid of all carpet. Be much nicer than carpet. Might need a new inverter/charger and batteries so we have a couple more weeks to spend money before hitting the rooad. I guess there is a bright side in all of this. We will be going to see my mom and dad while the floors are being done.Lots to dobut my DWgets her first retirement check electronically deposited tomorrow. We will soon ne off.

 

Thanks to all the well wishers.

O

Chris

[Medico]

Congrats Koop, that's great news.

[Koop]

Congrats Koop, that's great news.

Thanks, i really appreciate it.

[Dance Chick]

Chris..I'm glad for you. I've felt for you through all of this and how disappointing it must've been. Hope the 3rd time is the charm!!

[dosbeagles]

Chris..I'm glad for you. I've felt for you through all of this and how disappointing it must've been. Hope the 3rd time is the charm!!

Thanks.

[Medico]

Chris, that is great news on the new contract. Glad you attorney is forcing the previous people to forfeit their deposit. The laws in most state require a valid reason to back out of a deal, not just because they changed their minds.

 

I hope this one works through and you do close on the sale. It is a very rewarding feeling when that day finally arrives, especially if it has ben a tumultuous journey.

[geo-gypsy]

We have joined the Class of 2013. DW retired last year after 38 years of teaching, and I have just less than 17 months to go. We sold our S&B in less than 40 hours on Mother's Day and had to be out by the end of May! So, our full-timing started mid-May in the midst of move-out confusion! Life is just now starting to settle down. Full retirement will come with the start of 2015.

 

Ron

[Medico]

Welcome to our class! And congrats on your new lifestyle. We also started this lifestyle in early May.

[Outsider]

We sold our house on June 23rd and have been fulltiming ever since! Loving every minute of it!

[bill713]

 

It's been two weeks since we have gone fulltime we spent the first week in Ocala fl.so we could be close to the dealer in case there were any problems with the rv. No problems thankfully we stayed at wilderness resort in Ocala it was great. Then I made my first mistake in fulltiming I made reservations in Jacksonville fl. for ten days which meant that I got the week rate and then paid daily rate for three days ouch. I'm sure I read on hear to only make reservations for only one night if your not familiar with the cg so you can leave if it's not what you wanted.I think it was Barb who posted that oh well I'm sure it won't be my last mistake. So far love the fulltime lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

o

[steved44]

Well we are back in escrow and have contacted an attorney regarding the deposit on the last one. Turns out we need either their agreement to give us the deposit or a court order. If we have to go to court and prevail we get attorney fees as well. Per the contract we have to go to mediation first. Our attorney sent them a nastygram detailing how real estate contracts work in California and we will see what happens, meanwhile their deposit money sits in an escrow account until this thing is settled. Going to have new floors put in the motorhome since we are waiting and getting rid of all carpet. Be much nicer than carpet. Might need a new inverter/charger and batteries so we have a couple more weeks to spend money before hitting the rooad. I guess there is a bright side in all of this. We will be going to see my mom and dad while the floors are being done.Lots to dobut my DWgets her first retirement check electronically deposited tomorrow. We will soon ne off.

 

Thanks to all the well wishers.

O

Chris

Hope you get it all done Chris, we had to sell our house twice, and I keep waiting for it to show up in my rear view mirror. If you are going to need an inverter, we found a good price on them at this place. www.imarineusa.com We fried our old inverter in Kansas City last year. It was a xantrex 458 modified sine wave. We replaced it with a Magnum MS2000 -20B, so we would have the pure sine wave and also be able to use the same wiring. It's been working really good, and the appliances all seem to work better. This outfit had the best pricing at the time. Good luck. Steve

[fyrfytr]

Well..........

We were supposed to be in the class of 2013. In fact we should both be retired by now, but...finances dictate. And so do the needs. We care for little ones. Families who are going through a rough time and children who have medical problems. Our door has been open for decades now and we are so attached to this harness of service we don't seem to know how to let go.

We experience heartache and joy, we live on an Island in the Pacific where palm trees grow, humming birds stay all year round, and lions roam our forests. Although I love to travel, it is so beautiful here, I guess it is just easy to say we will travel mañana .

I enjoy reading about all your escapades.

 

Delventor

[Outsider]

Well we are back in escrow and have contacted an attorney regarding the deposit on the last one. Turns out we need either their agreement to give us the deposit or a court order. If we have to go to court and prevail we get attorney fees as well. Per the contract we have to go to mediation first. Our attorney sent them a nastygram detailing how real estate contracts work in California and we will see what happens, meanwhile their deposit money sits in an escrow account until this thing is settled. Going to have new floors put in the motorhome since we are waiting and getting rid of all carpet. Be much nicer than carpet. Might need a new inverter/charger and batteries so we have a couple more weeks to spend money before hitting the rooad. I guess there is a bright side in all of this. We will be going to see my mom and dad while the floors are being done.Lots to dobut my DWgets her first retirement check electronically deposited tomorrow. We will soon ne off.

 

Thanks to all the well wishers.

O

Chris

Chris - We sold our house 6 times before it finally happened for real. In one instance we went through the same thing you did with the deposit. We told the people who didn't want to release the deposit that we would split it with them or they would lose it all in court. They agreed to the split. If that didnt happen we wouldn't have been able to re-list the house to sell again until we went through the whole court ordeal. This was in NC. Hope it works out for you.

 

-Sean

[Jim & Alice]

I would encourage all folks trying hard to get out there... keep going! It is well worth it.

 

My wife and I decided about this time last year that it was time to go... rather than wait until our planned year of Fall 2014. We had never owned an RV. Always planned on buying one at retirement time, so we were somewhat well along in doing our homework... and had a 'Plan'.

 

So, last September we shifted into high gear. By the first of December we had bought a 5-year old, 36' Class A Gasser, a 2008 Honda CR-V Tow vehicle, and had installed several 'enhancements' to both, based on our homework (done primarily here at Escapees).

 

We left Michigan the first week in January 2013, with about 60 minutes driving time experience under our belts... and NO overnight time. Drove 1,000 miles to Texas... then 1,200 miles to Congress, AZ for Escapees Bootcamp. Learned a lot, made a lot of new friends (the Best part), and plan on staying out at least until 2015... and probably beyond, good Lord willing.

 

Good Luck - You will love it!

Jim

[dosbeagles]

We have joined the Class of 2013. DW retired last year after 38 years of teaching, and I have just less than 17 months to go. We sold our S&B in less than 40 hours on Mother's Day and had to be out by the end of May! So, our full-timing started mid-May in the midst of move-out confusion! Life is just now starting to settle down. Full retirement will come with the start of 2015.

 

Ron

Congrats and welcome to the class of 2013

[dosbeagles]

Hope you get it all done Chris, we had to sell our house twice, and I keep waiting for it to show up in my rear view mirror. If you are going to need an inverter, we found a good price on them at this place. www.imarineusa.com We fried our old inverter in Kansas City last year. It was a xantrex 458 modified sine wave. We replaced it with a Magnum MS2000 -20B, so we would have the pure sine wave and also be able to use the same wiring. It's been working really good, and the appliances all seem to work better. This outfit had the best pricing at the time. Good luck. Steve

We were having the floors redone this week and I talked to one of the techs there who has done quite a bit of work on my coach at another repair facility. I feel very comfortable working with him. He will get the inverter done and batteries replaced while they are doing the floors. So everything should be done by begining of next week. Escrow should close in one or two weeks. Hope to see you all on the road somewhere soon.

[Medico]

Sounds like a great time to do the remodel/upgrades Chris. Here's hoping this latest contract will complete to closing. Perhaps we'll see you our in our travels. In Oct we will be heading to Ocala, Fl. for 6 mos., then who knows where.

[roadhousecharley]

Glad to hear most are on the road or close to it.

 

We're making progress with the house but it's really slow. We've been slowly moving into the RV in the driveway. Been sleeping in it for the last couple weeks and as of today the kitchen in the S&B is down for remodeling. Possible to be done in a couple months. then the keys get turned over to the real estate agent for sale.

[dosbeagles]

Got the motorhome back last Friday as promised. The workers stayed an extra 2 hours past closing on Friday night to get the unit done!! Have I mentioned that Final Touch Coach Works in Valencia really rocks!! They take excellent care of their customers. WE have the final walk thru tonight at 6:00 PM escrow company should get loan docs either today or tomorrow and we are moving forward. Possibly on the road by Friday or Tuesday of next week.

[Medico]

That is great news on a long haul for you Chris. I'll keep everything I possibly can crossed for you!

[Binnster]

Not sure if it counts to join the class of 2013 when I'm not escaping full-time employment - but I am planning to full-time in the camper this winter, somewhere without snow! I'm blessed to have a job where I can work from home, and no one I work with needs to know where that home is, or if it's on wheels! I hope to leave Colorado in October, visit friends in NM and end up in FL for the winter. Planning this first season has been tricky, not wanting to commit too long to places unseen but not wanting to end up on conference calls in a Wal-Mart parking lot either. My biggest planning tool so far? The Verizon 4G LTE coverage map.

[dosbeagles]

The buyers signed the loan doc's last night and sent to lender today. They should have the doc's bright and early tomorrow for funding on Thursday and closing on
friday. We should be able to pull out on Thursday morning if all goes to plan and by Friday be stix & brix homeless looking forward to a wonderful life on the road. Stop the first night is Las Vegas, Nevada then onward into Utah and Colorado. Can't wait.

 

In getting to this point I would like to thank all of you who have participated in the forums for the last 4 years willing to share your experiences and knowledge so that those that followed behind you had an easier road becuase of the knowledge you shared, We who come after you owe the early escapees a debt of gratitude for making this life possible for us and much easier to get into and pursue.

 

Thank you all for what you have done.

 

Chris Clarke

aka Dos Beagles

[Medico]

Chris, I believe you mean "we the sellers"! That is great news. S&B homeless is a GOOD thing for us FT'ers. One less thing tying us down.

 

I know we were concerned because we moved in on May 2nd, but did not get an offer until June, and closed in July. Those couple of months of double payments were stressful, but now that's done. We are staying in the area until Oct 20 when the RV Park closes for the season. Wife retires Sept. 25th. This should give us sufficient time to get her pension checks started, and finalize any last minute details.

 

Some time early next month will set up a mail forwarding service. We have settled on St. Brendan's Isle in Florida. Our first long trip will be to Ocala Sun RV Resort in Ocala, Fl. We will arrive on Nov. 1st and stay there 6 months, then who knows where we will be heading. We have not decided yet. Will be looking for some workkamper or volunteer positions for next summer.

 

Perhaps we will see some of our Forum friends on the road. If any of you happen to be at one of our posted locations, look us up.

[Dance Chick]

Hey Chris...so happy for you. I know it's been a roller coaster ride, for sure. One more thing...my mother was a Clarke with an "e". Hey, you never know. We could be related. As we call it in the south...'tater patch kin.

[Jim & Alice]

Medico... dos Beagles... You guys are doing well. You have some good days... months... years ahead.

 

Continued good luck!

Jim

 

(currently at Hart Ranch, Rapid city, SD)