Saturday, March 17, 2012

One Journey Ends, Another Begins....



Well, the Texas Farmville adventure ended this week and the Hallock Mortgage Bank, Inc. began. Yes, to get to the finish line, we had to finance our buyer, but with 50% down payment as leverage, it became a rather simple risk to take for 12 months while she seeks a conventional loan. Bottom line: if it goes paws up, we keep the down payment and then resell it again for the full price. Somehow, that sounds better than the .01% bank interest rate.

We moved 30 miles to the southeast and have been temporarily adopted by Teri's folks as we search for an RV solution. We will travel 225 miles on Tuesday and scope out the world's largest trailer consignment lot at PPL in Houston. Today, I am leaning 60-40% in favor of a 5th wheeler over a motor home, primarily for fuel efficiency reasons. I would have preferred to find an Obama-algae powered motor coach with a telescoping sail mast and solar panels, but no luck. Teri favors the 5th wheel style 100-0% as she prefers their layout options. Translated: In the interest of marital harmony, we will buying a 5th wheeler rather than a motor home.

The one advantage to a motor home purchase would be (would have been) owning a 1996 small Mazda pickup that is ready to go as a tow-behind vehicle. The challenge with buying a 6 ton fifth wheeler is it also necessitates buying a beefy 3/4-1 ton diesel truck as a Mazda with multiple hernias going down the road is not a pretty sight. So, we are in the market for both a towing vehicle and a recreational vehicle, neither which will be new. Yes, Craigslist is my default web page.

We now have a chicken-egg conundrum--what should we do 1st, the tow vehicle or the RV? We are going the RV route first as there are transport services that will haul a fifth-wheel from Houston-Austin for about $450 or so. The savings by purchasing at a consignment lot where the owner, not the dealer, determines the bottom price should offset the cost of the transit. This arrangement allows us to begin the pre-load process and test out the living features while simultaneously looking for the Cowboy Cadillac that is going to yank it around the USA.

So, in a nutshell, house sold...internet degree in home finance completed..temp housing secured....RV and truck hunting season in progress...hit the road in 21 days, less if I get evicted by my in-laws...

4 comments:

  1. I am so jealous that you guys beat us to retirement. As I've told Teri, 5th wheeling is great. It's like having your own private Motel-6 on wheels. Dan pulled ours with a Ford diesel. (back when he was a Ford man) He said today he would seriously consider a Chevy dura-max. I'm sure Mr. Nunn is a good one to consult. Best of luck. (PS. Teri NEEDS a built in washer/dryer.)

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  2. @Debbie. Yeah, trying to be cautious with the 6.0 diesels (years 2003-07) from Ford...rather have Duramax or Cummins, but Ford availability is about 7-1 in this area....Teri has a washer/dryer--Teri...

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  3. Looking forward to following your adventures on the blog, and to meeting you all in person when you get down SC way.

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  4. i cant wait to read of your adventure (and hopefully get to meet you guys in real life =))

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