A LOT TO PURCHASE OR PURCHASING A LOT

Well, after 7 years of renting lots at Happy Trails for the winter season, we decided it was the appropriate time to purchase one.  The lot that we are currently renting is now for sale and when we searched for a suitable rental for next year, we weren’t finding anything.  Many of the rental lots are being sold so the availability is decreasing.

Anyway, we found a nice west facing lot that has a full roof over the RV (good for summer protection), a roof between the RV and shed and over an outside kitchen area behind the shed.  

That leaves the back corner uncovered so we will get more sunshine when we want it.

The shed has a regular size washer and dryer, a small fridge and a small freezer, a sink and a toilet.  There are permanent stairs going up to the second story of the shed, but the ceiling up there is low so Stuart can’t stand fully upright.  Not a problem as that space will be used for storage.

The outside kitchen at the back of the shed was custom built by the current owner.  He made all the cabinets himself and they decked it out with a full oven and dishwasher.  How wonderful!! 

They are leaving an older BBQ and a glass table with 4 chairs for us as well as a set of wide steps for the RV.

The purchase process is very different in the USA so we’ve had to learn their terms like earnest money, due diligence period, closings costs and being in escrow.  Overall, though, the process is less complicated and less expensive than purchasing property in BC.  We don’t have to hire a notary or lawyer as the administration is handled by the Escrow Company.  They do the title searches and prepare all the documents for the sale.  Arizona is one of the many states that has a law that orders all the Escrow fees to be split 50/50 by the buyer and seller.  And guess what?  There is no sales tax or property transfer tax here!!

We’re still in the waiting game as the close of escrow is Feb 28.  We’ve paid rent on this lot until the end of March but plan to move the RV over to our new lot early in March.  We need to get a roof post moved to make more room for the RV door to open and will leave everything else much the same.  It’s best to live in the place for a while before deciding what changes are important.  Even though we’ll be living 5 months on the lot each year, we don’t want to spend too much money on improvements.  We’ll see.

So that’s the scoop for now.  The routine of pickleball and tap dancing continues and is more fun than ever.