Either We’re Nuts, Or We’re Brilliant!

Crazy week.  CRAY. Z., I tell you.

Not only did we empty over 24 tubs of stored stuff from our basement and garage in preparation for our church garage sale this weekend, we also emptied our entire RV into some of those empty tubs and stored them in the basement.

Whyyyyy? You ask?

Because one of our evil master plans in purchasing a brand new RV for our trip out West this summer is about to happen!

(And okay, it’s not really that evil…. I just like to create unnecessary suspense in life. I thrive on it actually.)

Anyway!  Here’s the dealio daddy-o….

Tomorrow Lazy Dad and I are leaving after his rip-roarin’ sermon in the morning to head to Florida.  Because (this is where I spill the beans) we are putting our RV in the rental market!

This literally is something we have been working on since the days before we even bought our RV, because we knew that for six months out of the year (during winter) we would probably not even use our RV.  And if that is the case, then why on earth would I buy a brand new one to just let it sit here in the cold, dark, dreary days of winter and pay to have it stored away somewhere? No way!  Not when it could be making us some money!

So before we bought it, we started making plans.  Plans to see how we could make money with our RV.

Now, let me tell you, originally our plan was to drive our RV down to Florida, set it up on a campsite somewhere and rent it to a snowbird for 6 months out of the year.  Surprisingly there IS a market for that (who knew?!).  However, as we started to explore this option, we found that those campgrounds that facilitate this type of thing, do not really have anything to do with the actual renting part of it or the “landlording” of it.

So, while this started out as a good plan because it would be parked instead of being driven for 6 months, and it would be rented to a more mature and responsible citizen, we would not be able to landlord from Ohio (what would we do if the microwave went out? Or the water pump?).  We also came to learn that the profit margins we would make would be pretty slim.

Realizing that wasn’t going to work for us, we moved on to plan B.

Plan B involved us calling around to various RV rental companies to see if they took in privately owned units and rented them out on the owners behalf.  I immediately found a place that does this very thing.  They find the renters, they show them how to operate everything, they are on call if they need help on the road.  They also take care of the RV for us, change the oil, wash it, clean it, the whole sha-bang!

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking (because this is the first thing everyone asks us when we tell them about our rental plans), what if our RV gets trashed?

And okay, maybe that’s the second thing people say to us after they look at us like we’re crazy and say, “What are you doing?!”

But with warranties, extended warranties, insurance, hefty rental deposits and the renters credit card on file, any damages are covered.  Plus, they’ve never had a unit trashed yet.

So!  That’s what we’re doing!  At first we were a little apprehensive because we weren’t sure we wanted people to drive our new RV, but come to find out, in the LOOOONG list of things we have learned since owning an RV (blog post about that list coming soon!), it is not good for an RV to sit parked.  Think about it… it’s a vehicle!  And vehicles are meant to be driven.  They do better when they are driven.  If you don’t drive one, you can have costly repairs for letting it sit (tire rot comes to mind).  Especially in a Northern winter.  Up here if it’s really cold out, you have to go start your vehicle, maybe even drive it around a bit.  This keeps all your oils and liquids under the hood from gumming up on you and causing major damages to your engine.

The same is true for an RV.  The engine needs to be run, the generator needs to be turned on, the tires need to be moved.  So, while we weren’t too keen on the idea of someone driving our RV at first, now we realize how important it can be to have it used in this fashion.  Plus, it will be in a more favorable warm climate for winter. Double bonus!

I know some of you are sitting there reading this and thinking one of two things… either we’re nuts or we’re brilliant.  We’ve definitely received both responses to our evil master plan (that’s really not evil, remember?).  But hey, it’s fun to live a little!  A person who takes no risks never really lives, right?

So, we leave tomorrow after church!  We’re bringing a stow-a-way with us (our worship pastor’s wife) and dropping her off to visit a friend that just so happens to live near my sister.  Then, we are spending two nights at my sister’s house before we drive the RV the rest of the way down to Florida, kiss it goodbye for “winter camp” and hop a plane to come back home!

Are we crazy?

Wait.  Don’t answer that.

Let’s call it ADVENTUROUS! *smile*

I’ll be sure and update you all on how the RV does down there.  Will this be a headache?  Will it be a financial blessing?  Will we regret it?  Will we want to buy two more RV’s and take them down there to make money, too?  All these questions beg to be asked!  And we’ll let you know the answers to them as we go along!

Love and risky business,
The Lazy Mom

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose here. No kick-backs, extra perks, bonus rental money nor anything else was received. I just wanted to tell you about!