Lifestyle change

[Malsbabe]

Hi there everybody.
I want to sell my house, but a top quality caravan and live in it on a site somewhere in the Midlands, preferrably Worcestershire / Warwickshire / Staffordshire. Can anyone help with any residential sites in these areas?

Thanks for the help.

Malsbabe.

[Ethel]

Good starting point here:

http://www.ukparks.com/search.asp?sltParkType= parkhomes&searchType=uksearch

Not all the sites are residential, but there are some and links to the park websites as well.

[Lil O'lady]

I have heard that the main pitfall to watch out for is the terms and conditions of the site on which you buy / have your caravan. Some are horrid when you read the small print eg you can only sell your van to them; no rights over access to water etc. Might be wise to actually purchase some land onto which to put a caravan.

[Maggie2007]

Hi
I have been looking at park homes already sited for the last 2 years and keep blowing hot and cold by them. They are well over priced considering you only own the park home and lease the land that it sits on and although you are buying the right to reside there you have to make sure that it is a residential licence for 12 month occupancy and not for 11 months as the rules are different. There was a site completed and occupied a few months ago near Telford I think and it was found not to have a licence so left the residents with homes they had bought but now no site to put them on...major loss...major trauma.
Not all have mains gas and some are LPG or solid fuel and a lot have communial parking not you own spot on your site so again needs checking. Usually those that own the site want to sell you the park home as well already sited
and remember if you want to sell your home up to 10% of the sale price goes to the site owner. All in all I am still very unsure to sell my bricks and morter house ( an increasing value asset) to exchange for a park home ( a decreasing value asset like a car)

[Malsbabe]

Hi Maggie,

Thanks for this reply. I know how you feel, as we have been thinking about this for a while. We have now come to the conclusion that the best way would be to sell our house, buy a really nice caravan and live on a site for 10 months a year, and just go on holiday for the months when the site is closed down, preferably somewhere warm and sunny. It is very scary though, thinking of selling your home as it is the way I have been brought up to think that this is your 'insurance'. But with the way things are going nowadays, there are no guarantees are there, and if I end up alone in this big house, when I could have retired early with my husband and spent our years relaxing and doing what we want to do, will I not regret that more? Who knows?!! Thanks for the advice, anyway.

[Maggie2007]

Hi
Like your idea of just relaxing and going on holiday for 2 months a year. A lot of people do that in Englands coldest months.
All I can add is to please check your occupancy licence for things like can you have broadband etc. and what rules differ from when occuping and when away
Best of luck hope everything works out for you. For me still looking.
Maggie

[Malsbabe]

Hi Maggie,
Thanks for that - all advice is gratefully received. We will make sure that we check the occupancy before making any final decisions.

Wouldn't you think that there would be a way around sitting on a pile of bricks and mortar that is worth a fotune and not being able to access that money and having to work full time to keep up the mortgage and the rest of the rubbish?!

If I hear of any more ideas or strategies, I will let you know.

Good luck and take care.

Andree

[droopdrawers]

Have you concidered downsizeing?

We have owned a mobile home on a site be it for the holiday season so know the pitfalls are many like when you want to sell and the site owner supposedly 10%.

In our case they "bought it off us" to see us off the site. Only to then re-sell it to another resident who also happened to be a friend....at far far more than the price they gave us [plus 10%].''

We have downsized to a smart little appartment that takes far less time to clean and maintain.......plus we have the profit to spend as we wish.....and still own bricks and mortar.

DD