Retired 96
Artist Traveler
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2020
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- 73
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I would buy a used camper van.It's a VERY long story but in short, I'm on the verge of being a homeless new homeowner because I have squatters in my new home and new NY laws gives them all the rights and me nearly none. They have essentially banned evictions...sort of, but not really. Reality is, its supper easy to live for free and avoid eviction for quite a while and super hard for landlords to take possession of their own properties.
So my apartment lease has expired but I can't move into my house due to squatters and I have an over $5000 mortgage to pay with only one tenant paying. This is not sustainable. So I want to move into a van, but this is kind of unique situation since I have a home and will be living there, I just don't have access to be inside my own home. This means:
- I have access to running water in my utility room
-I have access to my electricity
-I can park forever
-I actually have a large unfinished basement filled with junk from probably over a 100 years (literally), with no pluming or power
-I would only need this for maybe 6-12 months, BUT I might be able to stay with family for short periods, meaning I might only be in van 2-3 weeks at a time.
So I think this is a very odd ball scenario compared to most of you. I don't need a hardcore van, because I can just plug into extension cord for power and I can carry water from the front of the house to the van. What can I do with unfinished basement? Should I be looking into that instead? Its VERY unfinished. You have potential mold. Spider infestation. Exposed ceiling with raw insulation exposed. Walls have exposed beams. And you have a BRUTAL winter coming fast! Also have limited funds since I just bought a house and I have legal expenses coming fast. My credit just took a dive because I have that $5000+ mortgage to pay, so my credit balances have skyrocketed from $0 to over $20k. So I need cheap cheap cheap.
So questions:
VAN ROUTE: What kind of van makes sense for this kind of LIGHT backyard vanlife experience? I found an old bus for $9000, but my driveway is very narrow even for a normal SUV. Not sure I could make it back there. I have to measure. Then I thought about just eating the cost of financing something up to $30k. All I need is a place to setup my computer workstation with hopefully two screens and my laptop and a bed for 6 foot tall me alone and I need to be warm for winter.
Basement route:
What would it take money wise to make it livable and warm for winter? Installing basic shower/toilet?
What route would you take?
Hmmm would you be willing to travel to Michigan by train or Greyhound or fly?
There's plenty of finished camper vans for sell here... starting at 5 grand and up complete with toliet/ shower/microwave/ fridge/bed.