FSBO - MLS listing

Well we decided to put the house on the MLS through a flat rate For Sale By Owner broker. It has definetly paid off so far. We have had an average of 1-2 people through with Realtors each day. The newspaper ad was a bust. Keeping our fingers crossed that a buyer comes around soon.

Lazy day

This weekend, I'm on call for the hospital where I currently work. So really, I haven't done much but drive back and forth to the hospital and catch up on TIVO. Some people just do whatever they want when they are on call but I hate to go to the movie and get called in the middle and have to leave. It stinks and it's kind of a waste of money.

I have been reading through the RV forums and finding some very useful information. Especially on RV.net. Just trying to make the most of this weekend. Also, we are waiting for some realtors to show our house. We've decided to list it in MLS tomorrow. Plus, Mike is going to be buying some needed equipment for the RV/tow car. All in all, we will be spending a pretty chunk of change. Now that I think about it, why isn't the hospital calling...I need some money. :)

Job search

I guess I haven't really discussed the money situation and how we are going to get it while we are on the road. I am a CRNA who is going to do "locums tenens" which is similar to travel nursing. I am fortunate to work in an area of the medical field where there is the opportunity to travel and work. In the last few months, I have registered with agencies who will find me positions at hospitals who have a need they are unable to fill with permanent staff due to a workforce shortage or positions where hospitals need someone on a short term basis to fill in vacations shortages. In theory, we would travel to someplace, fill in for a month or less, and then travel some before accepting another assignment. In reality, I can only work in states where I am licensed so I am in the process of acquiring more licenses. Each license costs money and creates more paperwork to keep up with. Another obstacle that I have come across is many hospitals want people to stay for an extended period of time, like 3 months. This creates a need for flexibility...so our plans continue to change.

Mike would continue to telecommute from the RV because all he really needs is an internet connection. This seems simple enough but we are running into complications there also. A satellite dish connection isn't supposed to be moved around. There is modem or cell connection, when available, but that isn't much faster. Mike really needs a faster connection. I was under the impression that many parks had WiFi but they don't. Many parks advertise internet availability but it turns out this means one computer in the common area so that people can check their email.

I try not to get discouraged because this will be a great adventure. I am confident it will all work itself out. In the words of one of my past CRNA instructors...MMF : maintain maximum flexibility.

Putting the house out there

Mike has created us an advertising website for our house so that interested parties can go to it and view extra photos, etc. It's pretty nice. Then he took the main page and modified it into a flyer that we put in the info box on our FSBO sign in the front yard. This morning we took the flyer to Staples and had 150 color copies made and started distributing them to real estate offices in town. We have offered buyer's agents a 2.5% commission. After only a few offices, we ran out of flyers and had to go back and get 150 more. We passed almost all of these out and left a few for the front yard. Plus, we only hit a few big offices in town and the little offices that we knew marketed in our area. Hopefully, this will bring us some attention. The newspaper ad starts running tomorrow for 10 days. If we don't get much action by then, we are going to list it in MLS for a flat rate through FSBO.com and if that still doesn't work, after about a month, it's realtor time. It is really feeling real. Soon we will be homeless and most of our stuff will be in storage. I'm ready for the transition period to be over and be out on the road.

First night out

On Monday, we picked up the RV and took it out to a state campground about 8 miles from our house just to try it out and actually stay in it for the night. It was pretty exciting and a little strange (just different). We met a nice couple who were the campground hosts for the month. They had an RV on order that was the same model as ours. We didn't make it up to the mountain (campground) until almost dark. Mike was busy all day working on advertising materials for our house. Once we were in our camping space, we got everything set up and I made dinner in the new microwave convection oven. All of the appliances, the heater, and the plumbing worked very well. The bed is a select comfort bed and it was really comfortable. I'm really glad that it all went smoothly. Now I just wish we could have stayed in it for at least a week to give it a real test. It's going to take some getting use to but I think it will all work out fine.

Weekend de-winterization

This weekend, we picked up the RV and drove it over to our house. This was the first time we had it parked in front and some of the neighbors came over to check it out. Mike and I went through the process of de-winterizing and sanitizing the plumbing system. We ran the washer and gave the inside a good cleaning. It's still a little nerve racking to drive it. It's pretty big. We are going to pick it up this afternoon and take it out to the local state park to spend the night in it. This will the first time to try out the microwave convection oven, refrigerator, hot water heater, stove top, shower, and spend the night in it. Should be exciting.

Been awhile

Well, it's March 2, and it's been a while since I posted. In a way, a lot has happened since the last post. We have been moving forward with our plan. Our house is ready to be put on the market and should be listed this weekend. Mike has done most of the work of getting it ready. He's awesome. When we started this task, I didn't realize how much work it would entail. This included packing up some of the closet clutter. You know stuff we don't use that often (ski and scuba stuff, etc.) It was kind of hard starting to pack up our stuff. Who knows when we will see it again or how long it will be in storage.

We have sold Mike's jeep. He took the lift kit off and we drove it to a CarMax where they offered us a very decent price. The day we decided to drive it there, a winter weather system came in and we ended up driving on the interstate in 25 degree weather with ice and snow. By the time we got to the Carmax 2 hours away, the jeep was so dirty that it I'm surprised they looked at it at all. Mike has been taking me to work on the days that he needs the car. I feel bad that he has to get up so early for that. Otherwise, we have not missed the jeep at all.

Also, we have been working on the RV almost every weekend for a few hours. Mike has installed a plasma TV mount and I think it will be sweet addition to the RV. I have been looking for some work to keep me busy and pay the bills while we are on the road. I have some promising leads so we'll see. Some days I'm more excited about our adventure and some days I'm more nervous. I just try to think about one thing at a time. I think it will all work itself out.

We are looking forward to a trip to Disneyworld with Mike's family during the first week of April. They have rented a house with a pool and we will be staying with them. It should be lots of fun and we are looking forward to spending some time with the family.

If the weather holds, we are going to de-winterize the RV this weekend and take it for our first overnight trip. I can't wait! We haven't even stayed in it yet. It's crazy! We're crazy. Hopefully the house sells soon.