personal property

many rv enthusiasts say that you can make more money if you sell your rv or motorhome yourself rather than through a dealer. selling your rv is similar to selling a car except that in most cases people don't "need" an rv. a recreational vehicle is often considered a luxury item. because of this, external factors such as the economy and gas prices may influence how you sell your rv.

when selling your rv, consider the following:

price to sell. like a car, you can refer to the kelly blue book or other pricing sources to discover the going rate for your rv. make sure to account for damages.

economic influencers. in challenging economic situations, it may take longer for you to sell your rv unless someone wants to buy it to live in it. if gas prices and unemployment is high, you may have a hard time getting full asking price.

where to sell your rv. you'll need to consider where to sell your vehicle. you'll need to decide what medium you want to use to advertise your rv (print, online) and where geographically to advertise your vehicle.

condition of the rv. you'll have better success if the motorhome is clean and in working order. people will ask you what parts of the rv work (stove, water, toilet, generator) so you should be able to answer their questions about these things.

preparing the ad. once you prepare the vehicle you'll need good pictures and a well-written advertisement. you should ask a friend to review the ad before you publish it.

once your rv is prepared to sell, you'll need to show it and make an rv bill of sale once you find a qualified buyer. if you have a loan associated with the vehicle, you'll need to make arrangements to pay it off so the new owner can obtain the title or a new loan.

to properly sell your land, you'll first need to do a bit of research. you'll want to know:

• how the property is zoned
• going price
• proximity to services (such as water)
• status of the title
• who your market is
• where you'll advertise

unlike homebuyers who are mainly looking at the house, land buyers are looking for land that they can make suit their needs. they may be looking for land to build a home on, graze animals, grow crops, build a commercial building or for recreational use. to sell your land, it is important to know how your land could be used. potential buyers may ask you about water rights, whether they can put a well in, easements, building restrictions, accessibility and more. you'll also want to include a legal description of the property with posted ads.

buying a tiny home is simple. finding a place to put your tiny home is usually the challenge. if you've already found land that you can legally place your tiny home, you are ahead of the challenge. some local construction and building laws are more relaxed than others. in some areas, you may be able to put your small home on a parcel that already includes a home. many areas do not allow homeowners to add small homes to their property.

to help you find a place for your tiny home, research:

zoning laws. you'll need to understand zoning laws and legal terms to help you find a place where you can legally place your micro home with the least amount of issues.

code laws. your home will most likely need to be built a certain way to be legal. local building codes have specific requirements for legal housing.

access to amenities. you'll need to figure out your basic water, sewer and power needs. while you may want to be "off-the-grid" some cities may require you to be connected to utilities to be legal.

find resources. many tiny home owners express that they have benefited from networking with other small home owners. you network can help you find land and navigate the local laws.

cost of land. if you plan to buy your own land to place your tiny home, you should compare a few markets as well as local building codes.

cost of making it legal. consider how much it might cost to connect your water and sewer to city utilities (if required) and so on.

what could happen if i illegally place my tiny home?

at the least, you may have to take down or move your home. you may be held responsible for code violations and more. if you have questions about where you might be able to legally put your home, ask a lawyer.