Private RV Camping Land: 3 Important Steps to Follow for Finding and Purchasing From Our Experience [SOWLE Journeys of Faith]

 

 

Exploring the Benefits of Owning Your Own Private RV Camping Land

Owning Your own private RV camping land offers a unique blend of freedom, adventure, and financial opportunity. It allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of city life anytime you choose, providing a personal retreat in nature.

Additionally, private RV camping land can serve as a profitable investment, especially in areas where outdoor recreation is in high demand.

 

 

Our Experience: The Dream of Owning Our Own Private RV Camping Land

We had always had the dream of owning our own land at the lake. It didn’t matter to us if we had an RV on the land or a lake house, we just wanted that relaxing feeling we always get when being in nature all the time instead of just a quick weekend away. I mean, who doesn’t want that feeling all the time?

The reality of it is, most people spend their entire lives focused on their careers and saving for that dream. We assumed we would be no different. Mark worked full-time in the city. Aiden had a special needs homeschooling program he was participating in until he would graduate in 2020.

But then…2020 came along and brought with it the COVID Pandemic. Everyone in the world began to understand “lockdown” as we have always known it in our lives having a child with special medical needs and being “high-risk”.

Mark was forced to quit his job to protect Aiden’s health. Praise be to God that he was able to find a job that he could do from home. We immediately stopped all in-person activities with the school for Aiden before any of the schools stopped and went to online learning.

 

 

 

As incredibly horrible as this situation was for the world, as many found, this opened a different type of living opportunity for us. With Mark working from home, we realized we could go RV Camping anytime and he could work from anywhere if he had internet!

We had just purchased our Perfect RV as well as our 2^nd RV for many reasons. We wanted to actually use them!

We always go RV Camping with my parents, my sister, and our grandmother who is in her 90’s. We all decided that finding somewhere where we could all go RVing together safely was incredibly important.

So, we set out to find SOMETHING.

We needed somewhere to go that opened the opportunity for more family time but less people. The RV parks had become way too full to even find a spot let alone 4 spots together like we always needed to RV camp together. That is where searching for our own private RV Camping land became the focus and where the SOWLE Journey of Faith comes in as well!

 

 

 

3 Steps to Owning Your Own Private RV Camping Land

 

 

Step 1: Research Potential Locations

Begin your journey by researching potential locations where you can legally park and use an RV. Consider factors like climate, accessibility, local amenities, and legal restrictions. Utilize online resources, RV community forums, and real estate listings to gather information.

When searching for the perfect, private RV camping land, consider proximity to natural attractions and essential services enhances your camping experience and land value.

Accessibility ensures you and other campers can reach the site easily and ensuring the terrain’s suitability for parking and setting up your RV is a must as well.

 

 

Our Experience: How We Found Our Perfect Location of Private RV Camping Land

We searched online with realty companies, Craigslist Real estate for sale, and Facebook Marketplace on a daily basis. Sometimes much more often the closer we were getting to spring! We searched for many weeks.

Finally, one day, I found a listing on Facebook Marketplace for land for sale at a lake with a lake house on the property as well as 3 lots total. It was about an hour away from where we lived. This would have been impossible if Mark had been working in-person but now that he worked from home, it was possible. You can see the SOWLE Journey of Faith happening right here!

Now came the price. How much was this going to cost us all as a family to get Private RV Camping Land for our 4 RV’s total?

 

 

5 Frequently Asked Questions About Owning Private RV Camping Land

 

1. What are the typical costs associated with purchasing private RV camping land?

Costs can vary widely based on location, size, and amenities provided. Budget for the purchase price, property taxes, start-up utilities, potential HOA fees, and any necessary land improvements that may need to be made.

 

2. What utilities are important for Private RV camping land?

Key utilities include water access, sewage solutions, and electricity. Properties may offer hookups directly, or you might need to arrange for independent solutions like solar power or septic systems.

 

3. What are the Costs to Consider with Purchasing Your Own Private RV Camping Land?

1. How much does the land cost? (Purchase Price)
2. What other fees are associated with purchase of the land? (Property Taxes, HOA Fees)
3. Does the land have utilities, or do they need installed? (Don’t forget start-up costs for utilities)

• Electricity
• Sewer/Septic/Port-a-Pot
• Water
• Road access
• Telephone, internet, cable
• Heat A/C
• Land Clearing costs and equipment needed
• Survey of the Land
• Building Permits
• Amenities
• Places nearby you need for shopping/groceries.
• Healthcare/ER nearby
• Safety of area
• Shelter in case of severe weather

 

4. How do I ensure the land is safe and environmentally sound?

Once you’ve identified a potential piece of land, arrange for a thorough inspection to check for zoning laws, soil stability, and utility access. It’s crucial to ensure the land is suitable for RV setup and that there are no legal impediments to your plans.

Conduct a thorough environmental assessment to check for potential hazards like flooding or structural concerns with the land ie. boulders/trees.

 

5. How do I check if the land is zoned for RV use?

Always verify local zoning laws with the municipal planning department or county recorder’s office to ensure the land is legally permissible for RV use and camping.

 

Zoning Laws, Land Usage, Permits

Always check local zoning laws to ensure your land use aligns with legal requirements. This depends on local zoning laws and the land’s infrastructure. Some areas may allow permanent RV residences, while others might only permit seasonal or temporary stays.

Once that is verified, you may wish to have a land survey completed to mark your land and surrounding land.

 

 

Step 2: Engage in Negotiations for Purchasing Your Own Private RV Camping Land

With all the information at hand, begin negotiations with the seller. Discuss the price, terms of sale, and any concessions or adjustments needed based on the inspection results. It’s advisable to work with a real estate agent experienced in RV land transactions.

 

 

Our Experience: Purchasing the land and what we had to do to prep it for RV Camping

The Purchase of Our Own Private RV Camping Land

Purchasing our own private RV Camping Land was fairly easy. Another SOWLE Journey of Faith! We didn’t care too much about the cabin that was on the property because the price was good even if we had to completely remodel the inside.

Because of the Pandemic and because we had no intentions of being in public with high-risk issues with our son and Grandmother, we drove to see the land and really liked it, so the land was purchased without us even entering the cabin located on the property.

The cabin, aka the Lake House to us now, did have to be completely remodeled inside, so that is how we spent the end of the first summer RV Camping in our RV’s while remodeling the Lake House for our grandmother (GG) to use eventually.

HOA

There is an HOA involved in these properties, so we do have to allow for those additional expenses annually per sight. Like I mentioned earlier, there were 3 lots purchased.

Utilities

Thankfully utilities were not a huge issue for us as far as electricity and septic. There was already an electrical pole set and working and a septic tank was already installed on the property as well. However, water was a whole other issue!

As I mentioned earlier, we are from the city. We simply have running water, and this new experience was VERY DIFFERENT!

We found out that water had to be hauled in by us since it is in such a rural area. So, we do have to use an old water truck and water tanks for transporting and water usage! It was a crazy idea to me at first but after a year of it, it really is no big deal now.

Getting the Internet installed was a much bigger project than we originally imagined it would be. If there is no internet available, be prepared to spend extra to have lines run for it!

Clearing the Land

Clearing the land was the largest chore for the guys (Mark and my dad). The land was completely full of trees, brush, and debris that had to be cleared before we could even bring the RVs into the picture. It took a lot of time, so prepare for that as well.

We also decided to put in a gravel driveway that leads to the ramps nearby for Aiden. (see Accessible Video Below for a Rolling View of it all)!

Land Surveys

We did eventually have the land surveyed mostly because it is a requirement from the HOA before allowing any permits to be approved and we were building a couple of garages for storage and had decided to build a deck off the back of the lake house and off the front of each of the 4 RVs for all our extended family.

Nearby Attractions/Necessities/Amenities

We do have quite a few tiny towns nearby. The closest medical establishment is only 20 minutes away and the closest hospital is 45 minutes away. This is a little further than we like, but still, we feel comfortable with it. We knew that a Wal-Mart was 45 minutes away, so we simply order car-side for groceries every few weeks.

Safety in Storms

Unfortunately, we still haven’t figured out what we are going to do for safety with storms. Thankfully, we do have the Lake House to use if we are not comfortable in the RVs, but this is definitely something we are working on to figure out with the purchase of a storm shelter.

Living in an RV Full-Time

In the area we chose, it is not permitted for Full-time RV Living. We can, however, store our RVs on the land we purchased by simply filling out a form each year for approval at no additional cost. We had no intentions of living in an RV in the winter in Kansas, so this was not a problem for us.

 

Step 3: RV Set-Up on your new Private RV Camping Land

 

 

You Own Land, Have Amenities Installed, Now What Do You Need to Do?

1. Insuring Your Land and RV
2. Look at Your Land Carefully BEFORE Placing an RV on the Land (Are there trees on your land that may not be in full bloom yet? Know your trees BEFORE placing your RV on the land!)

3. Setting Up on the land

 

 

Our Experience: Setting-up On the Land

Learn from our mistake with a Hedge Tree! AFTER we had the RVs in place for many months, in the fall we had a whole new experience! We were in bed sleeping when suddenly, we heard this LOUD CRASH. We couldn’t figure out if it was pounding on our front door by my parents or a stranger.

We were new to this area, so I was a bit nervous to say the least!

 

I got out of bed, went to the front door, and saw no one, but I yelled something along the line of “Is someone there? If so, you better show yourself!” I think I was still a bit out of it from being woke up from a deep sleep…Well, there was no response.

After looking around through the windows of the RV and seeing nothing, I went back to bed. THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN!

BANG!

But afterward there was a sound of something rolling on the roof this time. IT WAS A HEDGE TREE ABOVE US DROPPING HEDGE APPLES ON THE RV ROOF! If you have ever been in an RV during a strong thunderstorm with larger hail, you can only imagine what this sounded like with a huge hedge apple!

That tree was removed very soon thereafter!

So, make sure you inspect what type of trees are around where you plan to place your RV BEFORE placing it, so it doesn’t have to be moved to remove another tree!

 

 

Our Experience: The Accessible RV Camping Ultimate Experience at the SOWLE RV Landing

As I mentioned earlier, our son, Aiden, has special medical needs and uses a wheelchair for mobility. We knew that we had to make this Private RV Camping Land accessible for him as well as for our GG who is in her 90’s. So, we began to plan out the “Rollways” at what we now call the “SOWLE RV Landing”!

You can read all about Accessible RV Camping and how we have done that for over 20 years, as well as see the Handicap Accessible Rollways at the SOWLE RV Landing! THIS is a SOWLE Journey of Faith!

 

 

Conclusion of Private RV Camping Land: 3 Important Steps to Follow for Finding and Purchasing From Our Experience

Those are the 3 important steps to follow. We hope these steps help to guide you in finding and purchasing your own Private RV Camping Land!