The Next Chapter: Trading Wheels for Walls

For the first time in nearly 15 years, we don't own an RV. It’s a strange feeling, and it’s led many of you to ask: What now?

Well, the next chapter is already unfolding, and it involves something we swore we’d never do again: buying property. After over a decade on the road, we were convinced that renting was the only way to go. But life (and the economy) had other plans. 

When we first set out, we only intended to RV for two to five years. Fast forward 15 years, and the rental market is unrecognizable. When we finally decided to hang up the keys and settle in the Mesa, Arizona area, the math was impossible to ignore. Between the astronomical rent prices and our desire for the same resort-style amenities we enjoyed while traveling, buying a "park model" simply made the most financial sense. It’s actually cheaper to own a home that depreciates than it is to pay current rental rates.

It wasn’t a perfectly smooth transition, though. We were originally set to buy a place in Mesa Regal RV Resort, but the seller backed out at the eleventh hour. Fortunately, things happen for a reason.We are now the proud owners of a park model in Towerpoint RV Resort! The best part? The purchase price was almost exactly what we made from selling the RV. We even walked away with a few thousand dollars to spare, which we’re already putting toward renovations. 

Our new home is a 1996 model with an upper Arizona room; it’s had some updates, but we have plenty more planned to truly make it ours.We’ve been here about a month now and have already tackled some big projects. I can’t wait to show you the progress as we navigate this new version of on the road of retirement...

We always knew it would happen...

We always knew this day would come, but knowing it and experiencing it are two very different things. When we last spoke, our motorhome was for sale with no takers. We were actively looking ahead, even putting an offer on a Park Model in Mesa that eventually fell through.

In the meantime we kept dancing, laughing with friends, and searching, all while our beloved motorhome was still looking for its new owner. 

 

Then, as if by fate, everything aligned at once. We found a beautiful new place right here at Towerpoint RV Resort. The deal closed, the keys were handed over, and suddenly we were moving our lives out of the rig and into our new home.

We had a plan to move the motorhome to a storage lot, or perhaps take one last bittersweet road trip back to Houston to put it on consignment. But on our very last day of unpacking—the literal final hour—it sold.

 

Watching those taillights disappear down the road for the last time brought a moment of sadness. For 15 years, that wasn't just a vehicle; it was our freedom, our home, and our front row seat to the entire country leading us to new lifetime friends. To suddenly not be "RV owners" felt like losing a piece of our identity.

It is a strange, quiet feeling to be stationary. We’ve traded the open road for a sedentary porch, and while we are excited for this new chapter in Arizona, our hearts are still catching up to the fact that the wheels have stopped turning.

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The road was good to us. But for now, we’re learning how to stay put. It’s the end of an era but we’re ready. A new chapter in our lives is beginning here in Arizona, and we can't wait to see where it takes us.