Perpetual Renter

[HFWR]

OH my gosh!! (blush) You guys had better get your minds out of the gutter!

Like that's gonna happen...

 

[kcowan]

We used to rent in PV MX and now we own. We rent in Vancouver. We have gone through the learning process of dealing with all the issue of being an absentee owner in PV. Of course we have already learned how to be an absentee renter in Vancouver.

The main issues are plants and pets. But there is more to do as an owner for sure. That house better be a castle. It costs like one.

 

[seabourne]

Being someone for whom this sort of owner/anchor versus travel easy is a running concern I understand your problem. I've had to carry a lease while I was traveling on a ship before for about 5 months rather than break the lease, and didn't enjoy paying it. Now, I own a condo and can't afford to take off a few months for that kind of travel for awhile.

That said, if you are FIREed, two options seems good to me: find someone who you already know who is stable (either owns themselves or long-term rents) and share a place with them that you can walk in and out of (a friend of mine rents a bedroom in a house for about $150/month but lives there about 3-4 months a year.) OR I would suggest renting as small an apartment as you are comfortable with year-round. I think that the rent difference between monthly and yearly, combined with not having to carry or store everything every time will probably be worth it. It actually gives you a lot MORE freedom to travel when you can grab a bag and change of clothes and walk out the door rather than having to pack up everything to carry or store for however long you are gone. Admittedly I've killed houseplants doing this (Jake we hardly knew ye...)

 

[CuppaJoe]

One thing to consider is that in some places, you lose your tenant status if you are gone more than X number of days. My landlord aggressively tries to evict tenants who are gone more than a couple of months. Of course, most don't play that game and our city attorney is trying to put my landlord out of business.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

another option--an idea i came up with while considering the thoughts of a different thread and which i'm currently seriously considering--is intermittent storage. for $99/month i can store my car and anything i'd care to keep (obviously i don't care to keep all that much). then travel for two years, then, if i feel like it at the time, buy a new place for two years. rinse, wash repeat.

this type of thinking might seem off to most but it highlights the freedom & flexibility of a fire'd life, which seems, to me, is one of fire's very best benefits.

 

[tryan]

I wouldn't think availability of a month-to-month unit would be a problem so much as the price. The flexability will cost you (a bit).

What you might try looking at are furnished apartments - if your goal is complete freedom to travel/relocate.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

another option--an idea i came up with while considering the thoughts of a different thread and which i'm currently seriously considering--is intermittent storage. for $99/month i can store my car and anything i'd care to keep (obviously i don't care to keep all that much). then travel for two years, then, if i feel like it at the time, buy a new place for two years. rinse, wash repeat.

this type of thinking might seem off to most but it highlights the freedom & flexibility of a fire'd life, which seems, to me, is one of fire's very best benefits.

I like it!