Hi!

I am a graduate student getting my PhD and I'm a couple of years away from graduating. It is my dream to find a job in the Seattle area, buy an RV and live in it full time. For starters, I would ideally stay in a Mobile Home Park or RV Park, until I have enough to pay a downpayment on a piece of land, then park my RV on that land and eventually build a house. 
I have been reading all kinds of disturbing accounts online, however..... people are saying I can't stay in an RV for longer than 210 days, that I won't be able to get a license or bank account because I have no mailing address, that land is almost impossible to find without HOA fees/restrictions or other zoning complications, unless you want to live hours from your place of employment and be at the mercy of roaming thieves.

I am hoping that someone here will sober me up a bit and tell me that I don't have to kill my dream. If you guys have any suggestions and tips to help me prepare, I would be very thankful. I can't afford to buy a condo or a house - I will be straight out of school with a bunch of student loans hanging over my head. Nevertheless it pains me to throw away what is essentially a monthly mortgage payment in the form of rent.

Thank you!
 

Look at getting an annual site at Tall chief in Fall City.  Lake Pleasant in Bothell and Lakeside in Everett have annual sites, but also have a waiting list. 

As to land, you will be will be way out from the city.  

Finish your degree than see where you are.  A lot can change in a few years, including where the jobs are going to be.

Much of what you are asking information on would be dependent on the Seattle and surrounding area.  Maybe someone who actually lives in that general area and would be familiar with some of the different codes and rules will read your post and chime in.  Most of respondents on here either are traveling RVers that have just visited that area or did at one time.

In certain counties in Illinois and Florida that I am familiar with it would be possible to do what you are thinking about.  However, once you find that piece of land and decide to park your RV on it you will probably have to start spending money for improvements.  On a rural property you would need some type of entrance/drive, a well or hook up to available water, sewer/septic system, and electrical ran.  Prices for these improvements could range anywhere from $10,000 to over $20,000 depending on many factors.  Of course before you even purchase a piece of land it would be advisable to have soil samples taken and a survey completed to make sure future building a structure on it would even be possible.  

Of course once your future building lot is set up with utilities and you are using your RV on it, security could be an issue especially if out in a rural area.  You may be able to lessen your risk factor by having a large dog, tons of motion lighting, and maybe even some self-installed security interior/exterior alarms.

  On 11/26/2018 at 11:23 AM, Barbaraok said:

Look at getting an annual site at Tall chief in Fall City.  Lake Pleasant in Bothell and Lakeside in Everett have annual sites, but also have a waiting list. 

As to land, you will be will be way out from the city.  

Finish your degree than see where you are.  A lot can change in a few years, including where the jobs are going to be.

I think that the above is good advice.
There's plenty of land available in Washington but it's expensive.  Low cost land will be far from where the jobs are. 

Build a house?  So you want to become a "developer"?  
The hated word "developer" is how you will be viewed by most municipalities - if what you want to do is clear the land and build a house.  (been there, done that).

Be aware that in Western Washington, most raw land is covered by forest.  You would have to cut down the forest. If you leave trees standing, your house would soon become mildewy, moldy or covered in leaves or needles.   

Eastern Washington is developing rapidly and may have jobs.  Land is cheaper and flatter - more desert like with blazing hot summers and freezing winters.  You would find living in an RV very expensive due to heating and cooling expenses.

I'm sorry, but your proposal question is a bit of a fairy tale.  Unless one has a ton of money, real estate knowledge and desire, it's not a good idea to become a builder/developer.  Focus on your profession, keep expenses low as possible, and save for the future.

Thank you for all the suggestions.
After reading, I find my skepticism about buying land has only grown. My proposal does sound like a bit of a fairy tale, perhaps possible once a upon a time in a distant past, but currently quite impractical. I am beginning to think that living in an RV park like the one mentioned in Tall City might be a more viable option until I have saved enough money for a sizable downpayment on something like a condo or small home. Condo is probably more like it, with prices being what they are. 
If someone here has RVd in Washington for a lengthy period of time and can share their experience, that would be great. I need to know if I would be considered "homeless" (no address), am permitted to stay, what the costs are etc. I have looked at mobile home sites and realized that I also have to be careful about the "55+ community" clause. Apparently, a lot of places are designated for retirees only.
The reason I want to live in Washington is because it is close to where my parents are (Vancouver, Canada). I am a bit restricted in my choice of location due to this factor and ordinarily would pick a less costly region to live in. Vancouver itself is even MORE expensive than Washington, which is why I am trying to find cheaper solutions to getting my foot in the door. 

  On 11/26/2018 at 10:30 PM, Natalia said:

I need to know if I would be considered "homeless" (no address),

You have to have an address, even if it's just with a mail forwarding service.  Where are you going to get your mail if you don't have an address?  Insurance companies and banks, for example, are going to insist on an address.  That's true even if you do all your banking online and go the paperless route.

If you get an annual site at some place like Tall Chief, you'll have an address (I'm sure they must have some provision for accepting residents' mail).  Washington State does not accept only a mail forwarding address for such things as driver's licenses...you will need a residential address which you would have if you get an annual place at either an RV park or a mobile home park.

Edited November 27, 2018 by LindaH

If your parents are in Vancouver, BC then I would suggest you would want to look at Bellingham (assuming you want to stay on the US side of the border).   What field of study are you pursuing.   There is a terrific university in Bellingham (obviously terrific because Dave and I went there!) if you are looking for academic job.   Lots of other things in the area and things are much, much cheaper than in the Seattle area.  And there are a lot of RV parks on the north side of of Bellingham - that's where we spend 6-8 weeks each summer.

Barb

Hi!

By "no address" I was wanting to know if the DMV or banks accept an RV park as a mailing address. I have read conflicting reports on this, so I want to make sure.
I would love to live in Bellingham - my degree will be molecular biology, but I have a BS in basic biology and an MSc in Anthropology. I have heard that academic jobs at universities are difficult to come by due to the high levels of competition, but of course I will be trying to get in regardless. If you have more information about Bellingham that you are willing to share, I would love to hear about it! It is a beautiful place to live and very close to my parents. I could drive up every weekend with ease.
I do plan to stay on the US side - simply because of the industry and amount of jobs available, plus the enormous cost of real estate and generally higher cost of living in Vancouver. It isn't really a place to start from scratch.

We're chemists, and I really don't know what they will be looking for at Western in the next few years.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't look at the school in detail - as with a lot of other schools that you might want to look at all over the country.   If yo want to stay in academia, you will have to go to where the jobs are - - which is what we did for 40 years.  Yes, you might be a long way away from your parents - but that is the way things go when you pursue education.    There are also a lot of biotech firms in the greater Seattle area as well as in the Tri-Cities areas (Richland/Pasco/Kenewick) on the east side of the Cascades.

Yes, the DMV will accept the RV park addresses where you have annual stays.

Barb

Yes, that is one of the reasons why I have put academia as "something to try for but not count on" in the job department. Most of the people I know who went on to pursue academia started post docs in various spots around the country. Looking for tenure is another state hopping affair. Nowadays, your chances of getting a tenure position even if you do everything right is under 20%. Many people work post doc positions for 10 years or more.
My parents are older (they had me in their 40s), so I have to make the hard call - either have some time left with them, or not. Were I very serious about academia, I would literally have to choose between it and my parents.
I am going to choose my parents. I will still try to find jobs in academia, but biotech will be more of my focus - another reason why Washington is a great place to plant some roots without having to sacrifice my family life. 
I would have to find an affordable, all year RV park with annual sites until I have enough saved up to make a downpayment on a condo. Does anyone know what the typical monthly rates are in Washington? There is very little information floating around online, so if anyone has experience with some sites that would be great.
When you guys stay in Bellingham, did you by chance catch wind of how much people were paying who stayed long term?

  On 11/27/2018 at 12:03 AM, Natalia said:

I would have to find an affordable, all year RV park with annual sites until I have enough saved up to make a downpayment on a condo

Do you realize what a reasonably new RV that is viable to live in all of the time will cost you? Do you have any budget set? Have you considered how you will get this RV to the place you plan to live in it and how to move it if you should need/want to do so? 

  On 11/27/2018 at 12:03 AM, Natalia said:

Does anyone know what the typical monthly rates are in Washington?

You can easily investigate this by using the internet and RV Park Reviews . Just check the websites of parks you are interested in and contact them if you have any questions. 

My budget for the RV is about 20K and I am looking into travel trailers, not 5th wheels. To move it to where I need to go, I will have to rent an F250 or F350 (or equivalent) truck that is capable of pulling it with the proper towing package. I currently do not possess a vehicle like this of my own.
Do you think that this is a reasonable budget or approach? 

I don't know why people on the internet refer people asking people on the internet to the internet. Lol. I have googled many sites and while they are usually quite eager to give you daily or sometimes weekly rates, they are not as free with information regarding annual or monthly charges. Of course I can write a bunch of emails or call people, but since this site has experienced RVers, I came here to ask if any of you have any experiences you might want to share. If you know some places in Washington that have reasonable annual rates and wish to share them with me, I would be very thankful. I am interested in discussing individual campsites with people who have actually been there and can give me tips on what I should be looking for. ? If you don't want to, that is fine as well.

I am starting to wonder if I shouldn't just move into a trailer park and rent a mobile home until I have the money saved. I have heard the rents there are considerably lower than they are in regular apartment buildings and would enable me to be able to put enough money aside. 
I am pretty sure that this is not the right forum for that though.

Finding a travel trailer that is sufficiently insulated to comfortably stand the cold will be a challenge.  A decent mobile home will be less expensive to heat a likely more comfortable.  There are more choices for better insulated 5th wheels but none that I know of have the insulation of a home or mobile home.  The furnaces in RV's are not very good and terribly inefficient.   Many use electric heaters but these are not cheap to run and the lack of insulation makes it worse.  Drafts in RV's are common and moisture buildup is usually troublesome.  Often times due to problems during cold weather an apartment or rental doesn't cost anymore than a RV and is significantly more comfortable. 

  On 11/27/2018 at 4:12 AM, Natalia said:

I am starting to wonder if I shouldn't just move into a trailer park and rent a mobile home until I have the money saved. I have heard the rents there are considerably lower than they are in regular apartment buildings and would enable me to be able to put enough money aside. 

I think this is the best option for you since you're not going to be traveling in the RV and because you're not going to buy a truck to pull it.  Best of luck to you!

  On 11/26/2018 at 11:23 AM, Barbaraok said:

Lake Pleasant in Bothell

I was there a couple days ago talking to them about a site.  They are friendly, very nice place.  The good, IF you can get in for a seasonal, $600/mo plus elec.  Cheap for in city compared to stick n brick/apt rental costs.  BUT, if your RV is older than 10 yrs old, they really don't want you there.  They say you are welcome, and they will let you stay at the nightly rate of $50, so $1,500 month... monthly/seasonal price, not a chance in hell.  Even told them my camper has always been covered, it looks nicer than a lot of new ones but was told not a chance.  If you want to go there for longer than a few days, get a newer RV.  We are going to buy a new one this winter so we can visit with our kids more than a couple days.