Understanding the Ins and Outs of RV Financing

Welcome to another edition of the RV Podcast. And this week, in our interview of the week segment, we’ll learn the cold hard facts about financing an RV, what’s needed, how to get a good interest rate, how not to get burned by owing more than it’s worth. Plus, we have lots of RV news this week from across North America, your RV Lifestyle questions, our RV tips and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #256 August 21, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER We’re just back from an awesome stay at Chautauqua Lakeside, a very unique summer resort on the shore of Lake Erie in Ohio, located on the Marblehead Peninsula halfway between Toledo and Cleveland. We stayed in their campground and were kept busy attending music concerts, enjoying the fitness facilities, taking in lots of organized programs and activities, hiking and strolling "Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile" along lakeshore the beautiful grounds that were bursting with brightly colored flowers of every shape, size and species. On Thursday, look for a full video of this very unique place on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel at https://youtube.com/rvlifestyle MIKE We’re hitting the road right after this podcast is published, headed down to the hot and humid weather of Southwest Georgia. We’ll be in Albany, GA Friday night to watch our grandson Matthew play the season’s first high school football game of the season. Matthew is in his senior year at Deerfield Windsor and like I have done for my two sons, and Matthew’s older brother Nick, who graduated a couple years ago, I’ll be doing a movie on his senior team’s season. That’s a lot of work and though we have to do some coast-to-coast RV show travel over the next couple of months, we hope to make most of those Friday night games. In between, we’ll be hanging out on the beach at our condo on Okaloosa Island on the Florida Panhandles Emerald Coast. JENNIFER As we plan out the stories and blog posts and videos we’ll be creating over the next few months, we’ve been asking our social media followers to share what's the #1 challenge you are having right now with the RV Lifestyle? And we have had dozens and dozens of replies. MIKE We wanted to give you the same opportunity and then build a whole episode of this podcast around your relies, answering and offering tips as we go. So, to you loyal podcast audience… what's the #1 challenge you are having right now with the RV Lifestyle? We want you to phone it in our RV Lifestyle voice mail at 586-372-6990… just tell us your #1 challenge or RV frustration… 586-372-6990. JENNIFER We’ve had some great responses already, ranging from not having enough time to travel because of work… to having to wait until retirement…. To overcrowded and full campgrounds…. To a lack of timely service from RV dealers…. To dealing with mice in the RV… managing space… storing food. All sorts of things. So let us know. We want to help you manage those challenges. We can’t wait to hear your response. MIKE So what’s your #1 RV Lifestyle challenge right now, Jennifer? JENNIFER Dealing with Bo when we have to be away from the RV and can’t take him with us, like this coming Friday when we’ll be attending Matthew’s football game? We’ll be camped at a campground in Albany, GA and we know it will be very hot and humid. We’ll have the air conditioner on but what if there’s a power failure? MIKE That’s a legitimate concern. We use a temperature monitor called RVPetSafety that will send me a text alert as soon as the temperature reaches a prescribed level. This is a wonderful tool we’ve been using for over a year. It really gives peace of mind when leaving your pet back at the RV. Here's a link to RVPetSafety that explains how it works. If you do buy, be sure to use the coupon code rvlifestyle to get a 10% discount. If people prefer having a human watch over their dog, they can use Rover.com to find pet sitters nearby. It's an app and website that lists bet sitters and pet boarders across North America. We've used it numerous times all over the country and have been vey happy with the care Bo has had. Anyway, those are some possible solutions to our top RV Lifestyle challenge right now. What about yours? We’d really like to know so we can serve you with some helpful info. Use that voicemail number…586-372-6990. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK MIKE Wolf attacks sleeping family at Banff National Park, tries to drag dad into woods Did you hear about the wolf that attacked a sleeping family from New Jersey at Canada's Banff National Park? The husband, wife and their two young sons were sleeping in a tent when a wolf ripped in and attacked them. The dad fought off the wild beast while the mom threw herself over their two sons. Together the couple yelled for help, and a man, in a neighboring tent, is credited with saving the dad's life. The wolf was trying to carry the dad away when e neighboring camper kicked the wolf, startled it, and joined the dad in throwing rocks to scare it away. Wolf attacks are extremely rare, and Canadian authorities did find this wolf and euthanized it. JENNIFER Article explores why young people are driving RV popularity The Canadian Globe and Mail produced an interesting article last weekend exploring why RV ownership is so appealing to younger buyers. From millennials being a generation looking for experiences, to RVing being economical than many other ways of traveling, the article did a good job looking at why the incredible growth in camper ownership among a younger demographic. Each year Kampgrounds of America does a survey of campers that explores industry trends and found similar results. To listen to an interview we did with the CEO of KOA on their findings, click here. MIKE Michigan Attorney General warns owners of private campground to stop using aggressive and misleading tactics to sell membership Owners of a private Michigan campground have been warned by the state Attorney General to quit using "aggressive and misleading" tactics to sell memberships. The Michigan Department of Attorney General issued a Notice of Intended Action to Bay Outdoor Adventures last week, outlining serious concerns with what it termed the company’s "aggressive and misleading sales tactics." The company operate eight campgrounds in Michigan: in Mt. Pleasant, Davison, Grand Haven, Kalamazoo, Omer, Standish, Sterling and West Branch. A ninth location is in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Among other things, the company was accused of: --Failing … to promptly restore … a deposit, down payment, or other payment --Gross discrepancies between the oral presentations of the seller and the written agreement covering the same transaction --and, Causing coercion and duress as the result of the time and nature of a sales presentation. JENNIFER Man creating retro posters of national parks to urge people to get outdoors Those who love art and America’s 61 national parks may be interested in a project we read about last weekend. A photographer and graphic designer who studied under the famous photographer Ansel Adams is creating nostalgic posters with a retro 1930s and 1940s vibe for the national parks, and is selling them for $35 each. His goal is to encourage people to visit the national parks, according to a news article on his effort. MIKE Manufacturing plant blamed for fish kill in country's newest national park Portions of America's newest national park - Indiana Dunes - were closed over the weekend after dead fish started appearing in mass. The fish death was traced to a steel manufacturing company nearby, which apparently released more cyanide and ammonia-nitrogen than normal. Authorities had to close parts of the beach and water as authorities investigate further into the fish kill. The public is also being urged not to eat any fish. RV News Shorts, Tips, and Reviews A 14-year-old girl died at Glacier National Park last week from rocks that fell down on to her family's vehicle as they drove along Going-to-the-Sun road Kayakers narrowly escape injury from crumbling rocks at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK We answer voicemail questions about: The different ways different sized RVs experience wind turbulence on the road Whether a retired airplane mechanic would be able to find work as an RV service tech Plus, we answer this question posed on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group (https://rvlifestyle.com/facebook) by a member named Despina: Dreaming the RV Lifestyle for 3 years since I first viewed your tour of your RV and learned about Class B RVs. Placed our order for a 2020 Airstream Intestate Grand Tour EXT in April 2019, but have no idea when it will arrive. But when it does, here is my dilemma what type of trips should I plan for the first months of ownership? We have never owned an RV. Do we plan short 2 or 3-day trips for the first 3 or so months to acclimate to traveling and living in an RV or do we jump in and go for longer trips. We have listened to all your podcasts, read your weekly newsletter and watched your special videos. Are we prepared for the RV Lifestyle and do we have to ease into it? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990. If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality,