Privately owned rv sites

Mrsfish

Well-known member
Have any of you looked into privately owned rv sites within a rv resort? Looking for pros and cons on this concept. Thanks
 

donr827

Well-known member
It works for some people. If possible see if you can rent a spot in the park to make sure you like the park after being there a few days. Drive around the area to see how you like the area where it is located. Is shopping that you like close by..........Don
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
THe site we rent in Florida is for sale but the condo fees and taxes are around 3k per year.We rent the site for 4 months for 3 k so works out to same.
If you have 40 to 50 k to put up for site ok.We are fortunate that we always have the same site and neighbours(good and bad).
Ownership may tie you down to the same park(depends on your resources).We are Canadians and dependent on our health care system and that makes us dependent on our health.
 

klindgren

Retired Virginia Chapter Leaders
We have a campground in Ft. Myers Beach that we absolutely love, Gulf Waters RV Resort. We have stayed there the last 3 years. Unfortunately, this year we are unable to get a site. Everyone wants 4 or 5 month rentals and with our "North Pole" duties, I cannot head south until after Dec. 25th. As a result, we are not able to stay at Gulf Waters in 2015. BUMMER. We looked into purchasing a site there, but the cheapest site is around $80,000. That's a lot of money to lay out and then you have to add HOA fees and taxes for all 12 months. It just seems to me to be too expensive just for a three month stay.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Have any of you looked into privately owned rv sites within a rv resort? Looking for pros and cons on this concept. Thanks
Hi Mrsfish,

Owning a site can work ok, but there are a lot of things to consider.

You'll want to take a look at the HOA finances - do they have reserves to deal with major expenses, or can you expect large assessments to take care of things like replacing the clubhouse roof, or fixing a pool.

You'll want to look into resales. How long will it take to sell your property.

You'll want to look into rental occupancy. If you're not there, how much rental income is likely.

Check the restrictive covenants and HOA rules to make sure you can live with them.

Consider the objective of owning versus renting: Will you save on annual expense? Will it be an investment hoping for increased resale value? Do you want to know you'll always get the site you like?
 

MTPockets

Well-known member
Owning a site will most likely commit you to repeatedly going to that same place. Nothing wrong with that, but you can do that at RV resorts on a month to month basis; this leaves you free to explore other locations and not feel you have to return to the one you have purchased. For us, we enjoy the flexibility and mobility. We owned in FL but were very relieved when we sold.
 

mobilcastle

Well-known member
It works for some people. If possible see if you can rent a spot in the park to make sure you like the park after being there a few days. Drive around the area to see how you like the area where it is located. Is shopping that you like close by..........Don
I also think flexibility is a good thing especially if you have a neighbor that is a problem. Good luck with your decision.


Owning a site will most likely commit you to repeatedly going to that same place. Nothing wrong with that, but you can do that at RV resorts on a month to month basis; this leaves you free to explore other locations and not feel you have to return to the one you have purchased. For us, we enjoy the flexibility and mobility. We owned in FL but were very relieved when we sold.
 

Mrsfish

Well-known member
Thank you all for your input. We believe that ownership will not necessarily mean we have to go there all the time. The site we would consider can be rented if we're not at the site and that income belongs to us (net the mgmt fees). Location is to be considered and many of the high demand areas also equate to rising real estate prices. Maybe not like a stick and brick site, but real estate never the less. I could also go the Escapees route also, but was just pondering the idea of owning a nice site in a high demand area. Any owners in this forum?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Thank you all for your input. We believe that ownership will not necessarily mean we have to go there all the time. The site we would consider can be rented if we're not at the site and that income belongs to us (net the mgmt fees). Location is to be considered and many of the high demand areas also equate to rising real estate prices. Maybe not like a stick and brick site, but real estate never the less. I could also go the Escapees route also, but was just pondering the idea of owning a nice site in a high demand area. Any owners in this forum?

PM on the way.
 

JanAndBill

Well-known member
We have struggled with this for 2 years. Our way of thinking is that the price of the lot can in most cases be recovered, when you sell. The HOA's and taxes are the hard cost of ownership and chances are you won't recover them. Granted you can offset that some by renting out the lot when you're not there, but then you deal with the problem of not always having it available when you want it. Your rental income opportunity is also based on the park and location. The better the location and the park the better the rental income, but the higher the HOA fees. It's a vicious circle. The other thing is that parks age, and when they do, who do you sell to??? We recently toured a park that was about 25 years old, and it looked it. As others have said, the monthly rate is pretty attractive compared to the HOA's at some places, plus you have the flexibility of trying new locations. Not saying we wouldn't buy a lot, just saying we haven't found one that will work yet. We've also looked into the membership parks, but generally they aren't in the prime locations.
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
We do own a lot in a really beautiful, RV based, 55+ community in South Texas called Retama Village. We bought our first lot in 2007 used it for three winters and then sold it for a $5,000 profit, then bought a larger lot and coach house in Phase II which we still own. Based on recent sales we could now sell this lot for almost $20K more than we have in it.

You are correct, we do not have to go there each year, fact is we are working right now and we are renting it out which more than covers the carrying cost for our lot. The HOA dues cover all the maintenance of the grounds and the community is absolutely beautiful even after ten years in existence. It is still growing and is now moving into Phase III.

http://www.bentsenpalm.com/retama village Here is a link. If you have any questions just ask...here's a couple pics of the lot and coach house.
 

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szewczyk_john

Well-known member
When we visited the Great Outdoors, we liked it so much that we looked into buying a spot. We also thought that the customer service and hospitality was the best that we had ever experienced. Then the day after we toured lots for sale we talked to owners and heard nothing but but stuff and how the renters are treated like gold and how everything changes after the sale is complete. In all we discussed ownership with 8 owners during that stay and they all had negative things to say about their decision. I have never thought about ownership since then.
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
Come to Retama Village...you will find a whole different attitude with the owner's there!! One of the main differences this is a fully deeded property...when the developer is done WE own it...
 

mobilcastle

Well-known member
We do own a lot in a really beautiful, RV based, 55+ community in South Texas called Retama Village. We bought our first lot in 2007 used it for three winters and then sold it for a $5,000 profit, then bought a larger lot and coach house in Phase II which we still own. Based on recent sales we could now sell this lot for almost $20K more than we have in it.

You are correct, we do not have to go there each year, fact is we are working right now and we are renting it out which more than covers the carrying cost for our lot. The HOA dues cover all the maintenance of the grounds and the community is absolutely beautiful even after ten years in existence. It is still growing and is now moving into Phase III.

http://www.bentsenpalm.com/retama village Here is a link. If you have any questions just ask...here's a couple pics of the lot and coach house.

Very attractive coach house and lot.
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
Thanks we LOVE it! When you buy the lot it includes the coach house finished outside and roughed in on the inside so you can choose the placement of your doors and windows based on your proposed floor plan. You can finish the inside yourself or hire someone to do it. DH and I finished ours ourselves, except for the custom cabinets and tile work which we subed out.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
I can vouch for the "look and feel" for Retama Village in Mission, TX. I've seen both of Kathy's homes, stayed on their lot and the lots of other owners there. Really nice residential, city subdivision.
 
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