Don't know if this is the proper venue for this question... but!! why do we see so many RV parks converting to "lot ownership" rather than the way I'm used to where you reserve the lot for a week, month, etc???? Is this the trend of the future??? Or is Florida just ahead of the game??? What happens to the A/S camping of the future if all the campgrounds only take "deeded lots"??? Where we are right now has just turned over ownership and if someone buys the campsite you're on, you have to move.
Any commentary on this issue??? Is this the way it will be in the future???
Sorry... but I'm disturbed that our neat community here will no longer be able to pick times to rent a lot in the park.
Edee & Phil
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“Cats and dogs are magical creatures... just petting one can make both of you live longer!"
Ya see more and more of that with boat slips...which seems odd buying a deed for land under water...I can see the possible benifits, as you said someone sells out your favorite slot from under your trailer is not fun. Having a trailer is one thing, but atleast we can haul easier than someone with a mobile home...
Don't think we will see a large selection of rental slots dissapear though. What I fear is the plauge of "your trailer is too old to camp here" that is creeping in from CA!
Rob N Terry
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Catmando
"There’s not much in life we can’t over-analyze”
Same thing that happens when apartments turn into condos in many cases they then turn back into condos. This phenomon is common in multi-family housing as a way to capitalize the cash flow from rentals into a purchase price. Then once all the individuals buy the units someone will swoop in buying the units at discount until they have all the units again to turn them into apartments.
The other day I was in Melbourne and went to visit the Airstream Park down there. I don't know how they pay for their sites, rent or own, but sure seemed like a lot of them were unoccupied (storage maybe).
Combining these two thoughts I wonder if this trend could be the catalyst to re-start the Airstream only parks. That would be so exciting.
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Chris Keysor
WBCCI 11067
1986 Sovereign 25' CB
2007 Chevy Silverado 1500
2007 Toyota Land Cruiser
We've stayed in several campgrounds where the sites are individually owned. It not much different than a traditional campground. Most of these site owners want to rent their site when they are not using it.
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
IMHO something smells here.
If the campground is making good money, why would they sell milking cow?
Few years ago we had chain of Fitness 2000 health clubs. The membership was quite expensive, but after few years they offered "lifetime membership" for around $4000. The investment should pay for itself in about 6 years, but the chain went bankrupt after 2.
Many of the RV 'Resorts' that I work in are ownership parks. Nothing really changes, since thay have an active sales and rental office and during any busy period, you might find the park full, but 50% of those occupying it are renting their spaces.
An HOA (home owners asociation) is formed, a board of directors elected, and the place is now owned and operated by the folks who actually own their lots.
One thing that it DOES prevent is having the park sold out from under you by the owner. This has happened around these parts quite often in the 'old Florida' RV parks....leaving the more permanent residents no other place to live. The owners just took the $$$$$ (usually well into the 7 figures) and bought an island in the Carribean.
Before retiring from banking, I banked a number of campgrounds. It was becoming more common for campgrounds to have 50% seasonal sites which provided dependable cashflow for campground owners. Many campers like to park their units for the season and commute back and forth from home for weekends etc especially with the high cost of towing. As was stated above, steady proven cashflow drives value and campground owners can be tempted by the sale prices generated by cashflow.
I doubt that all campgrounds will go this way because not all campers can afford or want to own a site. Some enjoy to travel and see the country vs. be parked at one site indefinitely.
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Rich
2006 Classic 34 Front Lounge
2004 GMC Duramax CC SB
Hensley Arrow
WBCCI #5401
AIR #4489
An HOA (home owners asociation) is formed, a board of directors elected, and the place is now owned and operated by the folks who actually own their lots.
This is what I am afraid of. I own timeshare in Las Vegas. Annual "maintenance fee" is $800.
800 times 52 weeks make $41,600. Do you really think minimum wage maid cost that much? Definitely not the soap they give us. On the top of that we had special easement for remodeling upgrade. $ 55,000 for upgrading from Formica to granite and a bit better carpets. I am in remodeling business. Those granites ordered in high numbers in China are not worth $500 per unit.
About 60% of my fees goes to management.
So much for owners controlling operators.
Popularity of ownership is driving the sale of campsites in places like Florida/Arizona and other snowbird roost. Since 9/11, there has been an explosion in RV ownership, especially among baby boomers and boomers that are retiring.
So many retired boomers are heading south for the winter that there is a shortage of available campsites at the more popular campgrounds. Some of the more popular campgrounds will book up a year in advance for the entire winter leaving the snowbirds with no winter nesting grounds so many have found that the most convenient way to ensure that they have a place to park their mobile retirement homes for the winter is to buy a campsite in an RV resort and to rent them out when they aren't using them during the summer months.
A few years ago some of the nicer, more popular campgrounds were getting $9-$15K for a site. Now those same campgrounds are getting close to a $100K for a lot in the same campground. I recently saw a canal front campsite in a luxury RV resort in the Ft. Myers area advertised for $250K, IIRC. That may seem like a lot of money for a campsite, but if you pay $1.5 million+ for a Prevost or Newell, another $250K isn't that bad for a top notch luxury resort to live in for the winter. Some folks spend $1.7 million for a condo on a canal and don't get much more square feet and just a balcony for their personal outdoor space let alone a dock for their sailboat or cabin cruiser/yacht or space to add an outdoor kitchen or casita.
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
.................If you think $250K is bad, look up the 'Pelican Lake RV Resort' Web site in Naples. Sites there go up to a half a million!! But they are 55 X 120' and the place is arguably one of the nicest RV parks in the country.....................
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