Discussion Zone For Rv Park Owners Or Operators Options

[Parkview]

Hello all,

A previous post suggested a topic on this site for input from RV park owners only, and a moderator suggested to me that we try it. So here goes.

To get the ball rolling: I retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1998, and our family decided to build an RV Park on property that had been in our family since 1900. We began construction immediately and opened 3 years later on March 1, 2001 Since we had been RVers for about 25 years, we thought that would be no problem. We learned very fast that we didn't know near as much as we thought we did about building, owning and/or operating an RV Park. However, since we opened, we have learned a great deal, and it has been a great experience, although not always totally smooth sailing.

We have met thousands of new friends and few people that we wish we had never met. 98% or more of our visitors are absolute delights to deal with. In my opinion, our challenge as owners is not to allow our experience with the other 2% affect how we deal with the 98%. It is very easy as an owner to sit down and draw up 4 pages of rules because of the problems we have had with the 2%ers, but I try to consider how every rule or policy might impact the other 98%, who would cause no problems even if we had NO RULES..

That is my start to this topic. We encourage input from other park owners, operators or employees on any subject regarding owning or operating a park. We also welcome input from those of you that are not owners or operators if you have pertinent discussion or questions to add. This topic is not meant to closed to any discussions around operating a park; my comments above are just to start the discussions.

Thanks and Merry Christmas to all,

Doug

[outdoorfanatic]

I apologize for bringing the discussion off subject. I have a question that I couldnt find an answer to anywhere else and think that the owners of campgrounds can help me out. I was wondering what all is involved in purchasing a old campground ( expectations/requirements ) if I do not plan to operate as a campground? In short, to buy a campground and just live there as if it were a small house with lots of property. There is a small campground by me with no rv spots or cabins, and has only one small building which I think could be retrofitted to a nice little home. Is this something possible or am I just crazy? Also, would the campground still sell for the asking price now or will it for some reason increase/decrease due to me not wanting to operate as a campground? Im sorry if this isnt the right forum to post. Thank you very much for your responses.

[kcmoedoe]

I apologize for bringing the discussion off subject. I have a question that I couldnt find an answer to anywhere else and think that the owners of campgrounds can help me out. I was wondering what all is involved in purchasing a old campground ( expectations/requirements ) if I do not plan to operate as a campground? In short, to buy a campground and just live there as if it were a small house with lots of property. There is a small campground by me with no rv spots or cabins, and has only one small building which I think could be retrofitted to a nice little home. Is this something possible or am I just crazy? Also, would the campground still sell for the asking price now or will it for some reason increase/decrease due to me not wanting to operate as a campground? Im sorry if this isnt the right forum to post. Thank you very much for your responses.

Nothing wrong with buying a piece of property because you like it. It happens all the time. People buy an old farm with no intention of getting pigs or goats. As for the price, it will sell for whatever the property is worth. There is nothing about a campground that can be taken with the seller or sold seperately to reduce the price. How you plan on using it will have no effect on the price. If it is an inactive park, with little or no business, it really doesn't have too much value over the value of the land and buildings. If you do buy it, be aware if you do not operate it as a campground, you may lose the ability to restart it in the future if it has been grandfathered in a zoning action. You also should probably check to be sure it is legal to build a home on it if it is commercial property. Finally, it may be very difficult to get a loan for the purchase. It would be considered a raw land loan by most lenders and those carry high interest rates and high down payment requirements. You won't get a 30 year mortgage at 3% interest with 3% down. If those issues are not a problem, all you need to do is reach an agreement with the seller.