RV Park Investment Articles

Receiving a lawsuit can be a daunting experience, sparking a mix of fear and confusion. With the evolution of legal proceedings in 2024, it's crucial to approach this scenario with a calm and strategic mindset. Here's an updated guide to help you navigate the complexities of being sued in today's legal landscape.

In the dynamic world of RV park investments, understanding the financial health of a potential acquisition is more crucial than ever. The principle of averaging—examining financial metrics over various periods to gain a more stable and reliable picture—remains a cornerstone in appraising RV parks. This approach, rooted in traditional appraisal practices, has evolved with the advent of digital analytics and a deeper understanding of market elasticity.

The allure of transforming a poorly managed RV park into a profitable venture is undeniable. Despite the potential for high returns, these projects are fraught with challenges and carry significantly more risk than their well-managed counterparts. Here's a comprehensive guide on navigating these waters successfully.

Legendary coach Jim Harbaugh was just named in charge of the Los Angeles Chargers and he announced he will be moving to California and living in his RV inside a local RV park. Why do even the elites like RV parks so much, and what does that suggest about the future of owning these assets?

CNBC ran an article recently that talked about the attractiveness of living in an RV full time. We are seeing this same phenomenon in many of our properties throughout the U.S. So, what does it mean for the RV Park industry if we start filling more and more spaces with full-time occupants?

An industry news article recently declared the following regarding the outlook for 2024: Kampgrounds of America’s (KOA) latest monthly report found more than half of 2023 consumers who camp have booked 2024 camping plans. KOA’s October Monthly Research Report found 51% of 2023 consumers who camp have at least one 2024 trip book. Even more, 58%, said their 2023 camping trips have exceeded expectations.

The thrill of acquiring an RV park brings both a sense of fulfillment and an equal measure of nervous anticipation. As you navigate the unfamiliar terrain of owning such a property, you might worry about overlooking some crucial steps. This article offers invaluable advice to help your transition into ownership be as seamless as possible and set you on the path to success.

While some might wish for a magical genie to grant them the perfect RV park deal, reality offers a different approach. Contrary to myth, locating an ideal RV park investment is not a matter of luck but a blend of smart strategy and good old-fashioned hard work. Anyone fully committed to the venture will eventually find a deal that aligns with their goals. However, there are some key principles to guide you through this process.

The conventional American retirement plan is often less than desirable, with current statistics painting a rather bleak picture for U.S. retirees: an average social security payment of $14,400 per year, average savings of $88,000, and approximately 70% of retirees receiving little to no pension. Add to this, current CD rates do not even keep with inflation – so you’re not actually getting anywhere as far as wealth-building. The question then arises: how can you secure a comfortable retirement under these conditions?

We have dedicated significant effort to refining our mystery shopping approach for evaluating our managers. By simulating a customer's experience, mystery shopping provides valuable insights into how your employees interact with prospective clients. We categorize our evaluations to cover the entire customer journey, enabling us to pinpoint any shortcomings that may be hindering your RV park's revenue potential.

The winter of 2023 has proven to be one of the harshest in recent memory, with freezing temperatures reaching even the typically mild regions of the United States. This has raised concerns for RV park owners and managers, who must navigate the challenges brought on by such extreme weather. This article highlights the crucial aspects of managing an RV park during a severe winter season.

If buying an RV Park is part of your New Year’s Resolutions, then here are the four tests you must perform before pulling the trigger and acquiring the property. All of these steps are attainable with reasonable effort and basic knowledge of how they work. So what are these important action steps?

We are huge believers in seller financing, which rates as our favorite type of debt. It has a huge number of benefits. But it can also be a trap if you don’t know what you’re doing. So what’s so great about seller carry and when is it actually not a good idea?

Many people say “your manager needs to smile when they’re on the phone”. The problem with that statement is that you can’t possibly see any correlation between smiling and treating customers well when they call, nor can anyone measure their level of “smiling” unless they are sitting there looking at them. So what are the actual keys to a successful manager when it comes to phone etiquette.

Some RV parks are open all year. Others close in the winter and only stay open in the warmer months. But does that mean you can only buy those properties during the summer season? The truth is that many seasonal RV parks are bought and sold in the frigid winter months, but there are some tricks you need to know if that’s your goal.

When you’re buying an RV park, the typical seller is an older mom and pop couple who either built the property from scratch or bought it several decades ago. That’s what everyone is used to seeing. But what does it mean when the seller has only owned the RV park for a couple years or less? Well, it’s never a good thing. Here are some of the issues to consider when you have a short-term owner as the seller of an RV park.

There has been a disconnect in financial markets between values and making money. Michael Burry, the “Big Short” investor, recently noted that "This morning there were still 218 primary stock listings in the United States with a market cap over $1 billion and EBITDA less than NEGATIVE $100 million," he posted on Twitter. "29 of them had market caps over $10 billion, totaling $655 billion.". In addition to his concern about the fact that Wall Street is valuing worthless companies (based on actual net income) at billions of dollars, the results are already in based on the market’s performance. Over the past year, the Dow Jones, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 are all down over 20%. And if you factor in the rate of inflation, that number jumps to nearly 30% in real dollars. That’s a terrible performance. And one that no RV park could ever possibly match.

Nobody likes to fire their manager, and this is as true for RV park owners as any other group. When you get rid of your manager you set in motion having to find, train and hire their replacement, as well as the unhappy act of letting someone go. It’s perfectly natural to have an aversion to firing an employee, for a multitude of reasons.

We have been educating RV park buyers for years on the simple maxim that you can NEVER tie up an RV park under contract without 1) a due diligence contingency 2) a financing contingency and 3) no buyer’s specificperformance agreement. It looks like Elon Musk forgot about all three of these principles with his contract to buy Twitter and there are many morals to the story of Musk contracting to buy Twitter.

If you’re wanting to by an RV park, don’t forget that you only live once – don’t blow it! Instead of being concerned about entering a new sector outside your comfort zone you should be more haunted by the concept of missed opportunities. RV parks are attainable investments but only if you approach the business of finding good RV park deals in the right way. Here are the five steps required to accomplish this important mission.

The U.S. is clearly heading into an era of “stagflation” which is defined as high levels of inflation coupled with a sluggish economy. The last time America saw this phenomenon was in the 1970s – nearly a half-century ago. But history repeats itself and thanks to some poor decision making in Washington and the impact of Covid-19 on inventory, that appears to be the main economic news for the near term. If you are looking at buying an RV park, you should be concerned regarding how these properties will perform during periods of stagflation. Here are some observations.

There are a lot of great RV park investments to be made in the U.S., but even the greatest deals of all time can easily be destroyed by buyers who make some fundamental mistakes. Some of these are the result of bad business habits, and others from simply lack of knowledge. But they can all derail your financial independence and make you regret what you did. Here they are:

“Chainsaw” Al Dunlap was a well-known corporate raider and business efficiency stalwart of the 1960s through 1990s. His approach to turning businesses around was a simple motto: “sell, sell, sell and cut, cut, cut”. And it’s not a bad mantra for RV park owners, as well. When you buy an old RV park and bring it back to life financially, there are typically three key areas to focus on for maximum impact to the bottom line.

Some buyers can’t move beyond the idea of buying an RV park simply because they have “paralysis by analysis” on how to write a contract. To top it off, they won’t seek legal counsel because of the cost, so they end up never acting on their dream of RV park ownership. Since that’s a terrible ending to your investment options, here’s a quick guide to try and illustrate the basic parts of a contract, not from the perspective of an attorney, but simply an observant RV park buyer.

The stock market has had a great ride since it’s Covid-inspired bottom. But how much of that was reality and how much was fantasy? The current decline in the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq are sobering reflections on the fact that the market is mover overvalued than at any other moment in American history – even worse than 1929 based on analytics. Charlie Munger – Warren Buffett’s business partner – has been warning about an apocalyptic market correction for months. And now it appears to be finally here. So in light of the fact that stock market “gambling” is no longer paying off, have you considered investing in an arena that is built on the fundamentals of income and cash flow and not PR and logo design? And a great investment niche that meets all these criteria is the simple RV park.