buying campground

jkhorner wrote:
I am looking to buy a campground that has closed. Having a hard time finding them. Any suggestions?

This site is one of many that showed up on a google search.
Where/how are you looking ? :h

I bought and sold hotels back in the day

A closed campground would take more money to get it operational again but that is not the worst problem any open business has customers and cash flow

I think you should rethink your business plan and get one that is open

Do you really want to work 100 hours a week for less than minimum wage? Sounds really romantic, but the investment in time and money can be huge. And the rewards minimal at best. At the worst, poor managment, location, or any number of other factors could wipe you complete out financially.

I am looking to buy a campground that has closed. Having a hard time finding them. Any suggestions?

Perhaps not closed, but have you looked at purchasing a KOA that is for sale?

No doubt a closed campground can be had cheaper than a very active one. But it closed for a reason. And that reason could well be why it will never be profitable, no matter who runs it. No personal experience, but I would guess it would take a long time to build a reputation and enough traffic to be viable. Doubly so if there are lingering bad reviews on the net from previous operations.

http://www.rvparkstore.com/rv-parks-for-sale

Not associated with it, but I know the Onawa, IA KOA has been for sale for a couple of years.

BB_TX wrote:
No doubt a closed campground can be had cheaper than a very active one. But it closed for a reason. And that reason could well be why it will never be profitable, no matter who runs it. No personal experience, but I would guess it would take a long time to build a reputation and enough traffic to be viable. Doubly so if there are lingering bad reviews on the net from previous operations.

Unless you have a specific reason for wanting a closed campground, this post covers it pretty well.

Not to be debby downer but odds are very good, it went under for reasons other than bad management so odds are you will fail also.

BB_TX wrote:
No doubt a closed campground can be had cheaper than a very active one. But it closed for a reason. And that reason could well be why it will never be profitable, no matter who runs it. No personal experience, but I would guess it would take a long time to build a reputation and enough traffic to be viable. Doubly so if there are lingering bad reviews on the net from previous operations.

Pretty much true. Most parks that close, do so because they were either a marginal operation in the first place or because the property has been converted to a higher usage. They really aren't hard to operate, so few close because of poor management. They don't have wildly different business plans like bars and restaurants, so again, they don't close because their customers wanted Mexican Food and they stubbornly continued to serve only pot roast.
Over the years, I have seen a few come up for sale. A couple were parks that were in the process of being built where the builder ran out of money before completion, so they technically weren't "Closed" since they never had opened. One was closed because the highway exit close to the park had closed and was relocated a couple of miles away. Several were just junk and had no potential. Only two ever made sense and they were up for sale because the owner had died and there was no one to run the park. I actually made an offer on one of those, but there were several interested parties and the price got too rich for my blood. When it sold it for sure wasn't a screaming bargain.
To find them, you just need to be like a bloodhound and search relentlessly. But I doubt you will find a great deal. With the internet, great deals just don't stay hidden, waiting for someone to dig them up.

Do your homework. A closed CG doesn't mean it won't pay off. Reputation of the previous owners and condition of sites, etc has a lot to do with it. Be prepared to have a "real job", at least in the off season. As said, it takes a lot of work, as does any new buisness.

The owners of our favorite private CG worked full time during the week, hired people to handle the weekdays, then worked hard on weekends for at least 8 years. They made constant improvements to the place and deliver outstanding customer service. A couple of years ago they were able to quit their jobs and run the CG full time. They now spend their winters in FL with their class A.