buying campground

We want to make our own and not just buy someone else's dream. So either closed or run down is what we want.

There will be quite a lot of price variation in the parks you find for sale at places like RVParkStore.com and others. Beyond size and amenities of park, there are a couple of variables that you can use to understand the prices you see. The most important is, of course, location: Tourist areas command prices. Beyond that, look at whether the park caters to long-term workers (as opposed to tourist-only parks), whether it does most of its business with overnighters (as opposed to parks that do at least several days per guest), what its operating season is. Financially, ask plenty of questions, though keep in mind that the gross income is, for parks that include an owner's/manager's residence, often more revealing than the net income.

Once you do such an analysis, then you're also in a position to be able to spot the funky outliers, either those whose asking price is way too low or those whose asking price is way too high.

:)
Lynn

Unfortunately, most campgrounds that get sold are redeveloped for another purpose, such as residential or commercial property. Very few are sold from one owner to another as is. Many of the successful ones are handed down from generation to generation within a family. As someone said, you best bet may be a franchise-type organization like KOA.

Over the years I've often thought about buying a piece of property and developing it into a CG. However, the costs are prohibitive because of all the infrastructure and permit costs (especially related to water/sewer). It would take decades to recoup those costs, if ever. Plus you are starting from scratch trying to build a customer base.

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

I just for giggles looked at this website. :)

OPer.....be wary of the ones in Quartzsite. A good lesson there is to REALLY investigate WHY they're up for sale. Quartzsite has some internal political brewhaha going on. One woman said her PRIVATE plot of land for her house has a utility bill of over $200. a month to pay for something the mayor signed them up for......and that's ONE sewer hookup!!!! Like a said REALLY research. :)

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.

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.

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.

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

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