Have prices gone up in RGV?

joebedford wrote:
I bit the bullet and reserved our site. They gave me $100 off because I whined.

Where did you reserve?

I bit the bullet and reserved our site. They gave me $100 off because I whined.

How about 35% exchange rate right now. You can get it abit better but not by much. Our Canadian dollar is going to continue to go down as long as the U.S. dollar stays strong as it has been. An increase on oil prices will help abit. It looks like the Canadian exchange could settle in the 70 cent range which equates to about 42-43% range.

Toban

Naio wrote:
....snip........... And a lot of us are pretty successful!

You are obviously happy with your return on investment. Great. Any business owner who truthfully tells me otherwise is probably not going to be in business for long. Have you ever dealt with someone whose business is failing? It is not fun, no matter how cheap it seems at the time. I want to deal with successful businesses.

TomG2 wrote:

I too was a little surprised at the anti-Canadian comments.

Yes.

As far as the profitability of RV Parks, that is the American (and Canadian) way things work. If you don't like your return on investment, put your money somewhere else. We are sympathetic as can be. NOT.

I feel differently.

I don't want people to put their investments elsewhere, because I want parks to go to. Especially cheap parks :).

I own a business in which I often choose to do the ethical thing, the kind thing, the environmentally responsible thing, etc. over the most profitable thing. I am out to make a living and to contribute to the world, not to get rich.

I appreciate other people who run their businesses in the same way, and I try to support them. I don't want to live in a world where profit is the only thing that matters, and I support business owners who agree. And a lot of us are pretty successful!

Winter Texans are a particularly thrifty bunch. They do shop prices.

joebedford wrote:
The park in question @ $375 / month averaged maybe 60% full over the snowbird season. @ $475 / month 2 years later it might be less than half full.

Supply and demand doesn't seem to be working here.

100 sites, 60% occupied at $375 is $22,500 a month. To make more revenue at $475 per site they only have to be 48% occupied, and their costs will also go down (less water, less sewage, less wear and tear etc.) It is likely that price increase is a good business decision, since they apparently will make more net income even if occupancy drops 20%.
If their occupancy is suffering it is almost assuredly not primarily because of price. Very little RV traffic is primarily price driven. People travel and stay where they find things that attract and interest them, not just because it is cheap. Could be overall demand is down and no price is going to attract a non-existent customer. Or the park is not desirable to enough people, and again, price isn't suddenly going to turn a lump of coal into a diamond. Much more to consider than only price.

Given that there hasn't been a general run-up in prices in the RGV, I'll try to negotiate a better price or find a different park.

I really shouldn't have raised the subject of currency exchange. That's MY problem, not a USA park problem (unless I decide to go somewhere less expensive because of the real hit to my wallet)

The park in question @ $375 / month averaged maybe 60% full over the snowbird season. @ $475 / month 2 years later it might be less than half full.

Supply and demand doesn't seem to be working here.