Buying property and renting an rv?

Rustedsmudge616,

As others have pointed out, there is A LOT to think about even before taking the first real step.

Are you planning on doing this in New Jersey? Or were you hoping to move out to the less populated areas of the country? The reason I ask is that generally, the further away you move from the populated areas, the less stringent the building codes tend to be. Here in the Northeast, there might be some communities which allow what you're trying to do, but I'm not so sure. A friend of mine had purchased a lot up in Maine, and it was in a pretty remote area, and he wanted to move his camper up there for several years until they were able to move out of Massachusetts and build a house on the lot. They were not allowed to do it. I forgot all of the specifics, but one of the stipulations is that a temporary structure (live his trailer) can only be lived in for 6 months of the year.

Of course, the further you get away from civilization, the fewer people you're likely to attract.

I can only guess that New Jersey is at least as restrictive as Massachusetts and the rest of the Northeast. I could be wrong, and would LOVE to hear if you found some communities which would allow you to implement your plan. But even WITH that, the others have pointed out so many other issues you'll have to address.

In my humble opinion, I don't see much, if any, profit in this scheme. I think you'll be lucky if you bring in enough to cover the land costs, taxes and fees, let along maintenance, upkeep and insurance, etc.

Interesting thought, though. Let us know what you find out if you continue to pursue this idea. :)

~Rick

Thanks for all the replies. Yea seems like there might be a little more involved than I expected.

What is your objective? To end up with a campground, or to have small properties each with a camper in various places?

What type of clientele are you trying to attract? Overnighters passing through, weekend campers, long term residents?

Sounds great for “your” vacation home. Not so much as a rental. As mentioned you’ll have roughly the same cost as developing and landscaping a home site.
There are some scenarios that could make this a good venture. Like if the property will appreciate in value a lot, or if it’s a popular destination where you could count on a high rental rate and many nights booked.
Keeping up an old camper that is used by random overnighters is likely to be a challenge. Would feel better about a residential unit, single wide double wide etc.

Good luck in your venture !

Do you see a high demand for this kind of venture?

What activities do you see your guests being able to do while they stay there?

Insurance, maintenance, management of property, etc?

Are you talking about multiple sites on the same property?

Just does not sound like something I would do, even if you let me bring my own RV??

Regardless, good luck with the idea... :)

Mitch

You are building a campground...that means basically everything that goes into a campground except you are doing it one site at a time distributed over multiple properties.

There will be permits, regulations, taxes, maintenance costs, advertising costs, liability insurance, etc... etc...etc...

I would be surprised if your first site ready to operate comes in under $150k and might generate $30-40/n for 100 nights per year.

All while you per your own statement are unfamiliar with RV/camping.

Above ground septic tank? Why?

Buy something that already functions as your first investment. From there either improve the property with additional rentals or develop a new site.

Don’t forget your health permit…like a hotel or motel…and business license.