MOTORHOME sales questions.

[DunnInn]

We are getting ready to put our motorhome on the market. Interested in what people suggest for determining sales price? Also, does anyone know if you can get a copy of the original build sheet/sales sheet from the manufacturer. Thanks for any help.

[DunnInn]

Thanks for all the great advice! Another question - when it came time to close on the rv, did you go to a bank to do the closing or what? How did you make sure the funds were valid? What about transfer of the title? I read somewhere a horror story about someone who sold their rv and the new people didn't transfer the title and something happened to the coach and the former owners got stuck with some expenses and a law suit. Definitely want to avoid that!!

[RetiredRealtorR]

mtofell1 wrote:
Good pictures - get the dirty dishes out of the sink, consider a professional photographer - they have nice wide angled lenses that work really well in the tight RV spaces. It could be well worth the couple hundred dollars (look up real estate photographer in your area)
Price aggressively
Write a long descriptive ad with lots of info about the coach - explain what the coach is, what you like, why you bought it, what you've done to maintain it, etc. People looking for RVs really like the details. As a shopper I like to see someone take the time. I'm totally turned off by 6 word ads with blurry pictures.

And, take it one step further, and mention in the ad why you're selling it (that is, if it's for a good reason --- if it's because it's a piece of junk, skip this step!! :C)

[mtofell1]

Good pictures - get the dirty dishes out of the sink, consider a professional photographer - they have nice wide angled lenses that work really well in the tight RV spaces. It could be well worth the couple hundred dollars (look up real estate photographer in your area)
Price aggressively
Write a long descriptive ad with lots of info about the coach - explain what the coach is, what you like, why you bought it, what you've done to maintain it, etc. People looking for RVs really like the details. As a shopper I like to see someone take the time. I'm totally turned off by 6 word ads with blurry pictures.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Fishbreath wrote:
I just sold my Class A last week after several weeks on the market. Craigslist only generated a couple of responses and they now charge a fee to list vehicles.
I posted on RVTrader using their basic plan. (4 pictures and a narrative). I got a couple of hits but no reasonable offers.
I upped the RVTrader listing to a higher cost plan that allowed me to post more pictures and video. This seemed to do the trick and I sold the RV with several other people waiting in line in case the deal fell through.
I did get a price range through NADA and priced it fairly. The people that bought it told me that they thought it was priced too low.
Good luck with the process and watch out for the lowballers.

You're right, only four pictures won't sell anything -- especially an RV. The more pictures the better. Good, well-lighted pictures -- just like in Real Estate.

[Fishbreath]

I just sold my Class A last week after several weeks on the market. Craigslist only generated a couple of responses and they now charge a fee to list vehicles.
I posted on RVTrader using their basic plan. (4 pictures and a narrative). I got a couple of hits but no reasonable offers.
I upped the RVTrader listing to a higher cost plan that allowed me to post more pictures and video. This seemed to do the trick and I sold the RV with several other people waiting in line in case the deal fell through.
I did get a price range through NADA and priced it fairly. The people that bought it told me that they thought it was priced too low.
Good luck with the process and watch out for the lowballers.

[wallynm]

Some manufacturers will provide the build sheet if requested with vin

[rgatijnet1]

I sold two RV's on Craigslist and both sold for my asking price and with very little hassle. The first one sold to the first person to look at it and the second one sold to the second person to look at it.
If you plan to sell your RV then price it according to what you are willing to accept, plus a few thousand negotiating money.
From the questions I received on my first sale, I made adjustments to my second listing.
Obviously you want to clean up everything and make any repairs that are necessary. You also want to take very good pictures of all aspects of your coach. Craigslist allows you to post 24 pictures so do it.
I planned to "sell" my RV rather than give it away so I listed mine at the upper end of the retail value and was not interested in any offers from dealers.
One of the most asked questions on my first coach was about the tires so on my second RV I added an extra $3000 to my asking price and offered the new buyer their choice of new tires that I would have installed for them. Turns out my buyer picked Michelin snow tires since they planned on using the coach to go to ski resort areas. Living in Florida I had to order the tires online which was no big deal. I also offered to pay for two nights at a local RV park so that they could become acquainted with all of the systems. $150 well spent. I got my FULL asking price from the buyer.
In my listing, I also made it a point to mention all of the extras that came with my coach from the factory as well as ALL of the items that were included with the sale. As far as I am concerned you cannot tell too much information about your coach. Remember what made you pick that coach when you bought it and mention it in your listing.
There is a big difference between pricing your coach so low that you are giving it away and taking the time and effort to actually sell your coach. The decision is yours as to how much effort you want to invest. My approach netted me thousands over what similar coach had sold for.

[JALLEN4]

I sold tens of thousands of motorized vehicles over a four decade plus career and can give you some basic pointers where amateurs most often make mistakes.

1. Clean it spotlessly and keep it that way until it sells.

2. Make all needed and obvious repairs. Don't assume the buyer will allow in the price to fix it himself. Fix the scratches, dents missing parts. Replace the tires if totally worn out and not just offer an "allowance". Let there be no excuses for the buyer not to buy!

3. Remove all personal items and added decorations that are not affixed. The buyer will not necessarily like what you thought was beautiful!

4. By all means look up NADA low wholesale and low retail values and know what they realistically are.

5. Search continuously on-line for "comparative product" prices even if a competing manufacturer. You are in competition with all of them....not just your model!

6. Call every major RV store in a 300 mile radius and solicit a "buy" offer. Most will give you one, some low and some pretty accurate. This will give you a reality check as to what "range" you are in and keep in mind dealers are normally NOT making ten thousand dollars re-selling what they buy from the public.

7. Prepare to put up with a lot of B.S from the tire-kicking public and various scam artists. It can be a challenge but you can win.

Good luck!

[mike_brez]

Sold one on Craig’s list in two days and one I parked in a local commuter parking lot with a for sale sign and a price and sold in under two weeks. The key is to price it right.
PPL motorhomes lists what units on their site sold for.

[rgatijnet1]

You may want to check on eBay to see if similar RV's have been listed for sale. They have a block to the left that you can check to see "completed auctions" where you can see what some of them actually sold for. They will have the sales price in green if it sold.
That said, your coach may be in better condition or worse so base your asking price as accordingly.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Yes, as a previous poster mentioned, when you do list it, take very good pictures.....lots of them.....with lots of light (you don't want someone to think your RV is 'dark' inside).

As for Craigslist, it may be a good start for your research, although RVTrader.com will be better. Bear in mind the prices you see are 'asking' prices, not selling prices. Too bad the publications don't list what units actually sold for, and not just what sellers are asking.

[mikim]

We used NADA to get an idea We actually listed in in RV Trader. Then got calls from several dealers who were looking to add to the used fleet. Of course low balled. We ended up actually selling it locally on www.Nextdoor.com, a neighborhood app that our city uses to connect neighbors.

[way2roll]

I've sold 2 MH's on Craiglist fairly quickly. The trick is to price them to sell. I will search for ads for the exact same year make and model of my coach and see what they are selling for. From there you need to know what you will accept. Priced too high and it will sit. Clean it up nice, and take good pictures. Nothing bothers me more looking at RV ads where the owner has towels, dirty clothes, food and dishes etc sitting around. It looks un-kept and gives me the impression they don't care - and I'm probably right.