falconbrother wrote:
Man, we came so close to getting burned not making reservations. We were going to the mountains, like we had done many times. But, it was a big weekend, like Labor Day or something. We got to the campground and they were sold out. But, someone on one of the long term sites have moved their camper for the weekend, so they allowed us to stay there. We never travel without reservations.
I would also agree that there's not enough campgrounds. For example, Wilmington NC. The only campground there is the KOA and they are landlocked. It's a great campground but, you better make your reservations months out, a year out or more for holidays. In the off season we have driven to Myrtle Beach without reservations because there is plenty of open spaces, once or twice. I tend to still make reservations just in case something comes up and we roll in after hours.
I have often thought that owning a campground would be a great idea. If you had property within a short drive of Wilmington it would be a gold mine. There is a small campground in Carolina Beach but, it gets bad reviews.
Owning a park can be a good investment. But it sure isn't for the risk adverse, or anyone looking to turn a quick buck.
Building from scratch would require purchasing the ground. Getting all the engineering, environmental and permitting documents completed. Then you have to get approval from the local authorities, which often means public hearings. They will get massive public backlash against a "trailer park" being built in their neighborhood.
If you get past the permitting process, you have to build the park. Likely, there will be government requirements for the roads, for the services provided (i.e restrooms if all sites are not restricted for full hookups only), ADA accessibility, site size and spacing (fire codes etc.), water and sewer requirements etc.
Once you get it built, you have to advertise. It will take a several years for your ads to populate the guidebooks, the organic internet searches, the GPS devices, review sites, etc. All that time you are paying your employees, paying your taxes and paying for those ads without getting full returns.
Oh, and no bank or financial institution is going to finance this project. You MAY be able to finance the ground with a 50 percent down payment, but all the other costs are going to have to be paid for by ready funds. A fifty site park can easily cost a million dollars or more to construct if it is in a good location and you want to do it at least half right. That's a lot of money to lay out and not expect to make a return for at least 5 years. Hence why a building crane is an animal you seldom see over bare ground with a sign saying "RV Park, coming soon".
