Park models - surge in popularity
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Park models - surge in popularity

According to a press release by the RPTIA,  Americans are finding out about recreational park trailers or “park models,” a 400-square foot cottage like RV that can be placed in an RV resort and used as a low-cost vacation cottage. These are becoming popular everywhere, from the hottest places like Arizona right through to the very seasonal Alaska.

Last year, in fact, manufacturers reported 10,141 park trailer shipments, making 2006 the strongest period in the 21-year history of the park model business.

“The park trailer business has proven itself to be one of the most stable segments of the RV business,” said Bill Garpow, RPTIA’s executive director. “This is because our buyers, for the most part, are people who are close to retirement or have just retired, so they’re in the strongest financial position they’re ever going to be.”

And since park trailers are used as vacation cottages, their buyers tend to have enough income to ride out the ups and downs of the economy, much like the buyers of the most expensive motorhomes, Garpow said.

Garpow said consumer interest in park models is driven by three factors: The rising cost of real estate, particularly in resort areas around the country; their relatively low cost, compared to towable or motorized RVs as well as site-built condos; as well as the increasing attractiveness of the units.

RTPIA website  
See the full press release here
 
Latest RVing news headlines
 
RoTi RV parks with park models 

Readers comments:
Latest shown first 

Jan Hagel :   We are looking to rent for the month of February 2010, if you know of any park models to rent in the Yuma area.

helene :   We are looking for renting a park trailer for the month of january, february, march,,if possible around yuma az we are over 55+ no smoking no pets .very clean. ahmercier41@hotmail.com

JIM :   Have park model in Casa Grande AZ resort for sale 40 K 520 560 1105 JIM.

Jean :   Looking to buy a park model for the North Georgia area

Rose :   My husband and I are seniors looking to rent a park model within 50 miles or so of Blythe, CA for a month from the latter part of November to the middle of December 2008. We want to try renting before we decide to buy one. We have a well behaved dog.

J & M :   we are looking for a park model in the Yuma area for the month of feb 2009.fully furnished..reply with price. there are 2 of us, no pets.we want to try it next winter and then decide if we should buy.

Karen :   As park owners, we've considered park models as additions to our RV park. They are lovely & spacious, but often do not come furnished, and are expensive to have delivered & moved around (esp. in our more remote location). We've opted for on-site rental trailers, all modern, some with slide-outs, all furnished & self-contained, and can be relocated with a pick-up truck! Plus less than half the cost!

Daniel P. :   We bought two also! - one is up in New Hampshire, One is down in Ocala, FL. Both are heavily customized (I'm disabled), we went through a company called Park Models Plus. We bought both from them, they deliver anywhere in the country. They were very nice people customizing is their specialty so they didn't give a second thought to widening doors and putting in handicapped showers and bedroom and redesigning the kitchen so that I can cook. I love our park models.

Jim B :   Our campground that we have been going to for years, and that has several park models, which are home to several older folks full time, just sold. The new owners announced a increase of almost $300 per month, Of course you can purchase your lot for between $54,000 and $59,000, plus $1,200 per year maintance fees.(subject to change. Many of these older folks could not afford to buy or pay such high lot rent. They are now faced with moving to other campgrounds at moving costs of up to $10,000. The rest of us were lucky enough to be able to find a few lower costing campgrounds. This has shown me that park models may be nice but not a wise investment, at least not in my humble opinion. Think about paying more than you paid for the park model for a 30'x60' lot. Then you must pay an ever increasing fee for the rest of your life or it reverts back to the sellers. This has ocurred in several other campgrounds in the central Florida area this winter. If this trend continues it will soon be to the point that if a regular campground can be found, the average camper will not be able to afford to stay. I know some will say I am just crying "wolf", but I have just seen it happen first hand to several hundered campers this winter. Think long and hard before you invest in any RV you cannot get in and drive/pull off in.

ruth43 :   We have 2 park models, one in Illinois and one in Florida. We had a home in Arcona Illinois and then bought an RV. Eventually we became fulltimers and then decided we liked the south gulf coast of Florida very much and were spending more and more time there. So we decided to buy a park model and sell the RV. We liked living in the park model so much we then decided that we wanted to spend time in Illinois (we like the summer there and we have family) but we didn't need our house. So we sold the house and bought a second park model. Now we're snowbirds in 2 places and very happy.

Rosalind :   There's another thing about park models. We went fulltiming in 02 don't think we could get back into housing market now. We're thinking of a park model as a permanent home now.

Jill P :   I can understand why park models are becoming more popular, they're much cheaper than other vacation homes. We bought ours for $30,000 after looking at vacation homes at ten times that price. Good deal.

 
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