Buying our first static caravan
Discussion
I have 2 friends that own parks and they are very wealthy. One has a full time residential park as well as leisure. All of the services (BT, Gas, Electric, Water, Sewerage) are paid by the tenants through him. He makes a fortune just on the services (65 home site). Buy for £30k? Want out within a year? You'll be lucky to get £5k back. He makes serious money on the buy backs as you can imagine.
There is a park just down the road from me, Gorse Hill that has homes up to £300k!!!
Then there's The Warren at Abersoch where they have approached £1m!!! Nouveau Riche and all that!!
https://www.haulfrynholidayhomes.co.uk/homes-for-s...
The above is a cheap expensive one.
The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.
There is a park just down the road from me, Gorse Hill that has homes up to £300k!!!
Then there's The Warren at Abersoch where they have approached £1m!!! Nouveau Riche and all that!!
https://www.haulfrynholidayhomes.co.uk/homes-for-s...
The above is a cheap expensive one.
The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.
Trophy Husband said:
I have 2 friends that own parks and they are very wealthy. One has a full time residential park as well as leisure. All of the services (BT, Gas, Electric, Water, Sewerage) are paid by the tenants through him. He makes a fortune just on the services (65 home site). Buy for £30k? Want out within a year? You'll be lucky to get £5k back. He makes serious money on the buy backs as you can imagine.
There is a park just down the road from me, Gorse Hill that has homes up to £300k!!!
Then there's The Warren at Abersoch where they have approached £1m!!! Nouveau Riche and all that!!
https://www.haulfrynholidayhomes.co.uk/homes-for-s...
The above is a cheap expensive one.
The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.
I couldn't believe when my ex's mum bought a home like this. It was the same price as a house in the area with no ownership of the grounds it was temporarily parked on. It was a crazy price. There is a park just down the road from me, Gorse Hill that has homes up to £300k!!!
Then there's The Warren at Abersoch where they have approached £1m!!! Nouveau Riche and all that!!
https://www.haulfrynholidayhomes.co.uk/homes-for-s...
The above is a cheap expensive one.
The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.
It did look good inside when everything was new, but it always had a cheap chemical glue smell that didn't fade.
The air quality was also awful. A few people in and the place became stuffy quickly. It didn't make for a good sleep either.
I don't get why they can command so much money for so little. It's a huge waste of money.
We looked into it when we had a modest settlement a few years ago, but stuck it into our mortgage in the end.
We were going to go for one not too far from home. The wife and kids would spend all the school holidays there, and I would spend some of the time with them, and commute to work from there instead of home when I had to.
We were looking at about £35k down for the van, and about £6k a year for the main rental and suchlike.
We too didn't want to rent it out to unknown punters. £6k a year buys a couple of really nice holidays.
We were going to go for one not too far from home. The wife and kids would spend all the school holidays there, and I would spend some of the time with them, and commute to work from there instead of home when I had to.
We were looking at about £35k down for the van, and about £6k a year for the main rental and suchlike.
We too didn't want to rent it out to unknown punters. £6k a year buys a couple of really nice holidays.
Driver101 said:
Trophy Husband said:
I have 2 friends that own parks and they are very wealthy. One has a full time residential park as well as leisure. All of the services (BT, Gas, Electric, Water, Sewerage) are paid by the tenants through him. He makes a fortune just on the services (65 home site). Buy for £30k? Want out within a year? You'll be lucky to get £5k back. He makes serious money on the buy backs as you can imagine.
There is a park just down the road from me, Gorse Hill that has homes up to £300k!!!
Then there's The Warren at Abersoch where they have approached £1m!!! Nouveau Riche and all that!!
https://www.haulfrynholidayhomes.co.uk/homes-for-s...
The above is a cheap expensive one.
The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.
I couldn't believe when my ex's mum bought a home like this. It was the same price as a house in the area with no ownership of the grounds it was temporarily parked on. It was a crazy price. There is a park just down the road from me, Gorse Hill that has homes up to £300k!!!
Then there's The Warren at Abersoch where they have approached £1m!!! Nouveau Riche and all that!!
https://www.haulfrynholidayhomes.co.uk/homes-for-s...
The above is a cheap expensive one.
The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.
It did look good inside when everything was new, but it always had a cheap chemical glue smell that didn't fade.
The air quality was also awful. A few people in and the place became stuffy quickly. It didn't make for a good sleep either.
I don't get why they can command so much money for so little. It's a huge waste of money.
DSLiverpool said:
Chaps in my case the company is paying and in overall terms it’s within budget. Personal cash isn’t a factor here just the van, site and use,
Don't see how that changes anything?Unless you're a PLC, it's still your money. It's just that you haven't taken it out of the business account and put it into your account.
There are probably some tax advantages in doing it this way - but you're still buying a depreciating asset and paying site fees for no tangible return.
(I'm no accountant, but I can't see how these things can be seen as a legitimate business expense, either!)
Poppiecock said:
My only experience is that I've stayed at a mate's static several times.
It was the most soul-destroying, utterly and completely council experience of my life.
Seems to be a very council thing to do - get some inheritance / spare cash etc - buy a static caravan. Go there almost every weekend during 'the season' to get pissed up with all the other councilista.
When you look at the costs, you could have good holidays for years on end for the up front costings. Don't forget that most places have an age limit on the 'van, which is pretty much worthless when it reaches that limit.
This is why my mate got out - escalating yearly fees and a van that had lost 90% of its value. He bought an apartment just outside Tavira on the Algarve for not a lot more than buying a 'nice' static.
It was the most soul-destroying, utterly and completely council experience of my life.
Seems to be a very council thing to do - get some inheritance / spare cash etc - buy a static caravan. Go there almost every weekend during 'the season' to get pissed up with all the other councilista.
When you look at the costs, you could have good holidays for years on end for the up front costings. Don't forget that most places have an age limit on the 'van, which is pretty much worthless when it reaches that limit.
This is why my mate got out - escalating yearly fees and a van that had lost 90% of its value. He bought an apartment just outside Tavira on the Algarve for not a lot more than buying a 'nice' static.
This.R8Steve said:
People saying don't buy this depreciating asset (that you can use pretty much any time you want and as many times as you want) and instead should just buy a 2 week holiday abroad every year for the same money. 
Yeah but it's in the same place, there is no variety, £6k pa + £35k upfront to holiday in the same place for 8-10 years when you have to get rid of the caravan and get a new because the T's & C's say so; £83k to holiday for 8 years in the UK, no thanks!!HTP99 said:
R8Steve said:
People saying don't buy this depreciating asset (that you can use pretty much any time you want and as many times as you want) and instead should just buy a 2 week holiday abroad every year for the same money.
Yeah but it's in the same place, there is no variety, £6k pa + £35k upfront to holiday in the same place for 8-10 years when you have to get rid of the caravan and get a new because the T's & C's say so; £83k to holiday for 8 years in the UK, no thanks!!R8Steve said:
People saying don't buy this depreciating asset (that you can use pretty much any time you want and as many times as you want) and instead should just buy a 2 week holiday abroad every year for the same money.
When you factor in all the other costs (fees, getting there, expenses while staying there etc) and the fact it will be worthless in 10 years, it's not that silly to consider other options. Once the novelty wears off, how often do people stay in their caravan? Do you really want to be tied to having a holiday in the same place for the next decade?
However, if you think heaven is spending your free time on a council estate a few times a year, knock yourself out
Poppiecock said:
HTP99 said:
R8Steve said:
People saying don't buy this depreciating asset (that you can use pretty much any time you want and as many times as you want) and instead should just buy a 2 week holiday abroad every year for the same money.
Yeah but it's in the same place, there is no variety, £6k pa + £35k upfront to holiday in the same place for 8-10 years when you have to get rid of the caravan and get a new because the T's & C's say so; £83k to holiday for 8 years in the UK, no thanks!!Camelot1971 said:
However, if you think heaven is spending your free time on a council estate a few times a year, knock yourself out
The council estates where you stay must be very impressive places!This is the view from the front decking of my ‘council house’
ETA - I pay nowhere near the costs mentioned on here and use it nearly every weekend.
Edited by R8Steve on Monday 19th August 13:33
I have one at Abersoch – I relate to “The place is full of Jack Wills and bank of mum and dad kids.” We are not at the Warren
The main thing is choose the site – we rented for a few years at the site, even though it’s a non rental site, through friend of friends. What do you want in a site? Do you want arcades / entertainment? – or quiet site no facilities and no rentals etc..this usually this reflects in the site fees – if you have a swimming pool, the fees are going to be higher. If you can chat to people already on the site. You will get a feel of type of site / pros and cons of that particular site and management.
Yes, the money does not add up – if you think about it logically – you can get plenty of more exotic holidays for the purchase price etc.. B&B – house rentals in your favoured area if you are organised for the cost of the site fee .. but that’s not the point. If you have the money, you buy it to enjoy it. It is not an investment, if you have the money why not.
What’s the price of a beach barbecue with family /friends?
What’s the price of last minute weekend break?
What’s the price of walking the dog on an empty beach in the rain?
The negatives
It true about the kids ages. When they have sports/parties at weekend, you find you don’t go for several weeks it feels like a waste of money. As the kids age it will change the dynamic – beach sand castles toddlers to leave the teenagers home and just the 2 of you.
The drive. Our drive is usually 3 hours, feels too far to go for just one night. Our neighbours sold their caravan at Black Rock and bought one in Conwy so the drive is less. You will get stuck on the A55 at sometime!
Our site is March – October – I’d love a 10 month site so we could go down at xmas/new year.
Yes, site fees – we don’t really see anything. We have to do our own garden maintenance on our site.
The positives
It’s a holiday/break. You fell you are getting more of them because you ‘pinch’ long weekends.
What do you do on holiday? Drink / Eat / play with kids /fitness / explore the area / walk dog /spend adult time with your partner / switch off from work / change of scene .. if you really want to you can WFH from the caravan, 4G has now hit most of Wales and during your lunch break you can wander to the beach whilst the kids play outside.
The main thing is choose the site – we rented for a few years at the site, even though it’s a non rental site, through friend of friends. What do you want in a site? Do you want arcades / entertainment? – or quiet site no facilities and no rentals etc..this usually this reflects in the site fees – if you have a swimming pool, the fees are going to be higher. If you can chat to people already on the site. You will get a feel of type of site / pros and cons of that particular site and management.
Yes, the money does not add up – if you think about it logically – you can get plenty of more exotic holidays for the purchase price etc.. B&B – house rentals in your favoured area if you are organised for the cost of the site fee .. but that’s not the point. If you have the money, you buy it to enjoy it. It is not an investment, if you have the money why not.
What’s the price of a beach barbecue with family /friends?
What’s the price of last minute weekend break?
What’s the price of walking the dog on an empty beach in the rain?
The negatives
It true about the kids ages. When they have sports/parties at weekend, you find you don’t go for several weeks it feels like a waste of money. As the kids age it will change the dynamic – beach sand castles toddlers to leave the teenagers home and just the 2 of you.
The drive. Our drive is usually 3 hours, feels too far to go for just one night. Our neighbours sold their caravan at Black Rock and bought one in Conwy so the drive is less. You will get stuck on the A55 at sometime!
Our site is March – October – I’d love a 10 month site so we could go down at xmas/new year.
Yes, site fees – we don’t really see anything. We have to do our own garden maintenance on our site.
The positives
It’s a holiday/break. You fell you are getting more of them because you ‘pinch’ long weekends.
What do you do on holiday? Drink / Eat / play with kids /fitness / explore the area / walk dog /spend adult time with your partner / switch off from work / change of scene .. if you really want to you can WFH from the caravan, 4G has now hit most of Wales and during your lunch break you can wander to the beach whilst the kids play outside.
DSLiverpool said:
Chaps in my case the company is paying and in overall terms it’s within budget. Personal cash isn’t a factor here just the van, site and use,
It worked for us when we had young kids.Pack up the car Friday afternoon, dogs in the back and go straight from school on Friday.
On the beach for a stroll and just mess around all weekend - Ours had 3 beds, 2 baths and a conservatory so it really was like a house.
Although to concur with the council thoughts, I did start drinking cider there.
When I was young my grandparents used to have a caravan on the shores of Windermere. My parents shared occupation with my Aunt and Uncle so there were 2 families using it and it got really good use for a number of years until they had to change the van. Not only was there the cost of a new van, but the site fees were rising astronomically and me and my cousins were becoming stroppy teenagers so didn't want to go to 'boooring caravan again'.
In the end it was decided not to renew, my aunt and uncle bought a flat on the edge of the Lakes so weren't stung as much with a premium and my mum and dad bought a week's timeshare.
Shame in a way as we had some great holidays when it wasn't raining.
I had a look into it again as I thought it would be brilliant for our family, with boys of 6 and 9, but then I looked at the site fees, the fact that I would have to be up there every weekend to make it worthwhile and the finite useful period and decided against it. In the end me and my dad just bought an extra week's timeshare. (yes I know that's even more per annum but it works out cheaper for the amount of use it would get and it's hassle free).
OP how about this instead:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prop...
In the end it was decided not to renew, my aunt and uncle bought a flat on the edge of the Lakes so weren't stung as much with a premium and my mum and dad bought a week's timeshare.
Shame in a way as we had some great holidays when it wasn't raining.
I had a look into it again as I thought it would be brilliant for our family, with boys of 6 and 9, but then I looked at the site fees, the fact that I would have to be up there every weekend to make it worthwhile and the finite useful period and decided against it. In the end me and my dad just bought an extra week's timeshare. (yes I know that's even more per annum but it works out cheaper for the amount of use it would get and it's hassle free).
OP how about this instead:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prop...
desolate said:
DSLiverpool said:
Chaps in my case the company is paying and in overall terms it’s within budget. Personal cash isn’t a factor here just the van, site and use,
It worked for us when we had young kids.Pack up the car Friday afternoon, dogs in the back and go straight from school on Friday.
On the beach for a stroll and just mess around all weekend - Ours had 3 beds, 2 baths and a conservatory so it really was like a house.
Although to concur with the council thoughts, I did start drinking cider there.
The A55 can be an efficient route into N Wales and onto Anglesey, but there are many times it isn’t.
There’s a number of pinch points that will slow progress usually from Easter onwards until the end of the summer holidays. These are usually much worse on a Friday afternoon and on into the evening.
Ewloe - traffic filters from the A55 around the south of Chester and the A494 at the end of the M56.
Abergele is another area that suffers slow traffic at peak times.
Conwy tunnels and the stretch through the tunnels towards Llanfairfechan.
Britannia bridge at Parc Menai.
All can conspire to add an hour or more to a 2 hour journey.
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