Why is a static caravan more expensive on some parks than others?

When buying a static caravan most holiday home owners choose the Park first based on their criteria of location and facilities. They may know someone already on the Park, or have visited as a holidaymaker. They might want a Park within a certain distance of their home, or choose a location close to family or friends. Once the Park is chosen, they decide which caravan make and model to buy from the choice on offer, and finally select the plot based on what is available. Sometimes this process can take months of research and visiting lots of Parks. Other people know exactly what they want and make a really quick decision – not always such a great idea, you don’t want to be selling your caravan before you’ve had much use out of it, that can be a costly mistake! Our advice would always be to do lots of research and don’t sign any purchase documents until you are 100% sure that you have found your dream holiday home. While you are doing your research you might be wondering why a similar caravan can be on sale for different prices on different Parks? Parks have a variety of ways of pricing caravans; larger Parks that are part of a national chain will be different to small independent Parks with prices reflecting that. Some might market themselves as exclusive or luxury with prices to match, while others offer a more traditional holiday experience. As the saying goes, ‘location, location, location’ is all important. A caravan Park in a beautiful location with no other Parks in the area will command higher prices than a Park in among lots of other similar Parks. Transport costs can increase prices with remote Parks having to pass on the costs of getting the caravan to the Park. Many of the major caravan manufacturers are based in East Yorkshire and so transport costs to the South Coast or Highlands of Scotland will be more expensive that to local East Coast Parks. The Park’s site fees can often have an impact on the caravan cost. Some Parks add site fees to the purchase price thus increasing your initial outlay but reducing monthly costs. Park’s with cheaper site fees might charge more for the caravans and vice versa, more expensive site fees could equate to cheaper caravans. Premier plots will also command higher prices; sea views, river or lake frontage, quiet corners or proximity to sports/social/leisure facilities can add a significant amount to the price. When you go looking at Parks have a budget in mind and make a comprehensive checklist of what you want in terms of location, facilities, type of caravan and any other important factors to you. Do bear in mind that all the reasons for the high or low price when you buy can also affect the price when you come to sell your caravan. This is particularly relevant if you are selling on the Park but less so if you decide to sell your caravan to a caravan trader.