Thinking of a static van? Read this book first
i have just read a book titled:- Hell of a caravan park by septimus cooper, worth a read if thinking of buying a static van, about how you get ripped off and bullied by site owners,
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Not all sites are the same. People need to do their homework. We looked at very many sites, over a long period of time, we discarded some due to the not so good upkeep, some because they were prime housing sites of the future ( if sold for building on you would be asked to move your van. Eventually we found one we liked, listened to all the sales speel, then returned later, walked around and spoke to many residents, who all said they were happy. We chose a family run site that has been running for years and can never be built on. We spent three days reading and re reading the contract before we went ahead. That’s not to say that things can’t go wrong but we chose the best we could, and so far we have been happy here for 6 years now. It’s not an investment, it’s not bricks and mortar, when you sell up you will lose money, it does deprecate, as with buying a car. Some of it is luck, but lots of groundwork on the buyers part before the purchase is also required.
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Whilst I'm sure sites (site owners) like that exist I'm equally sure that it's a bit of mischievous scare mongering. As DEBS says above it is important to do one's homework and, a bit like buying a new car/caravan/MH be prepared to walk away if any shadow of doubt exists.
When we decided to invest in a static we visited many sites before deciding on the place we've had for many years now. First and foremost check details of the lease - we insisted on 15 years (+1 and a further option when we upgraded). Talk to folk who are likely to be your friends and neighbours. Make sure the environment is just what you want - we are in a large, former touring field , just 15 vans around the circumference and a large communal grass area left so that no-one feels hemmed in. Also a consideration - we get sun for most of the day, but have a couple of trees adjacent for shade. Suits us just fine.
It really needn't be a nightmare!
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It’s similar, although not the same, with residential sites. You need to research as much as you can. Go through the contract and site rules with a fine tooth comb, check the law, check out the site owner and speak to other occupants. As with most things in life, there are good and bad within the industry.
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