Once you have gathered initial information on relevant holiday parks many customers go on to plan several sales visits to finalise their purchase.
If you are considering a sales visit to a holiday park it is important to make sure you are prepare to ensure you have a productive experience.
We have put together this planning guide based on customer feedback and spending time with sales staff on holiday parks to assist you.
Expectations
When completing a sales visit to a park it is important to understand your expectations and communicate these to the sales team.
As with any major purchase it pays to do as much research as possible and the internet is a useful tool. If you just require basic information this may often be sourced by searching on the internet and requesting a sales pack rather than a sales visit.
If you are further down the buying process and ready to make a decision they will be more than happy to spend a few hours running through detailed information, viewing available static caravans and available pitches.
From our experience most quality sales people are good at identifying what you wish to achieve that day. As caravan sales team are high profile and based on the park it is very much in their interest to ensure all customers purchase the right product and become contented owners.
Remember all good sale people will ask for the business on completing of a sales visit.
Budget
One of the key considerations to buying a static caravan on a UK holiday park is your budget. This encompasses the purchase cost or monthly finance repayment costs and the ongoing annual running fees.
A static caravan holiday home is a luxury item and so needs to be paid for on top of your regular monthly outgoings. Setting a realistic budget is the key to long and happy life as an owner.
You will need to consider the following before you visit:
- Do you want to buy caravan outright or on finance paid monthly?
- Do you want a new or used static caravan?
- What is you maximum purchase budget or monthly finance repayment?
- What is your budget for running costs?
- How much do you spend on UK holidays each year?
- Are you prepared to rent you static caravan when you are not using to subsidise costs?
You should insist that all running costs are outlined in full before you look at any static caravans.
Running costs check list
- Pitch fees
- Local Authority / Water & Sewerage Rates
- Insurance
- Gas
- Electricity
Remember running costs can be subsidised by renting caravan, however be realistic and ask your caravan sales team for advice. You will also need to assess any savings on holiday accommodation you will make.
The visit
A good sales visit should cover the following areas.
- Confirmation of expectations
- Review of purchase budget
- Key facts of park, opening months
- Review of all running costs on the park
- Viewing of all available static caravans and specifications that meet your budget
- Viewing of available pitches
- Completion & paperwork if commencing purchase
In general it is possible to complete a purchase in only few hours, especially if you have completed your research.
Short Break
Many UK park operators offer free short break holidays to customers who are ready to purchase a static holiday caravan. This is a great way to experience and get to know the holiday park first hand.