buying a static caravan.

We thought of this some years ago, we love a place on the South Coast and there is a very good Caravan site with good facilities close to the beach, obviously the vans nearest to the beach were far more expensive than the inner ones.

The monthly fees were pretty high, but the main thing that stopped us was that no Caravans over 15 years of age were allowed on the site, which meant that when the van reached that age you had to get it removed and buy another one, who knows how you would sell a caravan without a site or how you would fund buying another one?of course the company who owned the site would do it all for you, at a price.
Also you only rent the pad!
As the older caravans starting prices were approx £100k we passed.
So do your homework first and ask the right questions, when in doubt ask Dr Google.

My DH and I had a static caravan on the Northumberland coast for many years tiddlywink . It was our pride and joy . Our small business suffered tremendously during the financial crisis and we were forced to sell both our home and static caravan in order to save the business . I never looked back at my house but cried buckets for my caravan which was our little getaway from it all, our haven. If I won the lottery it would be the first thing I would do again .

The pitfalls : (apart from the cost of the caravan itself) the yearly fees ( ours was over £4000 per year and rose every year), many sites charge a one off development fee ( check that out) yearly insurances, yearly services and gas checks, the gas and electric ( is it bottled gas?) does water come in the yearly fees ? Ours didnt and was metered , how many months of the year is the site open? How old can a caravan stay on the site ? many sites are strict and make you take them off after 12-15 years.

But all that aside assuming you can afford it
You will have years and years of pleasure from your home from home .

I can only agree with gilly go into it with your eyes wide open and check, check and check again how often site fees rise and by how much.
It is not a cheap hobby but was our home from home for 9 years until my H started to be ill.
We loved every minute and although our site wasn't particularly child friendly we could be at the beach in 5 minutes and our GC loved it.
Good luck if you decide to go ahead.

We started off with what I like to call our match box on wheels,the smallest touring caravan imaginable.........it was sheer bliss but obviously very limited in a lot of ways.

Finding we thrived on this "Romany Lifestyle" we opted for a large static mobile home with all mod cons,had it parked on a Caravan site within view of a great Bay and within stumbling distance of the beach itself.

Although we had a delightful 3 bed bungalow inland and within some 3/4 miles of the coast we just love,love the sea ,hence this proved far more "our cup of tea"
We would move in bag and baggage prior to the Easter break and it was the beastly equinox winds of september that had us packing up,leaving to return to our bungalow to enjoy instant hot water and CH again!

Quite frankly we were young and foolish I suppose, because beyond actually buying the Caravan and setting it up as a mini home,and of course getting the right pitch in the right spot.......and paying for it, we did not look into all the pros and cons.
Had it been today we would have studied every minute detail, finding fault and worries here,there and everywhere ending up in not buying,living and thoroughly enjoying very many truly upbeat perfect summertimes.

The only reason we decided to give up this great home from home was that sadly, my foster mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer,she had provided me with a home, upbringing plus unconditional love,so there was but one answer.........we put our dream up for sale and sold it within weeks.
It nearly broke my heart, but at the same time nursing my dear FM took priority........ and it is a fact I have never regretted.

So the moral of my story I think reads like this...........follow your heart and don`t take costs,fees and all those stress factors into consideration........just go for it and I have a feeling, if it is within your grasp............it will be a decision bringing joy..... and a whole host of super memories ........for years to come.

Happy caravanning!!!

My parents had one. While at the caravan they worried about their house. While at the house they worried about the caravan!

Would it be possible to buy a touring caravan and be able to park it at home.
My dearest friend has just lost £16,000 on a static caravan

The site fees can be eyewatering, and can go up at any time.
Where we looked, the minimum was about 5K a year.
Have yourself a few holidays for that amount of money!
Unlike a house, caravans are worth less every year.

You could avoid a lot of the downsides of a static van by buying a large touring caravan and booking a seasonal pitch. We did that for a number of years and kept the van in storage over the winter. You’ve got everything you need in a tourer nowadays, including showers and central heating, and if you put up a full size awning you have all the living space you need. You can even buy carpet for your awning now!! It’s a cheaper option and you only need two tows and one set up each year. Good luck with your planning.

Thank you so much - we have lots to think about but you have come up with plenty of sound advice to get us started. It was great to read the messages - both the positive and the nearly negative!
Katek - you have given us a different idea which we had never even considered.Thank you.
If we go ahead,then get half as much pleasure out of it as both gillybob and annsixty,then I will be happy.Thanks again to all of you.