Getting Your Holiday Home Caravan Purchase Right

Looking for a new home-from-home?

Alongside buying a home or choosing a new car, purchasing a static caravan is both a lifestyle choice and a significant investment.

At Tree Tops, we pride ourselves on offering a home-from-home for our customers, providing stunning caravans and lodges in an unrivalled location.

We aim to provide outstanding customer service, a park second-to-none and a base from which to explore all North Wales must offer.

Sounds perfect? It is. But there’s much more to buying a static caravan or lodge than meets the eye. We actively encourage all our potential customers to take their time and do their research before making what is essentially a long-term commitment.

At Tree Tops, we believe openness and honesty is key to a successful customer relationship and with so many choices to make and questions to ask we’ve given you some key things to consider.

Location, location, location

A static caravan is a lifestyle choice so it pays to spend some time thinking about the reasons you want to buy. Is it to give you and your family regular breaks? To spend more time with children and grandchildren? Or a bolt hole to escape to at the end of the busy week?

Taking a little time to think it through can help you decide on the right location and park. Peace and quiet, or hustle and bustle? How far are you prepared to travel to reach your home-from-home? Think, too, about how many times a year you will be able to visit. It’s likely you will be at your park for a long time so it needs to suit you and your family. With that in mind, create a shortlist of favoured locations and what you’d like from your site.

Next steps

Choosing a location is just the first step. The next is to set a budget – both a minimum and maximum – and don’t deviate from this. Once you have done this, take the time to work through your shortlist, and explore online. Reading customers reviews and discovering the park’s facilities are just a part of the decision-making process.  It’s important to visit the park – and not just once.

Here at Tree Tops, we encourage potential customers to visit as many times as they please. We’ll happily show you around and talk through all we offer but it’s just as important to spend time on your own, without us, exploring the park and our caravans and lodges. Visiting at different times will give you a feel for the park during the day and in the evening  Talk to existing customers – there’s no better reference than from those already on site. Don’t be swayed by a ‘hard sell’ either. At Tree Tops we’re about helping you make the right choice at the right time for you but some parks will push for a sale.

During your visit, think and ask about the following:

• How long is the park open for?
• Does it have the facilities you need?
• What kind of caravan are you looking for?
• How many rooms will you need?
• Does the park match your lifestyle shortlist?

The last leg

Now you’ve chosen your park and caravan or lodge, you may think the hard work is done. Not quite. This last part is the most important and where we encourage our customers to really do their homework before committing.

One of our new customers, Keith Smith, joined us this year. He was thorough in his research, set his budget, determined travel times from his home in Burton upon Trent, and, most importantly, asked lots of questions. He has given us his top tips for buying a caravan which we’re happy to share with you.

Be clear from the outset about the site’s fees and ask to see a copy of the park’s site agreement in advance.

Be clear from the outset about the site’s fees and ask to see a copy of the park’s site agreement in advance. Mr Smith found some sites wouldn’t share their agreements with him. We believe in being open and honest and are happy to provide our agreement in advance of a visit. Doing this gives you chance to explore the terms and conditions of the park and the sale and we recommend customers go through this information carefully. If a park won’t share their agreement with you ahead then ask yourself – and them – why.

Make sure you check the paperwork thoroughly and look carefully at the length of time a site will grant a licence for. At Tree Tops we generally offer  a 20 year license agreement for caravans, ut not all parks are the same.

Check out disconnection charges and, if you think you might sell your caravan at a later date, then be clear in advance about what would happen to your caravan during that period. Mr Smith discovered some sites would tow his caravan away if it didn’t sell and would charge for storage at the same time.

Also, determine the percentage a park will expect to take on a caravan sale. Mr Smith found some parks would state the minimum percentage they’d take on a resale but not a maximum. Asking questions at this stage avoids unnecessary surprises in the future.

Be thorough in discussing ongoing or additional running costs including:

• Site fees
• General maintenance
• Insurance
• Gas and electricity rates

Talk to other caravan users too and certainly, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Talk to other caravan users too and certainly, don’t be afraid to ask questions. This may seem a lot to take in, but remember, taking the time to do your research at this stage will ensure you’ll ultimately be having the best of times at a park suited to you.

If you need more help, then we’re always happy to answer questions and you can reach us on 01745 560279.

Tree Tops is a member of the British Holiday Home and Home Parks Association.

Additional notes:

Tree Tops Caravan Park in North Wales offers a great experience for those wishing to own their own bolthole.  We are a family run caravan park and we offer a range of caravans for sale  to offer most budgets.  Tree Tops is the perfect, peaceful base from which to explore North Wales.  For more information please call 01745 560279.