Hi, Following on from a previous post I have been researching buying/running/living at a campground as a family business. I've spoken to some brokers and am trying to narrow down the search to campgrounds that are going to provide us with enough net income to live off. Many won't it seems, but some may. I say may because I've received some profit loss statements etc but need to get them checked and then verified. So, next I am checking out the areas they are in. There is one in Florida that has just one review on this site. The review says it was not clean etc, the broker has said it needs upgrading and has not been looked after by the owner who has various personal problems going on so needs to sell asap. It's in Crescent City, NE Florida. Does anyone know how in demand this area is to Snowbirds/Rvers etc? Or what it would be like for a family to live there? We also looked at some in North Carolina but the broker has said they would not generate the income we need. Or others that seem a bit in 'no man's land'. We prefer to be quite near to towns/cities. Others are in States we aren't so sure of. What about New England? It sounds like some great areas are there but the weather? It sounds a bit like England! Although a seasonal campground that made enough income would be preferred. How long are the summers and is it a popular place for RVers? Many thanks, I figure the RV community is a great place to gain insight.
I haven't been through Crescent City for some years but I remember it being a sleepy little town with not much going on. Nearest town of any size would be Palatka. It is (or used to be) a big bass fishing area, so you might be able to attract snowbirds who like to fish. If you have children, though, this might not be the greatest area as the public schools are ranked pretty low from what I can see.
Thanks for your reply. Just out of interest which site do you use to check the rating of schools? Wanted to see if it's the same one I've been looking at (yes the schools in Crescent City don't seem to rate so high). I am also looking at campgrounds in other parts so will ask the same question about them to! Thanks
QUOTE(jamarynn1 @ Oct 24 2010, 10:32 PM) [snapback]24691[/snapback] I haven't been through Crescent City for some years but I remember it being a sleepy little town with not much going on. Nearest town of any size would be Palatka. It is (or used to be) a big bass fishing area, so you might be able to attract snowbirds who like to fish. If you have children, though, this might not be the greatest area as the public schools are ranked pretty low from what I can see. Sorry, I tried to find the site again but couldn't. I remember that the schools were rated 4 or 5 out of a possible 10.
I don't know much about capgrounds from the east, even though I was born there. I only remember were the winters coming in with a vengance, and the snow never leaving until spring. Have you thought that the parks that may be closed in the winter might be better for you so you can help the kids more with their schoolwork in the winter. This off-time might allow you to also have a vacation away from work at times, whereas, if you got a park in a warmer climate, you would have to hire a responsible person to run it if/when you wanted to take some time off. If you ever consider getting a park in the Colorado area, I could suggest some areas that could use a good park and if any are for sale, I might offer some insite as to the feasability of them. One last suggestion, go for one that is run down that you can fix up. The ones that are already in good shape, probably have met their potential and are making close to their maximum income (except for raising rates). The ones that are run down, could gain new customers and really grow as you improve them. Just some suggestions, hope they help.
QUOTE(Fitzjohnfan @ Oct 27 2010, 06:39 AM) [snapback]24722[/snapback] I don't know much about capgrounds from the east, even though I was born there. I only remember were the winters coming in with a vengance, and the snow never leaving until spring. Have you thought that the parks that may be closed in the winter might be better for you so you can help the kids more with their schoolwork in the winter. This off-time might allow you to also have a vacation away from work at times, whereas, if you got a park in a warmer climate, you would have to hire a responsible person to run it if/when you wanted to take some time off. If you ever consider getting a park in the Colorado area, I could suggest some areas that could use a good park and if any are for sale, I might offer some insite as to the feasability of them. One last suggestion, go for one that is run down that you can fix up. The ones that are already in good shape, probably have met their potential and are making close to their maximum income (except for raising rates). The ones that are run down, could gain new customers and really grow as you improve them. Just some suggestions, hope they help. Thanks for this. We do have details of a campground in Colorado but know so little about the area. What are the summers like? I know you get snow and that's about it! Are there some more liberal areas? Good school areas? Could see if any for sale in those parts? We thought Florida because we may get some time off in the summer during quiet time? However really confused as to all the choice, what's good etc. Many thanks.
QUOTE(Fitzjohnfan @ Oct 26 2010, 11:39 PM) [snapback]24722[/snapback] I don't know much about capgrounds from the east, even though I was born there. I only remember were the winters coming in with a vengance, and the snow never leaving until spring. Have you thought that the parks that may be closed in the winter might be better for you so you can help the kids more with their schoolwork in the winter. This off-time might allow you to also have a vacation away from work at times, whereas, if you got a park in a warmer climate, you would have to hire a responsible person to run it if/when you wanted to take some time off. If you ever consider getting a park in the Colorado area, I could suggest some areas that could use a good park and if any are for sale, I might offer some insite as to the feasability of them. One last suggestion, go for one that is run down that you can fix up. The ones that are already in good shape, probably have met their potential and are making close to their maximum income (except for raising rates). The ones that are run down, could gain new customers and really grow as you improve them. Just some suggestions, hope they help. Good advice, though I have seen the run down campground situation go both ways. Sometimes the new owner can turn the park around rather easily and has made a great investment. Other times, a run down park is a money pit, for every item the new owner had to repair, 100 more items surfaced. Low water pressure that everyone thought was because they needed a new pressure tank and pump for the well turned out to be damaged leaking main pipes that ran under the building that had to be replaced. That easy upgrade to 50 amp services? The electric provider cannot provide that additional capacity and the increased services will not be available for 10 years or so. It can overwhelm someone who is also learning the campground business. For first time park buyers, I always recommend buying a park that cash flows on the existing income. For practical purposes, with a 25% down payment, a park selling for no more than 9 times net earnings. Turn around opportunities and parks selling for more than they will cash flow are for more sophisticated investors that have had experience in turning around a business or those who have significant cash reserves fund repairs and improvements and weather the turn around negative cash flow. A new buyer will have a lot on their plate just learning the business and figuring out what they need to do with a profitable park, most do not need the added pressure of mega repair and renovation projects and advertising campaigns to not only publicize the park, but try to change the image also. If the sellers of the parks you are considering cannot justify the price financially, just move on. It doesn't really make sense to beat dead horses. A great resource for listings is www.rvparkstore.com. They have literally hundreds of listings from both brokers and private sellers. There is a lot of bad deals to wade through, but there are good deals there also.
Thanks all for the sensible advice. I've narrowed the search down to Florida at the moment as North Carolina and South Carolina didn't seem to have any in our price range or that would generate the income. I've looked on RVparkstores site and contacted some owners/brokers. Trying to locate some that seem to have good income that are also in an area we'd want to live! Any obvious good deals you know of in these areas please let me know! I have financials for some, but struggle to trust/understand them....need to know what net disposable income would be after loan payments. Many of the smaller ones we looked at would just about cover this but nothing left to live on! Once I can narrow search to a few will come visit them and check out further. Ideally we want owners housing which seems to complicate the asking price as I guess the value of house is factored in too. Thanks
QUOTE(jukes @ Oct 28 2010, 11:50 AM) [snapback]24737[/snapback] Thanks all for the sensible advice. I've narrowed the search down to Florida at the moment as North Carolina and South Carolina didn't seem to have any in our price range or that would generate the income. I've looked on RVparkstores site and contacted some owners/brokers. Trying to locate some that seem to have good income that are also in an area we'd want to live! Any obvious good deals you know of in these areas please let me know! I have financials for some, but struggle to trust/understand them....need to know what net disposable income would be after loan payments. Many of the smaller ones we looked at would just about cover this but nothing left to live on! Once I can narrow search to a few will come visit them and check out further. Ideally we want owners housing which seems to complicate the asking price as I guess the value of house is factored in too. Thanks To be of any further assistance I think we would need to know the parameters you are operating under. Knowing about how much you will be able to put down and how much disposable income you need to generate will go a long way to allowing myself and some of the others on this forum to assess whether or not you are looking to do something that is feasible. Have you done any research as to whether you will be able to qualify for a loan? If I remember correctly you are from England, that will definitely complicate any transaction. How important are the living quarter concerns. Many Parks have manager quarters that are apartments or modular homes. Very few have custom single family homes included. It will have a bearing on what you can do. Finally, what backround do you and your husband have? I am concerned you are unable to understand the financial statements you are being provided. They should be simple income statements and balance sheets. It should be very straightforward. You are welcome to send me a PM if you don't want to reveal you financial expectations to the world on the forum. I will gladly keep any PM information confidential. KCMOEDOE
Thanks. Yes we are in England. My mother is American and I have dual nationality, via this my husband can work in America too. My husband works in construction and is very practical and can put his hands to most things. He is also very friendly, and well liked by customers for his honest, helpful approach. I think he'd be a great campground host too. As for me, I have a degree in Marketing and Post Grad Guidance qual. I have worked 10 years as a Career Advisor with difficult teenagers. As for my book keeping skills, I do understand the basics (and plan to do a course in it) but the financial statements I have for one campground has some points I am not totally clear on. Mainly that on the Profit and Loss it gives a net income as a minus figure, but on the Income and Expenses (Actual) it has the Pro-Forma Net Operating Income for the same year as a much higher figure. I see from it that this figure has not subtracted expenses such as Rent (I took this as being the mortgage loan??), automobile expenses, depreciation expenses etc. So I wasn't sure if I took the Net Operating Income and then subtracted my loan amount, car, etc from it to get the disposable income I'd have? Hope this makes sense! There was also another campground and the broker emailed me what the profit is after mortgage payment, I'll PM you my query over that, there is slightly different terminology that is used. As for mortgage, it's different in England, Estate Agents here do not deal with finances at all. In the US it seems they do? Some campgrounds have owner financing which is something we do not have in England. As for bank loans, how far do the brokers/agents go in setting this up? Our deposit depends on what is included. We are moving with my mum (she'd work at campground too) and our 2 children age 4 and 7. my mum needs her own housing, either on site, or in a nearby town. We would like 3 or 4 bed housing on site. If this was all on site and we didn't need to make major improvements, our cash deposit would be $400,000. Less if we need to build house etc. Income: we were aiming for $40,000 net disposable income (after loan payments) for personal expenses; food, health cover, car, clothes, travel. How realistic does this sound to you? We don't expect to get rich but want enough to not struggle for the basics and some fun and travel time. Currently we have about $28,000 disposable income/annum after paying our mortgage,taxes,utilities,pension. I work p/t, husband f/t. We don't of course pay health insurance (although we pay taxes for this). I've not really found the US that much cheaper than the UK, although last time we were there the exchange rate was poor for us and we were in California! We looked into one campground that included a large 4 bed mobile home and 2 bed one. They have 1 or 2 months off to go RVing, we'd like this. The loan would have been covered by the seller which would be ideal. He reports a net income as $40,000 (he's calculating what would be left after loan, perhaps not a lot!) not including the cash he claims to get. It seemed like a good campground to run as a family too, but I've read some weird comments about the area. "Hillbilly, backwards, friendly, pretty, rural....". So not so sure. We must be near good schools. We would only want a campground that is attractive both financially and physically. We don't want a concrete car park type, nor a mobile home park. We like nature and moved away from London to a much quieter area, but we do like to be near a town with basic shops, and perhaps no more than an hour to a large town/city. We don't want a dull, rainy climate like England! We'd like a good long summer. Doesn't have to be really hot, just warm enough to enjoy the outdoors. We love California but it's too expensive (I spent much of my childhood there). We looked in to N Carolina, my mum likes Asheville area, but nice campgrounds = no income... Lots for sale in Florida, SnowBirds, easy access back to UK and quiet time in summer to take a break. So we've started looking here. Schools seem to vary. New England/NY - my husband likes sound of these states, have details of some for sale have asked agent to look at financials for me as she was one that said NC = no income for us. Not sure if season too short to generate income, and not sure how I feel about the climate there, although if we earned enough in season to take long break then perhaps ok. We are quite liberal (but live in conservative region at moment), open minded, tolerant to various beliefs, HATE racism. We don't go to church, although my son who's 7 is interested so we take him sometimes. Hope this all helps. Many many thanks to all.
QUOTE(jukes @ Oct 29 2010, 04:49 AM) [snapback]24741[/snapback] Thanks. Yes we are in England. My mother is American and I have dual nationality, via this my husband can work in America too. My husband works in construction and is very practical and can put his hands to most things. He is also very friendly, and well liked by customers for his honest, helpful approach. I think he'd be a great campground host too. As for me, I have a degree in Marketing and Post Grad Guidance qual. I have worked 10 years as a Career Advisor with difficult teenagers. As for my book keeping skills, I do understand the basics (and plan to do a course in it) but the financial statements I have for one campground has some points I am not totally clear on. Mainly that on the Profit and Loss it gives a net income as a minus figure, but on the Income and Expenses (Actual) it has the Pro-Forma Net Operating Income for the same year as a much higher figure. I see from it that this figure has not subtracted expenses such as Rent (I took this as being the mortgage loan??), automobile expenses, depreciation expenses etc. So I wasn't sure if I took the Net Operating Income and then subtracted my loan amount, car, etc from it to get the disposable income I'd have? Hope this makes sense! There was also another campground and the broker emailed me what the profit is after mortgage payment, I'll PM you my query over that, there is slightly different terminology that is used. As for mortgage, it's different in England, Estate Agents here do not deal with finances at all. In the US it seems they do? Some campgrounds have owner financing which is something we do not have in England. As for bank loans, how far do the brokers/agents go in setting this up? Our deposit depends on what is included. We are moving with my mum (she'd work at campground too) and our 2 children age 4 and 7. my mum needs her own housing, either on site, or in a nearby town. We would like 3 or 4 bed housing on site. If this was all on site and we didn't need to make major improvements, our cash deposit would be $400,000. Less if we need to build house etc. Income: we were aiming for $40,000 net disposable income (after loan payments) for personal expenses; food, health cover, car, clothes, travel. How realistic does this sound to you? We don't expect to get rich but want enough to not struggle for the basics and some fun and travel time. Currently we have about $28,000 disposable income/annum after paying our mortgage,taxes,utilities,pension. I work p/t, husband f/t. We don't of course pay health insurance (although we pay taxes for this). I've not really found the US that much cheaper than the UK, although last time we were there the exchange rate was poor for us and we were in California! We looked into one campground that included a large 4 bed mobile home and 2 bed one. They have 1 or 2 months off to go RVing, we'd like this. The loan would have been covered by the seller which would be ideal. He reports a net income as $40,000 (he's calculating what would be left after loan, perhaps not a lot!) not including the cash he claims to get. It seemed like a good campground to run as a family too, but I've read some weird comments about the area. "Hillbilly, backwards, friendly, pretty, rural....". So not so sure. We must be near good schools. We would only want a campground that is attractive both financially and physically. We don't want a concrete car park type, nor a mobile home park. We like nature and moved away from London to a much quieter area, but we do like to be near a town with basic shops, and perhaps no more than an hour to a large town/city. We don't want a dull, rainy climate like England! We'd like a good long summer. Doesn't have to be really hot, just warm enough to enjoy the outdoors. We love California but it's too expensive (I spent much of my childhood there). We looked in to N Carolina, my mum likes Asheville area, but nice campgrounds = no income... Lots for sale in Florida, SnowBirds, easy access back to UK and quiet time in summer to take a break. So we've started looking here. Schools seem to vary. New England/NY - my husband likes sound of these states, have details of some for sale have asked agent to look at financials for me as she was one that said NC = no income for us. Not sure if season too short to generate income, and not sure how I feel about the climate there, although if we earned enough in season to take long break then perhaps ok. We are quite liberal (but live in conservative region at moment), open minded, tolerant to various beliefs, HATE racism. We don't go to church, although my son who's 7 is interested so we take him sometimes. Hope this all helps. Many many thanks to all. The "rent" shown on the financial statements may be to a holding company or other entity the park owner has set up for tax purposes. Just be sure to ask and document the answer. Depreciation is a non-cash expense that it is very proper to add back into the income. Interest is similar, it will vary by owner and is not an operating expense. Finding a park can be a long process. You have some good ideas as to what you are looking for. As for Racism, Tolerance, liberalism etc. You will find that in the states, most of these attitudes are considered private. There are very few communities that reflect any or all of those vices and virtues. Though people will disagree with me. I have not encountered communites that are overtly racist, or intolerant unless there is overt behavior the other way. I.E. most communities tolerate the gay and lesbian residents but would object to the over the top behavior seen at some gay pride parades in the major cities. Even in the deep south, there is no overt racism, though I am sure racism exists in every community in the US
QUOTE(kcmoedoe @ Nov 1 2010, 03:45 AM) [snapback]24766[/snapback] The "rent" shown on the financial statements may be to a holding company or other entity the park owner has set up for tax purposes. Just be sure to ask and document the answer. Depreciation is a non-cash expense that it is very proper to add back into the income. Interest is similar, it will vary by owner and is not an operating expense. Finding a park can be a long process. You have some good ideas as to what you are looking for. As for Racism, Tolerance, liberalism etc. You will find that in the states, most of these attitudes are considered private. There are very few communities that reflect any or all of those vices and virtues. Though people will disagree with me. I have not encountered communites that are overtly racist, or intolerant unless there is overt behavior the other way. I.E. most communities tolerate the gay and lesbian residents but would object to the over the top behavior seen at some gay pride parades in the major cities. Even in the deep south, there is no overt racism, though I am sure racism exists in every community in the US Same in England really, people tend to keep their views to themselves, although there are certain areas that are pockets for more extreme behaviour. My mom who is orginally from America spent her 20's in Berkeley, California, so she for one will be drawn to areas with this type of perceived image (she likes what she's read about Asheville NC, too), so I guess I was aiming for areas that lean more in that direction, although as you say, racism etc exists amongst all walks of life... Many thanks.
Jukes I like KCmoddoe's post. Thoughtful and accurate. IMHO you should do a lot of research before buying. The US is a huge place and there are big differences in the climate. Florida is hugely different weather than England. You had better sample that before plunking down 400 grand. New England is a beautiful area with lovely villages but generally colder than England. It is not so soggy as England though. There is only one Beserkly. I grew up in California was born in the Berkley vicinity. It is an original and if that is the vibe you want I think you will not find it in Florida. I have spent time in both places. In no way is that a diss of FL, I like FL, but no Berkley there. The Fairhope Alabama area might be worth your checking out. But if you like California I can tell you there is no substitute. For all the bad press my home State gets it is still a wonderful place. There are 150,000 square miles. There is no doubt an RV Park for you there somewhere. You said your husband is good at construction. So buy a piece of land and build your dream. Prices for land in California vary wildly from Beverly Hills to Baker CA. I also think you should check out southern Oregon. The area around Ashland/Medford has a bit of a Berkley vibe Oregon style and does not have soggy English weather like Portland Oregon. Bend Oregon is also a very cool place. IMHO you may be setting your sites low if you want to invest 400,000 and only net 40,000 back. You can make 5% in tax free muni bonds. If it were me investing my money I would insist of an absolute minimum of 15% and have a goal of 20% return. You need to get paid for the risk you are taking. Be sure you verify all financial information before putting any money down.
Thanks very much for your reply, it is useful to have suggestions about locations to focus on too. We are now in the process of working with a consultant who amongst other things: We are all about working for a buyer. First training the buyer and second we search campgrounds that aren’t on the market, using the buyers criteria and thereby avoiding buyer competition. I'd hit a brick wall with my own research and they offer what I feel moves us in to the next stage of our search for the perfect campground to suit our financial and lifestyle requirements. The consultant has varied and extensive experience of the industry and the goal is for them to 'match' us to campgrounds that we can they go and see. Narrow the search to the good ones! They initially provide us with training about buying a good business etc, the fee for this is very reasonable and they seem very nice to work with and it all seems very relevant. I will let you know how this all goes. Also any further suggestions as to locations would be great. As I mentioned previously we like the San Francisco bay area and have spent much time there. We also like what we've read about parts of Western North Carolina, such as Asheville. I'd always imagined Oregon as having wet weather like the UK but will consider the areas suggested as Oregon looks very interesting too. We have a lot of requirements that must be met, we have young children so must have good schools etc. Many thanks.
If you settle on a few places I would rent a camper and go stay there without letting the owners know who you are. The campground I manage is for sale and when I listen to the Realtor and the owners talk to potential buyers I sometimes wonder where the campground they are describing. Someone trying to sell doesn't necessarily lie but they can, and often do, embellish the facts to make the place sound much better at bringing in income than it does. The income is good but there are costs that they tend to ignore when trying to sell the place. If you could go in without them knowing you are a potential buyer you would get a more honest impression of what the place is actually like.
QUOTE(dalsgal @ Nov 9 2010, 10:52 PM) [snapback]24829[/snapback] If you settle on a few places I would rent a camper and go stay there without letting the owners know who you are. The campground I manage is for sale and when I listen to the Realtor and the owners talk to potential buyers I sometimes wonder where the campground they are describing. Someone trying to sell doesn't necessarily lie but they can, and often do, embellish the facts to make the place sound much better at bringing in income than it does. The income is good but there are costs that they tend to ignore when trying to sell the place. If you could go in without them knowing you are a potential buyer you would get a more honest impression of what the place is actually like. Yes, we hope to identify a few for sale over the next couple of months then visit whilst on 'holiday'. This is one reason we've chosen a consultant to help with our search as they act for the buyer, not seller, as it is hard to sift through all the campground info to pick out what the 'real' picture is, this is what the consultant will help us with. They also seems to know about campgrounds to buy that are not advertised for sale so hopefully gain us access to a wider market. I also trust they live up to what they say they can do for us. Many thanks.
QUOTE(jukes @ Oct 28 2010, 07:10 AM) [snapback]24732[/snapback] Thanks for this. We do have details of a campground in Colorado but know so little about the area. What are the summers like? I know you get snow and that's about it! Are there some more liberal areas? Good school areas? Could see if any for sale in those parts? We thought Florida because we may get some time off in the summer during quiet time? However really confused as to all the choice, what's good etc. Many thanks. I love Colorado and would have to find a really good reason to ever leave, mostly because of the four seasons. Yes, we do get snow in the winter, but it dependes on where you're located as far as how harsh it can be. If you're in the mountains, obviously you will get more, but there are many areas on the western and eastern slopes where you will get snow, but the next day you may be out in shritsleeves and the snow disappears. The summers can get hot on the plains, with 4-5 days above 100 degrees (f), but it's a dry heat with low humidity so it can still be comfortable. As far as schools, I can tell you about the ones in the Denver metro area, but if you select any other area, I haven't a clue.
Would suggest looking at Texas. Nice climate and a lot of RVers come here. Summer would be your slow season more than winter though. Big question on Colorado would be where. Especially if you have never been there. I lived there for 13 years and one thing to consider coming from England is that most of the state is higher than 7000 feet in elevation. This is the point at which some people can begin to develop health issues and the only solution is to leave to a lower elevation. This would be disasterous if you found out after you had signed on a park. This problems can arise anywhere from 1 day to 6months after arriving at elevation. Also, it is COLD!!! (13 years is why I became a full time RVer and came to Texas!) In the Park and Teller county area -30 at night in the winter is not uncommon. Nor is waking up to 5 feet of snow. Not ideal conditions for RVing. Very beautiful country however. When looking at anywhere up north, you have to consider that with the current economy can you have a business that only operates 4 to 6 monts out of the year yet supports a family full time? You need to look at areas that are year round destinations.
QUOTE(EMDQueen @ Dec 3 2010, 03:43 AM) [snapback]25011[/snapback] Would suggest looking at Texas. Nice climate and a lot of RVers come here. Summer would be your slow season more than winter though. Big question on Colorado would be where. Especially if you have never been there. I lived there for 13 years and one thing to consider coming from England is that most of the state is higher than 7000 feet in elevation. This is the point at which some people can begin to develop health issues and the only solution is to leave to a lower elevation. This would be disasterous if you found out after you had signed on a park. This problems can arise anywhere from 1 day to 6months after arriving at elevation. Also, it is COLD!!! (13 years is why I became a full time RVer and came to Texas!) In the Park and Teller county area -30 at night in the winter is not uncommon. Nor is waking up to 5 feet of snow. Not ideal conditions for RVing. Very beautiful country however. When looking at anywhere up north, you have to consider that with the current economy can you have a business that only operates 4 to 6 monts out of the year yet supports a family full time? You need to look at areas that are year round destinations. thanks for your reply. We are very focused on the warmer areas now, it's so cold here and we are fed up and don't want to move somewhere with the same LONG cold winter and short summer. We've expanded our search to include cabin resorts too, some of which cater for RVs some don't. We have our eye on a few and will visit them in April if still for sale. A great one is in N. Georgia, we are also looking around western NC but not many profitable ones for sale at moment. I have family in Baltimore who really want us to move to Maryland or Virginia but again they have a shorter season and longer winter. Many in Florida for sale but really not sure about Florida, will visit in April too. Another in one of my favourite places, Carmel Valley, CA, but so expensive!
Have you considered places in Texas? Campgrounds here are open all year and with the construction that is going on, as well as the winter Texans coming in, you would most likely have a thriving location. If you brought in good camp hosts you could take off and leave them to manage the place while you are enjoying time off. We are in Central Texas and last year we had 2 days of single digit temps but most of the winter we just wear jackets. The summers are hot but a place with a pool draws campers in.
