Skyrocketing Real Estate Prices Are Paving the Way for a Recreational Park Trailer Boom Across the Northeast

BOSTON--Aug. 1, 20032, 2003--

Dealers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Are Reporting Record Sales as Consumers Increasingly Seek Affordable Retreat Cottages to Escape the Stresses of City Life

Nancy Brown considers herself the ultimate "urban person."

Born and raised in Boston, the 53-year-old schoolteacher has spent her entire life in the Massachusetts capital. And, for many years, Brown and her husband, Michael, a federal employee, have taken trips to Wells Beach in the summertime.

But like many resort areas across the country, real estate in southern Maine has become quite expensive, and the Browns have come to terms with the fact that it could cost them at least a couple hundred thousand dollars to purchase a weekend retreat cottage by the coast.

Then Brown's sister recently suggested they consider purchasing a recreational park trailer.

A trailer?

"I would never stay in a trailer," Brown remembers thinking, adding that she had never camped in her life. But Brown had never seen a recreational park trailer before. And when she visited Seacoast RV's Inc. in Saco, Maine, she quickly realized why record numbers of working professionals and retirees are driving up recreational park trailer sales in many areas across the Northeast. Seacoast RV's has experienced some of the strongest growth, with year-to-date sales up 235 percent compared with last year's figures.

"They're not just for retirees as some people would think they are," said Linda Mailhot, owner of Seacoast RV's. "Professionals use them for a weekend getaway."

Unlike mobile homes, which are a form of low-cost, permanent housing, recreational park trailers are movable resort cottages that are designed exclusively for part-time recreational use. Typically upscale in appearance, they often include bay windows and lofts as well as walnut, oak or maple cabinetry.

"They're really lovely," Brown said of her unit, a Kropf Industries model that includes a 20-foot sunroom and deck. "They're furnished very nicely and they're easy to maintain."

And the private campgrounds that provide seasonal sites for park trailers -- in Brown's case, Meadowledge RV Resort at Wells Beach -- are high quality parks. "We liked the park because it's very well kept, very well maintained. It's like this lovely little neighborhood. Everybody's piece of property is landscaped beautifully. We have this whole wooded area that's never going to be developed."

The recreational park trailer lifestyle is available at a fraction of the price of a condo or site built vacation cottage. While condos by the coast can easily cost several hundred thousand dollars, recreational park trailers cost under $50,000, with the average price being in the $33,000 range. Campsites, meanwhile, typically cost just under $3,000 per season. That includes about six months of the summer use and six months of winter storage.

"Do the math and you'll see why more and more people are discovering the merits of recreational park trailers," said William Garpow, executive director of the Newnan, Ga.-based Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA).

And while most recreational park trailer buyers are experienced RVers who discover the units when they visit a resort campground that leases or sells seasonal campsites to recreational park trailer owners, more and more people from outside the RV industry are discovering the product.

"We're even seeing more and more families with children buy into the recreational park trailer lifestyle, particularly since 9/11," Garpow said, adding, "People often purchase recreational park trailers not because they can't afford anything else, but because they share similar interests with other outdoor recreation enthusiasts and enjoy the safe and secure lifestyle that high-quality destination campgrounds and RV parks provide."

Richard Denman, owner of Pleasant Acres Farm Campground Inc., one of New Jersey's first park trailer dealers, attributes rising demand to both economic and social factors. "The decline in the stock market has increased investors' interest in real estate and in income properties, which translates into increased prices," he said. As a result, many people are finding that the getaway condo is becoming too expensive. At the same time, he said, 9/11 has prompted many people to place a higher priority on quality family time, and campgrounds provide attractive, secure retreat venues that are close to home.

"A lot of new people are coming out," Denman said. "You find out they're not traveling out of the country. They're not flying as much. They want to spend more time with their families. We are seeing more families. That's where the recreational park trailer has its big advantages. The family can park this in a campground for the summer. Mom and the kids can come on their own if dad can't come. It's a lot more usable than a traditional travel trailer. And the campground setting is a very secure setting."

All of this, of course, is good news to the handful of recreational park trailer dealers across the Northeast who are reporting booming sales this year.

David Spillane, who owns Travel Town Trailers in Southwick, Mass., said this has been one of his best years ever. "We sell about 90 trailers a year. And so far, we're about 18 units ahead of last year. So we're running about two months ahead in order volume," he said.

Colleen Botello, sales manager of Hi Way Campers Inc. in Plainfield, Conn., said her recreational park trailer sales are running about 10 percent ahead of last year's figures, while Mailhot, who owns Seacoast RVs in Saco, reports year-to-date sales being more than 230 percent ahead of last year's figures.

"The last several years, demand for recreational park trailers has really been growing very strongly," said Craig Miller, sales manager for Driftwood Camping Resort in Clermont, N.J., near Cape May, adding that his sales are up about 10 percent so far this year compared with last year's figures.

Scott Hayden, director of operations for Hitcharama RV in Turnersville, N.J., which is just outside Philadelphia, said his sales are up about 10 percent this year. "We're seeing steady, consistent business," he said of the dealership, which features recreational park trailers manufactured by Kropf Industries, DNA Enterprises and Skyline Corp.

Ed Guest, sales manager for Ocean View Trailers Sales in Ocean View, N.J., which carries recreational park trailers manufactured by Florida-based Chariot Eagle, said his sales are up, too, fueled in part by growing demand from families and young professionals seeking an affordable weekend retreat cottage. Ocean View also operates an RV park that rents sites to recreational park trailer owners.

Campgrounds are seeing increased demand for park trailer sites

Campground operators say the popularity of recreational park trailers is quickly spreading by word of mouth. "The demand is the best it's ever been," said Ron Robinson, owner of Yankeeland Campground in Kennebunk, Maine which is already filled to capacity. "I turn away (people seeking seasonal sites) at least three or four times a week," he said, adding that most of his guests are working people who use their recreational park trailers as a weekend or summer getaway.

"It's just a matter of two or three years and every unit in here will be a park model," said Bob Crandall, who has developed and owned the Timber Creek RV Resort in Westerly, R.I. for the past five years.

And while recreational park trailers are a cost-effective vacation retreat option for consumers, they also provide important benefits to campground operators. Unlike RVers, who may change their travel plans if the weather doesn't cooperate, seasonal campers pay for an entire season, providing the campground operator with a steady stream of income, said Molly De Felice, an office clerk for Sea Vu South campground in Wells, Maine.

And because recreational park trailers are designed as weekend retreat cottages, the people who own these units have the financial ability to help boost the local economy by patronizing local restaurants, gift shops and gas stations, Robinson said.

According to RPTIA, the typical recreational park trailer owner is 58 years old, owns a permanent residence at another location and has a median income of $60,000, more than double the income of the typical mobile or manufactured home owner.

Looking to the future, Garpow of RPTIA sees growing demand for recreational park trailers, particularly in resort locations in the Northeast and the Midwest that are about an hour or two away from major cities.

Brown, meanwhile, considers herself fortunate to have taken the time to find out what recreational park trailers are all about. "We get so much enjoyment from this little trailer," she said. "It's lovely inside. And I have the beach for the summer and I'm not spending thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars."

For more information about recreational park trailers, including regional and national shipment statistics, contact Garpow, visit the association's Web site at www.rptia.com or contact one of the dealers or campground operators listed below:

Northeast Dealer Sources

-- David Spillane, Travel Town Trailers, Southwick, Mass., 413-569-6297

-- Colleen Botello, Hi Way Campers, Plainfield, Conn., 860-564-0141

-- Andy Heck, Alpin Haus, Albany, N.Y., 518-842-5900

-- Linda Mailhot, Seacoast RVs, Saco, Maine, 207-282-3511

-- Richard Denman, Pleasant Acres Farm Campground, Sussex, N.J.: 973-875-4166

-- Ed Guest, Ocean View Trailer Sales, Ocean View, N.J.: 609-624-0370

-- Craig Miller, Driftwood Camping Resort, Clermont, N.J.: 609-624-1899

-- Scott Hayden, Hitcharama RV, Turnersville, N.J.: 888-448-2478

Northeast Campgrounds Reporting Increased Park Trailer Activity

Massachusetts

-- Prospect Mountain Campground, Granville, 413-357-6494

Connecticut

-- Acorn Acres, Norwich, 860-859-1020

-- Strawberry Park Resort Campground, Preston 888-794-7944

-- Witch Meadow Lake Campground, Salem, 860-859-1542

Rhode Island

-- Timber Creek RV Resort, Westerly, 401-322-1877

-- Holly Tree Camper Park, Ashaway, 401-596-2766

Maine

-- Meadowledge RV Resort, Wells Beach, 207-646-5008

-- Sea Vu South, Wells, 207-646-7732

-- Yankeeland Campground, Kennebunk, 207-985-7576

New Hampshire

-- Arcadia Campground Association, Moultonboro, 603-253-3139