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Van Isle Dreamery Estates RV Park
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Is that RV park actually a good deal?

One calculator. Same answer. Whichever side of the deal you're on.

A free RV park income and profitability calculator — a back-of-the-napkin underwriting tool for RV park, campground, and mobile-home park investors. Punch in the listing details — model nightly RV revenue and monthly lot rent side by side, layer in seller financing, seasonal rates, and balloon payments — and get revenue, NOI, cap rate, cash-on-cash ROI, break-even occupancy, and a deal-quality score in under sixty seconds.

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How it works

Three minutes, not three weeks.

Most RV park listings come with a one-page flyer and a phone number. Before you spend a week on a real underwriting model, this tool tells you whether the deal is even in the ballpark.

01

Enter the basics

Asking price, sites, nightly rate, any monthly lot rent, plus seller financing if there's a carry-back — and roughly what the seller claims for expenses. Best guesses are fine.

02

See the score

Get NOI, cap rate, and a 0–100 deal-quality score based on industry benchmarks.

03

Take it to dre1mery.com

Like the numbers? Unlock the full underwrite — cash-on-cash, DSCR, comps, and financing — in dre1mery.com.

Methodology

How we grade a deal.

Cap rate is the foundation.

A healthy independent RV park typically trades between 7% and 10% cap. Below 6% means you're paying retail; above 11% usually signals risk (lease land, deferred maintenance, declining market).

DSCR keeps you solvent.

Most commercial lenders want a debt-service coverage ratio of 1.25× or better. Below 1.0× and the park doesn't cover its own mortgage.

Cash-on-cash is what hits your bank.

After the mortgage is paid, what's your return on the cash you actually put in? Eight percent and up is generally where this asset class earns its keep.

Two income lines, modeled separately.

Nightly RV revenue is hospitality — seasonal, high-turnover, occupancy-sensitive. Monthly lot rent on mobile-home pads is the opposite: stable, long-term, low-turnover. A mixed park needs both modeled as distinct revenue lines, because the lot rent quietly lowers your break-even occupancy and de-risks the deal.

Seller financing changes the math.

A vendor take-back note — often at a softer rate than the bank — layers onto the capital stack. We fold both the bank and seller payments into DSCR and cash flow, so you can see whether the carry-back is what makes the deal pencil.

Benchmarks

RV park numbers to know.

Rough industry benchmarks for sanity-checking an RV park, campground, or mobile-home park deal. Every market is different — treat these as a gut check, not gospel, and always verify against real T-12 financials.

Metric Typical range What it tells you
Cap rate7%–10%Healthy independent parks. Below 6% is retail pricing; above 11% usually signals risk (leased land, deferred maintenance, a softening market).
Expense ratio40%–55%Operating expenses as a share of gross revenue. Much higher and utilities or payroll are usually out of line.
Annual occupancy (transient)40%–60%Nightly/weekly RV demand is seasonal. Model peak, shoulder, and off-season separately for accuracy.
Annual occupancy (long-term)80%+Monthly, snowbird, and mobile-home lot rent is stable and low-turnover, which lowers break-even occupancy.
DSCR1.25×+Debt-service coverage most commercial lenders want. Below 1.0× the park can't cover its own mortgage.
Cash-on-cash return8%+Return on the cash you actually put in, after debt. Where this asset class earns its keep.
Typical sale price$500K–$3MMost independent RV parks trade in this band; larger destination resorts run well beyond it.

Estimates and rules of thumb only — not investment advice.

FAQ

Common questions.

What is a good cap rate for an RV park?

Healthy independent parks usually trade between a 7% and 10% cap. Below 6% generally means paying retail; above 11% often signals risk (leased land, deferred maintenance, a softening market).

How is the deal score calculated?

A weighted blend: cap rate (25%), cash-on-cash (25%), DSCR (20%), expense ratio (15%), and the buffer between your occupancy and break-even occupancy (15%).

Is the calculator free?

Yes. The deal score, gross revenue, NOI, and cap rate are free and run entirely in your browser. Enter your email to continue into dre1mery.com, where the full underwriting suite is available on a paid plan.

What numbers do I need?

Asking price, sites, blended nightly rate, occupancy, and rough operating expenses. Best-guess estimates are fine for a first pass.

Can it handle a mixed RV and mobile-home park?

Yes. Toggle on the mobile-home lots to model monthly lot rent as its own income line. Lot rent is stable, long-term, and low-turnover; nightly RV revenue is seasonal and hospitality-like — so the two are underwritten as distinct revenue lines that roll up into one NOI and cap rate.

Does it support seller financing?

Yes. Toggle on seller financing to add a vendor take-back note with its own carry percentage, rate, and term. The tool layers it onto (or in place of) the bank loan and folds both payments into DSCR, cash flow, cash-on-cash, and projected equity. Add a balloon payment to model the balance coming due in a lump sum at a set year.

How do you value an RV park?

The income approach is standard: divide net operating income by a market cap rate. An RV park with $200K of NOI at an 8% cap is worth about $2.5M ($200K ÷ 0.08). NOI is gross revenue minus operating expenses, before debt. Always confirm with the seller's trailing-twelve-month (T-12) financials.

What is the average occupancy for an RV park?

Transient RV parks commonly run 40%–60% annual occupancy because demand is seasonal; long-term and snowbird-heavy parks can sustain 80%+. Use seasonal mode to model peak, shoulder, and off-season occupancy separately rather than a single flat number.

What expenses does an RV park have?

Property taxes, insurance, utilities (water, sewer, electric, trash), payroll, repairs and maintenance, and marketing and reservation software. Most parks run a 40%–55% expense ratio; much higher usually means utilities or payroll are out of line.

How do you calculate break-even occupancy?

It's the occupancy where revenue exactly covers operating expenses plus debt service. Divide annual expenses + loan payments (less non-occupancy income like lot rent and store sales) by revenue at 100% occupancy. The gap between break-even and your expected occupancy is your margin of safety — shown free in the results.

More tools

Free RV park calculators.

Focused, single-purpose calculators for the numbers that move an RV park or campground deal. Each runs free in your browser — and feeds straight back into the full underwrite above.

01

Site-Night Revenue Calculator

Project gross revenue and RevPAS from your site mix, nightly rates, and occupancy — tents, RV sites, cabins, and glamping.

Open calculator →
02

Seasonal Occupancy Calculator

Forecast blended annual occupancy and revenue across peak, shoulder, and off seasons — when demand swings hard by month.

Open calculator →
03

Utility Cost Calculator

Estimate annual electric, water, and sewer cost per site so utilities don't quietly sink your NOI and cap rate.

Open calculator →