HOLIDAY HOME BUYERS GUIDE
Your holiday home buyers guide
From your first thoughts of enjoying the luxury of a holiday home to settling into the dream home on your ideal park there are many options to consider along the way. Here we have just an introduction to what you may begin to think through, at Johnston’s Caravans our experienced sales team will be happy to assist and expertly guide you through the process to discover your ideal holiday.
Determine the size of the holiday home you require.
Firstly to consider is how many people you wish to accommodate on a regular basis. Holiday homes are commonly available in two and three bedroom floorplans. In addition to this most units facilitate extra sleeping requirements by utilising a fold out sofa bed in the lounge.
Holiday homes are also available in a range of sizes from 28 feet long up to over 40 feet long, and from 10 feet wide up to 14 feet wide. We also supply twin unit modular homes up to 22 feet wide. Should you require a holiday home with accessibility features there are a number available with thoughtfully designed with wheelchair user friendly features.
So there is certainly a layout and size available to suit whatever needs you may have.
Choosing your holiday home specification.
All reputable holiday home manufacturers build to the relevant standards set out by the National Caravan Council Scheme (NCCS) adhering to EN1647; as such they are designed for holiday/seasonal use. Most new holiday homes are built with additional spec including; double glazing, central heating, extra insulation, upgraded exterior wall thickness, UPVC exterior cladding and galvanised chassis. All these result in ensuring your holiday home can be kept cosy warm, even outside of main season. In addition to this many units are available and stocked with full residential specification, built to BS3632 these units are the pinnacle of thermal and acoustic insulation, with UPVC or Canexel exterior cladding. This provides the customer with a home which can be enjoyed throughout the year.
What budget can you expect?
The price of a holiday homes vary greatly and are influenced by many factors including specification, model, age, condition and park location. Prices range from the entry level pre owned units on selected parks £6000-£9000 range throughout the spectrum to new holiday homes starting at £25000 to £70000 according to size and specification
As with any large purchase always do plenty research when considering your holiday home, if something seems too good to be true it very often is, be aware of any potential pitfalls and always ask expert advice.
Which park will best suit your needs?
Some simple factors which may influence your park choice will include, travel time from home, where any family/friends holiday, where/if you holidayed as a child with your parents and your own preferences. Some practical issues to consider include; annual site fees, facilities on the park and in the area, open season dates for the park. It is normal for holiday parks to stipulate the age a holiday home which will be accepted onto the park and after what age it should be replaced, it is imperative that a customer understands any such stipulations in place on any potential park choices. It is also important to ascertain what options are available regarding which dealer you may purchase your holiday home from to ensure best possible customer care during your purchase and with aftersales service.
Once you have purchased, what to expect at point of handover
Having chosen your holiday home and park the dealer should arrange delivery to your chosen plot and make all arrangements regarding delivery, positioning on plot, securely blocked and tied to the anchor points by means of chain and shackle, (with tensioners used solely to tension, not secure the chain ties). Following this connection to services, including water, waste, electricity and ensuring that the gas installation has been pressure tested and passed all safety inspections, with a safety cert issued by an RGII engineer. The owner’s handbook and all instruction books for the gas appliances MUST be handed over, and where present the proper operation demonstrated to the customer. There should also be a full set of keys for the holiday home including any external storage lockers.
Possible pitfalls to avoid
Since, a holiday home which has been maintained in good order may appear to be younger than it actually is, verifying the correct model year is very important as it will impact both the value and the life you may expect to enjoy it on your chosen park. At point of manufacture all holiday homes are fitted with means of identification; data badge serial/chassis numbers, initial electrical inspection certs and original owner handbooks also will identify the model year. If these have been removed it may be cause for suspicion, other means of identification include gathering data badge info from any appliances fitted at point of manufacture. With over 50 years’ experience in the industry Johnston’s Caravans will happily aid you should you have concerns regarding the age of almost any holiday home based even on a photo compilation.
When purchasing a holiday home it is important to buy from a reputable dealer to be assured that the unit will have undergone any necessary structural maintenance and to have peace of mind for any aftersales requirements.
Finally
There are a number of options and types of insurance cover for your holiday home, ranging from market value to a full reinstatement new for old type policy. Johnston’s Caravans Ltd can arrange insurance to cover Storm, Theft, Debris, Accidental and Flood Damage. These are all things outside of our control and some of the risks caravan insurance will cover. Most parks stipulate that you must ensure your holiday home is adequately insured, and that you provide proof of this annually. Insurance is one of the most important ways to protect your investment.