How much is my static caravan worth?

To find out how much your caravan is worth, you can easily get a no-obligation quote from most dealerships, but we recommend you do your own research too, to get an idea of what the current price of your caravan is and where the value is within your caravan. When comparing prices of similar caravans, it’s good to think about:

• The caravan details - are the prices you’ve seen for the same specification? Not just the age, but the condition and modifications it may have.

• Who will be selling the van? There are advantages and disadvantages to different selling methods and some of these benefits may affect the money generated.

• Current market demand - how economic factors could affect static caravan prices.

Take a look at our top tips below before you start your research.

Put aside the wonderful memories of life in your caravan and look at it as would a stranger. There’s no set way of grading condition and it can be subjective, so to remove any bias we recommend you look at the images and descriptions of caravans of the same grade and age as yours in the marketplace. Understanding what the condition of your caravan means to price will enable you to have a frank discussion with your buyer. This is especially important if you’re selling direct to a private buyer.

Before you decide on what your caravan is worth, look at what is letting your caravan down. Could inexpensive improvements improve the overall standard of your caravan and improve it's worth? Think new carpets, curtains or worktops etc. Before you splash out, it's important to calculate whether you'll get a return from your investment before you outlay any cash. It's also worth noting, that dealerships may be less worried than private buyers about condition as they have the tools and expertise at hand to undertake repairs, so you may not need to make any improvements if going down this selling route.

Do you think you could make some changes to your caravan? If so, some modifications could add value or give you an advantage over other caravans on sale. Think extras such as storage with lift-up beds, space and plumbing for a dishwasher or central heating etc. Check what difference these features make to the prices of similar caravans in the marketplace, and if you're lucky enough to already have them, remember to advertise these when you come to sell.

Having paperwork to show the investments you've made into maintaining your caravan is valuable. It could also mean you don’t have to pay for further inspections when selling privately. If you're selling through the holiday park you bought your caravan from, they're likely to have records of any maintenance undertaken through them which will help to add value when you sell.

If the caravan you're thinking of selling is on a holiday park, then you may benefit from selling it back to the holiday park provider and letting them sell it on. You may be thinking, of course we'd say that as this is what we do at Haven, but we'd be remiss not to point out value from doing this. Demand for parks with facilities is strong and there's buyers who don't want to think about transportation and siting. Plus, it's reassuring to buy from someone with over 50 years of experience. When Haven owners sell their caravans back to us, we support them through the process and once they've sold their caravan to us there's no need for them to be involved with the next buyer. We make the whole selling process seamless and painless.

You’ll want to cover your costs as much as you can, so research is even more important when selling privately as it’s up to you to set the price for your caravan. You don’t want to under or overprice it as you’ll waste money, time, or both. Costs could include advertising, transportation, and a professional inspection of your caravan before you sell.

If selling privately, it’s a good idea to factor in the deals available in the marketplace and what other sellers are including in the price when setting your price for your caravan. Bigger dealerships may offer extras as they have flexibility to price more competitively. At Haven, site fees and retail bring other income streams so we can buy at a good price and often have good deals to attract new owners. Whereas private sellers are solely focused on the income from the sale of the caravan and price may reflect that.

If you’re not rushing the selling process, you’re likely to have more options available to you as you can wait for the best price or the ideal selling environment. In good economic conditions with consumers looking to buy caravans, prices may rise. However, if conditions are buoyant, then new caravan demand may be higher than pre-loved so the market may shrink. If economic factors aren’t favourable, then demand for pre-loved caravans may see an increase, but you may have stiff competition and have to work hard to get the best price for your caravan. If you do your research, you'll see what is happening with the prices as they change.

There's a lot to think about, but it's worth putting the time in to get an accurate idea of your caravan's value. At Haven our experienced holiday home teams on the parks are there to guide Haven owners through the selling process, whether help is needed with part-exchanging to a different caravan, or leaving the park when ownership no longer suits.