It happens to many of us. We either tire of life on the road, or life challenges get in the way of adventure seeking. Selling your RV is an emotional roller coaster for many. It’s also just like selling any other high-value vehicle. Depreciation can be high, and the time it takes to go from giving a tour to signing over the title can be months long.
There are basically three ways to sell your RV. In this blog post, we look at each to help you decide which method will work best (and most efficiently) for you.
The private online sale.
Online listings means you advertise the rig, manage the showings, and set the price. There are a wide range of places where you can advertise your RV online. Sites such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are free, and more than 800 people turn to these sites each month.
To reach a more targeted audience, you can turn to RV-specific classified websites, such as RVT.com which is for RV sales exclusively. In your classified ad, you can create a detailed listing with filterable options not available on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace. Want to highlight that your RV has triple slides or cherry cabinetry, you can do that on dedicated RV sales websites. That makes it easier for the buyer to find you. Of course, you have to pay to be on these types of sites, but many are quite affordable and can reach millions of people.
Be sure to include pictures that show your RV in its best light. Many hire professional photographers to do this task as they are best at making small spaces look large and inviting.
The biggest pro to selling online privately is that you control the entire sale and the asking price. The con is that you are solely responsible from start to finish, and you are probably shrinking your buying pool by requiring a cash buyer.
The RV dealer sale or trade in.
If you are thinking about your RV as a trade-in on another unit, an RV dealer might be the way to go. You get the money you need toward your new home away from home, and the dealer handles all the paperwork and financing for you. Every town typically has easy access to an RV dealer or two, and even if they don’t sell it on their lot, they are typically part of a larger network of RV dealers that they can sell your unit to.
The pros are that the dealer handles all the paperwork and you sell (or trade in) your RV right away. The cons are that you don’t typically make as much as you would if you sold it outright. But with that said, the advantage of time can work on your side, especially if you’re trading up to a larger motor home.
Selling through a motor home broker.
Selling your RV through a broker combines a bit of both the private market and the dealer option. With this, you use a third party to sell your RV, but you remain the owner until it’s sold. You remain in control and don’t have to hassle with many of the details of the selling process.
At Motor Home Finders, we will help you get the rig ready to sell. We advise and work with you on any cleaning and any maintenance issues that need to be taken care of. Once the rig is ready to go, we handle all the marketing efforts such as professional photography and advertising. Plus, we can market to both the general public and our nationwide network of motor home dealers. And we manage all the administration and logistics for you.
In most cases, we send out a professional photographer to take pictures so it can be marketed professionally. We handle all the details related to the sale of your RV and provide an amazing amount of specific information that buyers want to know. They will be well informed before making their offer and long before they come to see it.
Once the new owner has found your RV, we will handle all the paperwork and can even arrange for pick-up and delivery to the new buyer.
We charge a flat fee to sell your RV. Together, we will look at the market value of the RV as well as its condition and determine a fair price. Because we charge a flat fee we do not inflate the price nor do we try and make you list it for most than the market will support. We are in the business of selling RVs, not “padding” our inventory. Because of this, we are often able to get you more for your RV than you can privately or as a trade-in due to the fact that we pair qualified buyers and sellers together who are both motivated to complete the transaction and have very specific features in mind.
RVs in most demand today.
We have waiting lists of potential buyers looking specifically for Tiffin, Newmar, Winnebago, Entegra, and American Coach/Fleetwood models. If you’re thinking about selling RVs made by these manufacturers, there’s never been a better time than now. Call us to learn more. 888.783.4009.