Snowbird Life and Cost Differences Under Four MH/RV Park Ownership Types in South Texas
Website design By BotEap.comMost of the RV/MH parks used by the annual migrating “snowbirds” in South Texas, that is, near or farther south than San Antonio, are managed under four types of ownership: 1) large business, 2) small business, 3) family or individual, and 4) cooperative. In some ways, the basic housing arrangements in all of these parks are similar.
Website design By BotEap.comFor example, most parks own all the land within their boundaries. Most offer RV rental lots and permanent sites for mobile home owners. Most also offer some form of indoor and outdoor facilities, such as recreation rooms, pools and dining areas, crafts, exercise, dances, games, garage sales, and live entertainment. Still, there are small differences in the costs of living under each type of property. Here is a summary of each.
Website design By BotEap.com1. large corporate (has many parks in different parts of the country or the world)
Website design By BotEap.comThese fenced and gated parks are comparatively large with populations numbering close to 2000 or so. They offer extensive activities to their occupants, which may include hair/beauty salons, large craft buildings or workshops, convenience stores, sporting activities, dance halls, restaurants, churches, and bus tour directors.
Website design By BotEap.comTheir seasonal rent and annual fees due can range from $1,000 to $3,000 per month more than those of the average size parks or smaller. These fees are well spent, however, if their occupants want to do a lot along with the luxury of having almost everything the parks provide. These higher fees also cover most of the park’s unexpected and routine maintenance costs, as well as any costs to provide community lives similar to typical small American towns.
Website design By BotEap.comtwo. Small company (has two or more)
Website design By BotEap.comThese fenced parks are numerous with populations close to 500 to 1,000 on average. They may be owned by a small business, a family, or an individual, and may have one to four sister parks under the same ownership. These sister parks may be right next to each other, while others may be several miles apart. These can cost $500 to $1000 per month more than smaller parks.
Website design By BotEap.comEach is managed in a similar way and may offer similar services, such as the recreational and social activities mentioned above. However, they are not totally the same because their occupants can form their own themes. For example, one park may be geared toward traditional Canadian activities, while others focus on hobbies, such as woodworking, arts and crafts, bowling, or golf.
Website design By BotEap.comThese parks attract many Winter Texans who want their specific activities and community relations.
Website design By BotEap.com3. family or individual (it has one or two parks, which can be organized or not)
Website design By BotEap.comThese parks can be owned by a family or, in some cases, by quite wealthy individuals who use them for tax relief. They can range from fenced in and well organized to disorganized, depending on the owners and occupants themselves, who form their own community themes.
Website design By BotEap.comThe organized ones will have recreation rooms with many of the simpler indoor and outdoor amenities, activities and entertainment (eg, bingo, cards, dominoes, pocket pool, puzzles, crafts, shuffleboard, horseshoes, walking and swimming).
Website design By BotEap.comThe unorganized basically rent RV lots and/or small apartments and mobile homes. In general, they will not have multi-purpose recreation rooms or swimming pools. But they may have closed pavilions or large rooms in which the occupants can gather for their own small-scale social activities. These occupants are primarily focused on keeping out the cold and not so much on having much to do socially.
Website design By BotEap.comLots and houses in these parks can be rented for $150 to $1400/month, and the homeownership owed is less than that of the highly organized parks described above.
Website design By BotEap.comFour. cooperatives (owned by the occupant)
Website design By BotEap.comUnlike previous parks, owners of mobile homes and rental lots in these parks have certificates of ownership of the land beneath their homes, giving them a vested interest in the overall welfare of the parks. If a local government or large corporation purchases one of these parks for any reason, a proportionate amount of the proceeds goes to the owners of the individual lots.
Website design By BotEap.comThese parks are run by an elected board of directors of annual occupants who write the park’s charter and regulations and approve office staff to handle the park’s routine maintenance and business needs. Directors have staggered terms, while all unit owners consist of the voting board. Under these arrangements, these communities are highly active and involved.
Website design By BotEap.comThe cost of living in these parks can be quite reasonable, depending on the number of buildings and facilities they provide. In certain places, the property owed may be less than $1,500 annually. However, in order for them to maintain their upkeep, volunteering, assessments, and fundraisers may be common.
Website design By BotEap.comconclusion. Potential winter occupants can find suitable places to hibernate at these South Texas RV and RV parks, depending on their wants and needs. Two common snowbirding needs are 1) to get away from cold northern climes during the winter months and 2) to find new friends in reasonably priced winter communities. For more information on these parks and their locations, check out these websites.