How to sell your RV park without broker fees.

Forensic financial & legal standardization

Buyers underwrite tax returns and standardized P&Ls — not bank statements. If books show a 20% expense ratio because you mow for free, they’ll recalculate at a realistic 50–55% expense floor. T-12 this week. Separate rent from electric, water, propane, and laundry. Do not net utilities. Write the mow hours so we add labor back. Do not sign a long exclusive while the books are still a story. Tell us if a broker is already on it.

• 3-year Schedule C / corporate returns — match tax earnings to book income
• Trailing-12 (T-12) P&L — month-by-month revenue vs verified expenses
• Rent roll & security ledger — 30 vs 50, transient vs monthly, deposits
• Preliminary title search — liens, easements, contractor claims before contract

Example: “$20k a month” minus a $9k unrecovered electric bill is a story. 6% of $3.5M is $210k.

Physical infrastructure & peak-load stress auditing

Inspection teams stress-test systems. Voltage drops or backups become six-figure renegotiations right before close. Pull 12 months of master bills, summer vs winter. Map 30 vs 50 and long-term sites. Bill kWh where legal. RUBS only as a patch. Do not DIY extra ground rods at pedestals. Saturday: 50-amp loads on; 108V minimum at the furthest site. Photos, labels, melt marks. Licensed electrician. Phase the worst branches.

• Saturday night load test — 50-amp loads on; 108V minimum at the furthest pedestal
• Saturday septic + Sunday 7–9 a.m. walk — dry even grass / bright stripes / soft + smell
• Water & sub-metering — prove tenant utility recovery vs flat-rate bleed
• Curb appeal last — paint after the books and the dirt are real

Confidential buyer screening & tenant shielding

Don’t publicly broadcast a sale. Staff and long-term tenants hearing rumors can trigger vacancies and kill cash flow.

• Confidential teaser — site counts and aggregate NOI without naming the park
• Mutual NDA — before tax returns or parcel data
• Proof of funds — filter unqualified tire-kickers. POF with no conversation after is still a pass

Valuation, seller financing & escrow

Value = NOI / Cap Rate. An all-cash hit can trigger capital gains and depreciation recapture. Installment structures often protect net payout. Talk to your CPA before you pick all cash — we are not your tax advisor.

• Income-backed pricing — audited NOI, not speculative pad expansions
• Seller carryback — first position note, down payment, monthly interest while deferring tax hits
• Strict 30–45 day diligence — non-refundable earnest money
• Commercial escrow — prorated rents, utilities, deposit holdbacks