Increase your RV Resale Value with These Steps!
Increase your RV Resale Value with These Steps!
Posted on March 24, 2022
Whether you are looking to sell your RV privately or trade-in at your local dealership, let's take a look at steps to increase your RV resale value. All RV owners will end up facing this decision eventually - you love your current RV, you cherish the memories and family time you’ve spent in it, but you are ready for something new. Something bigger. Something that better fits your current lifestyle!
Whether you are looking to upgrade your current RV, downsize, or simply Sell at the end of the season, we will explore several simple tips and tricks to maximize your trade-in value.. With trade values currently soaring higher than ever, now is the perfect time to capitalize on your RVs current value and upgrade to a newer model!
Understanding Your RV’s value
Determining the current value of your RV is a very important step in the process, as it gives you a good expectation of the current market value. There are a multitude of factors that will play an important role in this value, from its brand, to its age, features, and overall condition. These are several items to help understand how to increase your RV resale value!
Book values can be obtained online through websites like NADA or RV Trader. Both should help give you an idea of what your RV, or similar ones, are selling for in your area.
Depreciation rates are another factor to consider, and how those depreciation rates may differ between types of RVs.
Seasonality is also another important factor. Just like golf clubs, hockey sticks, or flights around Christmas, the market for an item will go up when it’s in greater demand. Your RV may be worth 10-20% less come August as more and more camper owners are looking to upgrade and move on. A more saturated market will generally result in a slightly lower value on your trailer. While this will apply directly to the private market, it may also play a role on trade-in values at your local dealership depending on current day's supply.
Curious what your RV is currently worth? We recommend reaching out to the experts at West Coast Auto & RV for a Complimentary appraisal online or in-store at 2585 McGillivray Blvd.
Things to Keep in Mind about Resale Value
As a current owner of an RV, you may be curious about simple preventative maintenance steps to take to ensure the longevity of your RV and improve its resale value when it comes to Trade time. Here are some key items to Boost your RV’s value over its lifetime:
- Staying on top of Routine Maintenance - Keeping on top of routine maintenance will not only improve the longevity of your RV, but also increase it’s value down the road when it comes to Trade time.
- Protect your exterior from Sun damage (Waxing your RV every season) - One of the best tips for Spring maintenance is to add a fresh coat of Wax to your RV to protect it from the harsh sun rays.
- Replace RV Tires on Schedule - One of the important factors when it comes to RV value is the condition of your tires. Not only will a good set of tires keep you and your RV safe on the road, but it will also improve your resale value as it is one less item for the future owner to worry about.
- Never smoke in your RV - The smell of campfire is a nostalgic part of camping, but cigarette odor not so much. One of the most difficult things to remove from any vehicle interior is the smell of cigarette smoke.
- Protect Fabric Furniture from Pets - Let’s face it, Fido is part of the family, but his Fur probably doesn’t belong on the furniture. Using a Pet friendly cover will help keep your fabric clean & fur-free when it comes to Trade time!
Preparing for Trade-In to increase your RV resale value
Now that you have a ballpark idea of what your trailer is actually worth and have decided to Sell, it’s now time to make it look pretty so you can maximize its full value as much as possible. Even just a quick tidy can go a long way and potentially increase your RV resale value when it comes to trade time.
- Remove all personal items and artifacts from the RV, and clean & wipe inside every cabinet, drawer, nook and cranny.
- Clean your interior, exterior, beneath and above of the trailer, while making sure to hit underneath and exterior storage compartments that may have been missed in Step 1. Wipe and clean windows on both interior and exterior.
- Deal with any simple minor repairs like replacing old light bulbs, fixing paint chips, or replacing that faulty sink knob. You know the one.
- Gather all purchase and service records for your RV. If you still have its original manual, include this as well. Detailed records can go a long way in justifying the value of your RV. If you’ve been on top of things and taking good care of your unit, it will pay off in the long run.
Getting your trailer professionally appraised
Whether you are looking to sell privately, or trade-in at a dealership, getting your trailer professionally appraised prior to sale can go a long way in ensuring you get everything it’s worth and more.
While you can take all of the proper steps researching your value and pulling multiple resources like the ones listed above, getting an actual value of your trailer in writing is both reassuring to you, the seller, and the buyer to ensure a fair market value.
Getting your RV professionally appraised is easy and can be done virtually from the comfort of your home by contacting one of the experts at West Coast Auto & RV on our new RV Trade-In page!
Finding your New RV
With all of that covered, and your current RV valued & ready for trade, it is now time to focus on a new model you plan on making memories in! Every Trailer is different. From family size to personal preference, there are many different styles and floor plans to choose from for everyone. We always encourage you to check out our inventory here or call our team to place a Factory Order for your dream RV.
If you aren’t sure exactly what you want, a good first step could be to discuss with a Sales Professional about what you’re looking for and they can work with you to fit you & your lifestyle.
To summarize; trading your camper is a relatively easy process, and with the proper time and research, you can take simple steps to recoup greater value that will go towards your New RV!