The Dangers of For Sale by Owner

Driving down the road one day you see an RV for sale by owner so you decide to take a look. The outside of the unit appears to be in decent shape and it doesn’t look too old. Then you see the price tag and it certainly looks appealing! But don’t get too caught up in the too good to be true because chances are it is.

There are so many risks involved when you are buying from an individual. For starters you have no way of knowing if the previous owner properly winterized the unit each winter. Also an individual cannot provide financial assistance or accept a trade. But the biggest risk you are taking is that you are purchasing this RV without any warranty or protection. You are agreeing to take the unit as is which you should assume means that nothing works. While the price may seem enticing you should also remember that there are some costly repairs that you may be facing that could negate the low cost of your investment.

For example to replace an RV refrigerator could cost you upwards of $1,200 and if it needs an entire new rubber roof you are looking at a staggering $5,000 and up to repair. In the end your “good deal” could end up costing you more headache, time, hassle, and most importantly money in the end.