Any static caravan owners on here?

[Papergirl1968]

I wasn’t sure where to post this but am
looking for advice from static caravan owners about the pros and cons.
I’m single and currently 55, living in the Midlands with a very elderly mother, so I’m not able to do it for a few years till I can afford to retire and she’s no longer with us, but it has been my dream for a long time to retire to the Welsh coast. Tywyn if anyone knows that area. I’m very familiar with it from holidays.
I was set on moving lock, stock and barrel, and building a new life for myself there, but a couple of things have given me pause for though. One is that my daughters still need quite a bit of support, in particular DD2 who has a young child and another on the way. I help where I can and adore my DGD. So I’d want to pop back at least once a month for a couple of days as well as them visiting me.
The second thing is my health as I had neurosurgery to remove a benign brain tumour last year, and would like to stay under the care of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham if possible.
So those two things made me wonder if when the time comes to sell my house (a four bed semi) I should be looked at buying a small flat in the West Midlands and either a small flat in Tywyn or a static caravan instead of a bungalow or house in Tywyn.
I wondered if any static caravan owners can share the pros and cons.
I know static caravan sites close for winter and the exact months vary between sites.
Pros are that caravans are generally cheaper than bricks and mortar (although there are a couple of flats for sale in Tywyn at around the same price as new luxurious caravans), and I imagine there is a good community feel on caravan parks. Although there are a lot of Midlanders living in Tywyn and surrounding area so I’m not too worried about fitting in, but I would like to make friends within the town not just in the caravan park.
Cons are that caravans obviously depreciate in value and there are probably clauses about only being able to sell back to the site owner?
They may be expensive to heat in the colder months?
You probably can’t get shopping delivered to caravan parks?
Is there anything I haven’t thought of.
Would static caravan owners advise buying one or do they regret it?

You would do well to post this on Gransnet too @Papergirl1968

Check out Holiday Park Action Group on Facebook.

Thanks, both.

I came here to recommend you join Holiday Park Action Group on Facebook too!

A static caravan on a holiday park is a money pit.

Sorry, was in a hurry earlier. If you've checked the HPAG you won't need me to say this, but don't do it. It's a racket. Caravans are not worth what you pay for them - you would lose over 50% if you sold one you'd bought in the morning at tea time, and you'd have to pay the site owner 15% pf the sale price plus VAT. There are some good sites around, but they can be sold and change overnight.

There is more, but the short answer is 'just don't'.

I really wouldn’t. They lose money and the ground rent goes up a lot each year.

You might be forced to buy utilities from the site at a marked up price.

They’re crappily made and all manner of things go wrong with them.

If you have horrible neighbours you will hear every single word of their unpleasantness.

Yes, I just found a couple of older threads about how much of a money pit they are, and how cold they can be in winter.
Back to the plan of either buying two small places, one in Wales and one in the West Mids, or a place in Wales and keeping enough money aside to fund a couple of nights in a hotel in the West Mids once a month or so when I can catch up with family and friends.
I might also check with the hospital
if they’d be prepared to keep me as a patient if I moved to Wales. I’m not sure how it works but going to Birmingham once or twice a year, and tying it in with seeing family, is probably as easy as going to Bangor or wherever the big neurology centre is for that area.