If you’ve made the decision to purchase a holiday home, discover how to choose between a holiday cottage and holiday lodge or static caravan ownership.
So, you’re ready to make the leap and have decided to purchase a home away from home. Congratulations!
But choosing between a holiday cottage, holiday lodge, or caravan ownership depends on various factors such as your preferences, budget, and intended use.
If you are considering purchasing a holiday cottage in your favourite holiday destination, here are some points to consider…
Key Things to Consider When Purchasing a Holiday Home
1. Cost
When choosing between a holiday cottage and a static caravan, one of the biggest things to bear in mind is cost. Cottages are generally more expensive to buy and maintain than a lodge or static caravan, so it’s important to consider your budget.
2. Maintainance
But you need to consider more than upfront costs. You also need to consider maintenance costs and how these could affect you. For example, older cottages, in particular, may require more upkeep and will, therefore, be more expensive to maintain.
3. Utility Costs
It’s also a good idea to consider running costs. If you decide to purchase a holiday cottage over a static caravan or lodge, for example, you will be faced with higher utility bills due to the larger space and possibly older, less efficient heating systems.
4. Taxes
Don’t be caught out by taxes, either! Some holiday hotspots are penalising second homeowners with 100% council tax premium on second homes, so it’s paramount that you do your research before making your decision and signing on the dotted line.
5. Security
Finally, it’s important to consider the issue of security, especially if your holiday home will be empty for periods of time throughout the year. Always check what the area’s crime statistics are before making a final decision.
Advantages of Holiday Lodge or Static Caravan Ownership
1. Cost-effective
Going back to the question of cost again, it goes without saying that holiday lodges or static caravans are generally cheaper to buy and maintain than cottages, leaving you with more money left over to furnish your holiday home and go on days out when you’re there.
2. Maintainance
The whole point of buying a holiday home is that you can relax and enjoy yourself with family and friends – and without a doubt, one of the biggest benefits of caravan ownership over purchasing a holiday cottage is that it will be easier and cheaper to maintain.
When you arrive on your holiday, you won’t need to mow the grass or worry about doing the weeding if you decide to purchase a holiday lodge or static caravan in a holiday park such as North Lakes.
In the unfortunate event that something is not quite right or if you simply need a job done, like an outside tap fitting, here at North Lakes Country Park, we have professional tradespeople available to resolve any issues quickly. That means you won’t need to waste your precious holiday time ringing around and searching for a reliable, qualified person!
3. Flexibility
Generally, when you purchase a lodge or static caravan, you can choose the plot you would like your holiday caravan or lodge to be sited.
Here at North Lakes Country Park, for example, all of our static caravans and holiday lodges are surrounded by uninterrupted views of the 22-acre lake and are available to visit all year round, so you can holiday where you want, whenever you want!
4. Modern Facilities
Another huge benefit of lodge or caravan ownership is that newer static caravan and lodge models come with modern amenities and efficient use of space.
At North Lakes Country Park, we keep a supply of caravan models from Willerby, Swift, and Victory to cater for all budgets, so you can enjoy complete relaxation with state-of-the-art, modern facilities.
5. Helping Hands
Imagine heading home from your holiday home and realising that you forgot to turn the heating off. If you owned a cottage, you’d have to turn around and head straight back.
Here at North Lakes, however, if you ever forget anything, you can simply call the park and someone will happily sort it out for you – even something as simple as realising you or left milk in the fridge!
That means there would be no turning around down the motorway to go back. Likewise, if you arrived at your lodge only to realise you forgot the keys, North Lakes Country Park keeps a spare set you can borrow.
6. Taxes
Taxes are a huge financial consideration when purchasing a second property or holiday home.
Luckily, North Lakes Country Park is a holiday park, which means there is no council tax to pay. In fact, you don’t even need a second TV license if you already have one at your primary residence!
7. Safety and Security
Unfortunately, no one can be on holiday all the time, as much as you wish you could be! Therefore, it’s important to think about the safety and security of your property when you’re not there.
North Lakes Country Park has on-site managers and ANPR barrier access to ensure its safety and security. So, rest assured that your holiday home will be perfectly safe and secure when you aren’t around.
8. Usage
Finally, one of the biggest benefits of lodge or caravan ownership at North Lakes Country Park is that we are open all year round.
Whilst some holiday parks may have restrictions on season lengths and length of stays, purchasing a holiday home at North Lakes means you can enjoy your home away from home any day of the year.
Decision Factors
Based on everything we have discussed above, when it comes down to making your final decision, your choice of holiday home will ultimately come down to the following decision factors:
Budget
Determine how much you’re willing to spend on purchase, maintenance, and taxes.
Intended Use
Consider if you want a year-round residence or a seasonal retreat.
Location
Think about where you want to be and the availability of cottages or caravan parks in that area.
Caravan Ownership at North Lakes
Many of our existing holiday caravan and holiday lodge owners considered purchasing a cottage before realising the huge benefits of a holiday caravan or holiday lodge ownership.
By weighing the factors discussed above, you can make a more informed decision about whether a cottage or a static caravan or holiday lodge is better suited to your needs.
Ready to begin your journey to holiday home ownership? Contact our team today to book a viewing or drop in to see us to check out the range of lodges and static caravans we have for sale.
We look forward to welcoming you to North Lakes soon!