Commercial / Campground / RV Park Agent Commissions

[Kathy Rautmann]

Hello everyone!

My husband and I are in the process of hunting for an RV park to purchase. We have purchased and sold several residential properties before but never a commercial property so we’re unfamiliar with how commercial brokers/agents work specifically RV Park/Campground brokers.

Do you recommend being represented by a separate buyers “agent” like typical with residential purchases and having them reach out to the listing broker for specific properties? If so, how is their commission usually paid? Unlike with residential real estate (where the seller usually pays the agents commissions) it seems so far that we would be paying a 3% commission ourselves if we have a separate agent/broker represent us in the transaction. Otherwise, if you reach out to a listing broker directly regarding a property they are selling does the buyer pay them a commission, the seller, or do both?

Which approach have y’all done taken when purchasing an existing RV park? What would you recommend?

Also, I apologize if this is the wrong forum to ask this question I chose this as Mobile Home and RV park investing seem to often go hand in hand. 

Thanks in advance!

[Mario Dattilo]

Kathy, in commercial real estate brokers usually list the property and you can hire one to help you. sometimes the listing agent will not agree to share commissions with a buyers agent but often they do. You’re not going to do an exclusive right to rep with a buyer broker though like it’s customary in some states for resi. 

My suggestion is you forget brokers/agents all together and go straight to owners. Market to them and build relationship yourself. You’ll make much better deals that way. I’ve never bought a commercial property using a broker because I’ve never found one that made any sense with a broker involved. They set sellers expectations too high.

I’m not putting brokers down and I have a brokers lic myself for a reason unrelated but knowing how to use them is important… 

Buy direct from owners and sell with brokers. 

Check out my profile for some resources for park buyers (rv too). 

Go get em! 📈