Community Forums

Leann1989 · 07-17-2016, 07:59 PM

Hello All,

My husband and I bough the following travel trailer for $6,000 back in 2014. We have spent quite a bit of time and money remodeling it and have been actually living in it while he goes to college. We're about to have to move and won't be able to take it with us. We are going to be trying to sell it but don't know quite how much to ask.

It's a 2000 Jayco Eagle 296 FBS.

We have replaced the following:

Power Converter
Slideout Seal
New Shower tub and surround
Flooring
Couch
Table and Chairs
Blinds
Curtains

Installed:
Girard Tankless Water Heater
Dometic Toilet

We have also resealed the roof so there are no leaks. Repainted the walls and added some back splash. The wires to the gray and black tanks were cut for some reason before we bought it and we haven't had a chance to fix it yet. The awning is bent a little but can still be pulled out and set up. Everything else works great!

We are wanting to ask $8,500 for it but not sure if we should go higher or lower. What are your thoughts? In your experience what would make this more appealing to a buyer? Are we asking too little or not enough?

Thank you for your help!

09 harley · 07-17-2016, 08:54 PM

I would not be afraid to start at $8500 or higher. That pice compared to newer trailers is still really low. You have solved or fixed most problems and the next owner will benefit from your work.
It is always easier to go down rather than up.
Personally I would start at $9000 and then when you get calls explain the benefits of what you have done,
Good luck

Nut4speed · 07-17-2016, 09:06 PM

Even an uncustomized model would be only worth what some one in your area is willing to pay for it. Unlike cars, "book values" on RVs are a pretty wide ballpark value as there are so many makes and models for how few are on the road for NADA to get an accurate value.
The money you spent on it also will likely not add anywhere near that to the NADA book value unfortunately.
You can start at $8000, but will likely just have to wait for a few offers to come in and take one of those which will depend on how quickly you need to sell.
It's all about marketing though. How you advertise (advertise at your husband's school for the same purpose you used it for), how good your ad is (buyers like lots of pictures and details), and patience (if you can wait) will be your best bet for getting your best price.
Tell the seller this is what you want, not that you paid $6k for it and then added value to it to make it worth $8k.

marcham · 07-17-2016, 10:10 PM

Repairs and maintenance items (roof, seal, power converter) don't add to the book value. New flooring and couch would if they are better than the original, but if you replaced to match your preferred style then it wouldn't affect the book value. Pictures look good, I'd start at 9000.

TheMatrix · 07-17-2016, 10:12 PM

If you want $8500 for it you should start at $9k. I honestly feel your trailer is superb. A lot of love and attention has gone into it and you have solved a lot of the headaches for the next buyer. Seriously ask $9k. If you budge to make the buyer happy move to $8500 as you final figure etc. Good luck. I almost guarantee you will get it. Come back here and keep us posted.

nl_keystone · 07-18-2016, 04:45 AM

not going to comment on price but that there is a beautiful trailer. It looks great inside. I will make sure my wife doesn't see these pictures or I will have my work cut out for me

Triker56 · 07-18-2016, 07:31 AM

Hummmm! NADA has average retail price of $5,100 for that model.

A lot of the things you done to it. Would be regular maintenance for a 16 year old TT. And not increase it's worth.
It's a wonder you haven't needed to replace the AC unit yet. No mention of how old the 4 tires are on it. Probably time to replace them.

Most RV's depreciate not increase in valve. Be happy if you can get your 6K back out of it.

rideandslide · 07-18-2016, 07:45 AM

Sorry, but must agree with Triker56ust , we went thru a very similar senatrio with our 2000 Springdale 25. Sold it for the same price we paid for it after 3 years. But it did sell fast, so go high, you can always go down !! Good Luck !

timetogo · 07-18-2016, 08:34 AM

Your TT looks nice, but is still a 2000 year model. You can set any price you want, but the higher the price above book value, the longer you will own it.

Nut4speed · 07-18-2016, 02:45 PM

I agree, pricing it too high will just keep a lot of people from even bothering to look.
True, you may find that clueless person to buy it well over book value but it's very unlikely. If you've got time, sure price it high and drop it incrementally lower as time goes on, but if you need it sold relatively soon price it competitively or you may get in a desperate situation were you end up having to just unload it on someone at the very last minute.

Leann1989 · 07-18-2016, 08:26 PM

Thank you everyone for your advice. It's definitely hard to swallow how much work we've put into upgrading everything and how much it's actually worth. We have about 5 months to sell so we do have some time...Will start high but not as high as we'd originally intended. I will update when we sell!

Nut4speed · 07-18-2016, 08:35 PM

Good luck!
Hopefully it's exactly what someone is looking for and offers top dollar for it!

2Labs · 07-18-2016, 10:42 PM

That's a really nice renovation on your TT - congrats on the hard work and nice looking results.

If you're interested in the true market value of your TT, there is a consumer Facebook group that is run by a professional RV Appraiser. You can get an ACV (actual cash value) report on what your model RV is currently selling for nationwide.

From what I understand, the data used to generate the report for your RV comes from actual sales/costing data from the RVDA/RVIA/Dealer Connect System - a system that is not available to the general public.

The great thing about this is that you can see what your model RV has actually been bought and/or sold for over the past 30 days. The bad thing about this report is that you can see what your model RV has actually been bought and/or sold for over the past 30 days.

The report is designed to give you information to help you price your RV, at market price - for the quickest sale. While you have 5 months before you have to sell, just remember that every month that you don't sell, the value of the RV drops, and is 5 months your hard date that it *has* to be gone? Just say that you don't sell it for 5 months - and now have to get rid of it. What is your rockbottom price in 5 months? Would you be better off pricing it aggressively today and getting cash in hand and moving on? Do you have any carrying costs on the RV currently?

IMHO, if 5 months is a hard timeline, then getting aggressive on pricing today - or maybe 30/45 days at the latest, is very likely in your best interest.

I am not affiliated with the Facebook group at all - I am just an interested and more educated seller/buyer since joining. I'm taking what I learned after our RV purchase in 2011 (we got a little snookered on the sale, leaning on NADA pricing), learning from this group, the Facebook group and arming myself with a wealth of knowledge for when we're ready to upgrade in 3-4 years.

If you'd like information on the name of the group so that you can join, PM me - I want to make sure my post stays on the right side of the moderators

Badlands Bob · 07-21-2016, 04:24 PM

Most used TT buyers who do any type of research are going refer to the NADA guide. If you can get $5,000 out of it, consider yourself lucky and move on. It's a 16-17 year old trailer that has been lived in full time.