Rising real estate prices have made it virtually impossible for most Americans to afford a weekend retreat or vacation home. But growing numbers of consumers are discovering that site built homes and condos aren’t the only options when it comes to having a vacation cottage.

Many, in fact, are finding that the fastest and most affordable way to get into a vacation home is to purchase a recreational park trailer or “park model” and place it on a leased campsite in their favorite getaway campground or RV resort.

Unlike mobile homes, which are a form of low-cost, permanent housing, recreational park trailers are 400-square foot movable resort cottages that are designed exclusively for part-time recreational use. Typically upscale in appearance, they often include hardwood floors, bay windows and lofts as well as walnut, oak or maple cabinetry. And because they are technically classified as recreational vehicles, they can be placed on campsites in some of the most sought after vacation destinations in the country.

Many of the nation’s 8,000 private campgrounds and RV resorts provide campsites for park models, which they lease for $1,500 to $8,000 per year, depending on location. Some campgrounds are also willing to sell their sites to park model owners, usually at prices ranging from $40,000 to more than $100,000, depending on location.

Park models, for their part, typically cost just under $40,000, although higher prices are charged for units with special amenities. But considering that condos and site-built homes in most resort areas cost at least $200,000 or $300,000 or more, park models are a bargain. Park models are, in fact, the most affordable vacation cottage in America, which explains why the park model industry remains one of the strongest segments of the RV industry.

So where do people place these units? Working professionals and families usually place their park models in campgrounds or RV resorts that are about one to two hours from home, so they can use them as a weekend retreat, while snowbirds place their units in luxurious resorts across the Sunbelt. Some retirees have even been known to purchase two park models. They keep one up north for use in the summer and another in the Sunbelt and enjoy the best of both worlds.

This website can help you begin your research to determine if a park model is right for you. To learn more about these units, and how working professionals, families and retirees are using them, please click on the “Media Center” tab on this website, which will direct you to the section that includes news releases as well as news articles that highlight how consumers and campground operators are using these products across the country.

To find a park model manufacturer, check out the “Members Listing” tab of this website, which takes you a page that provides the names, addresses, phone numbers and websites of nearly 50 park model manufacturers that have pledged to comply with more than 500 building and safety codes established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for recreational park trailers. RPTIA works with independent engineering firms to conduct unannounced inspections of its members’ factories to ensure that the units they manufacture are built in compliance with ANSI codes.

We are gradually developing a database of campgrounds and RV resorts that offer park models for sale or for rent. You can also find park model rentals by checking with manufacturers or by consulting with the websites of leading campground directories, such as www.woodalls.com, www.trailerlifedirectory.com, www.gocampingamerica.com, www.koa.com, www.campjellystone.com and www.mhchomes.com. Oftentimes, the cabins and cottages listed in these directories are actually park models.