I Sold Rentals to Buy an RV Park That’s Not Profitable yet. I’m Happy.

This test also told is based on a conversation with Shannon Moore, 52, the owner of Magic mountain stationsA tiny holiday rental village at home in Hayesville, in North Carolina. Hayesville is a small town about five hours west of Raleigh and about three hours northeast of Atlanta. Conversations have been changed for duration and clarity.

I lived in Florida all my life. But after having divorced and he was 50 years old, I tired – call it a quarantine crisis.

I was a real estate agent in Florida for 20 years and I have built a three -duplex portfolio and two small houses. But over the years, the cost of insurance and the maintenance of rental properties had increased considerably. I started to think: “It may be time to withdraw money.”

In 2021, I sold my real estate portfolio for around $ 2 million. I wanted to use this money to buy a campsite or a property with small cabins somewhere in the mountains, such as Tennessee or Carolines.

It was then that I found a list on Zillow – a property in Hayesville, in North Carolina. It was 11 acres and a half, and on the market for $ 290,000. He came with five tiny cabins, a larger house, a pavilion and 20 RV locations.

All the cabins seemed to fall. A friend who works in real estate flew to Hayesville to check the property with me. He said: “Don't do it.” He said, “This place should just be demolished. It is a shit hole.”

But I had my own plan. I bought the property in November 2021 and moved soon after.

I followed my dreams to build a small home park

I decided to transform the property into a tiny park for vacation rentals.

I had money from the sale of my real estate portfolio and I used every penny to rehabilitate the property of Hayesville.

The campsite was not operational when I bought it – it had not been for about 15 years. I had to install new sewer lines, gravel roads throughout the park and new plumbing and electric systems. I also emptied the five existing cabins on the property and added new household appliances, furniture and decor to each.

I designed a camper on the theme of Florida for myself to live and I brought two tiny houses on wheels. One is a two -story bus from the south of England, and the other is a small tiny house on a trailer. So I have seven laudable units on the property.

During the style of the village, I wanted it to be something unique. I didn't want “black bear cabins” with rustic furniture and bear covers on the sofa.

I wanted something fanciful and cool, so I decided on a fairytale village.

My little village is unique in its

Before decorating the cabins, I did copyright research because I didn't want to receive a Disney or Warner Bros. letter.

I discovered that the original “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll is in the public domain, which means that there is no copyright. This means that I could use images inspired by it, such as mushrooms, rabbits and the queen of heart.

I have two cabins at the front of the property which are “Alice in Wonderland”. One is Alice's white rabbit chalet, pink and blue painted. Outside, mushrooms and flowers light up with solar lights, and you will find small hedgehogs, mushrooms and tiny keys scattered in flower beds.

There is also a cabin on the theme of Harry Potter called the goalkeeper's cabin – renowned for copyright reasons – and a two -story bus called the midnight bus, which looks like the Knight bus in the series.

I also have a Snow White cabin, one of the tiny houses on wheels. It is a white chalet decorated with apple baskets and red poppies.

Then, two cabins on the theme of candies resemble gingerbread houses, with a frosting flowing roofs.

More than 250 local and international artists have contributed to works of art or property furniture. The doors of “Alice in Wonderland” and Candyland cabins were carved by hand in Türkiye.

My visitors come from all walks of life

The village opened its doors to visitors in March 2023. I often direct promotions, and right now, I am offering a rate of $ 99 per night.

My guests are generally grandparents traveling with their grandchildren, their nuclear families, their university groups, their bachelor parties, their birthdays and their birthday celebrations.

Disney fans, Warner Bros. And Harry Potter also visit frequently – it's a fun and diverse crowd.

Honestly, business can be enough from top to bottom. Sales tend to slow down in September when children go back to school, and again during the winter months when they cool, but things generally resume in spring and summer.

I did from March to August of last year, but when Hurricane Helene hit the North Carolina, no one came, even if my property has undergone any damage.

Business is currently decreasing because people are worried about the economy. However, it is starting to resume – I was almost entirely reserved for March and April.

I did not make a profit, but I hope that business will take

I did not make a profit compared to the quantity that I invested in the property.

Electricity costs me about $ 1,700 per month on average. Fortunately, the water is free because I have a fresh spring well which flows from a neighboring mountain. But there are always additional expenses – for example, I currently do the roads, a $ 10,000 project.

After covering the bills, I generally reinvest the remaining income in the property. I added many amenities to make the village more attractive for visitors. In August, I built a large barn with an area fenced and brought two miniature horses, a donkey, three Nigerian dwarf goats, two kunekune pigs and two Patagonia cavies.

I also created a huge fairy garden, which cost $ 5,000 to build, and renovated it every month.

Despite everything, I have the impression of building both a dream and my retirement, and which would not be happy with it?

I live on a beautiful property. The front borders a certified trout stream and the back connects to the Nantahala forest. I lived on the beach for 50 years, which was great, but I wanted a different atmosphere – new landscapes, a new experience. Now I live in a cute and picturesque small town.

Of course, I could have taken the 2 million dollars and put it in stock or a 401 (K), and simply experienced the yields. But for me, creating a place where families can make memories are much more significant. Some guests come back two, three or even four times – and you cannot put a price on it.