Caravan and holiday parks across the country were some of the first businesses to be closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Many people enjoying extended caravan tours were forced to pause their travel plans and return home and thousands of families had to holiday at home during the Easter school holiday period.
Our fabulous Aussie holiday parks have been empty and lonely places during lockdown and owners will be very much looking forward to welcoming back guests from across the country as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. In some jurisdictions, getting back on the road in your RV, van or camper trailer is already a reality and for others – as that curve continues to flatten – it’s time to put your plans into action.
If you want to upgrade to a new caravan or buy your first RV, camper trailer or caravan, now is the time to get yourself organised so you and your vehicle are ready to leave town as soon as your dream destinations are open for visitors.
Organise Your Caravan Finance
It can be useful to organise your caravan loan as a priority over selecting your vehicle. If you haven’t taken a loans to buy a caravan, RV or camper trailer before, you may not know what sort of loans are available. You have little idea of what your repayments on a particularly make or model might be. So knowing in advance what your finance commitments will be, can make it a lot easier to select the van. It gives you peace of mind and confidence if negotiating a better price with a seller.
There are a few ways to go about this:
Using our caravan finance calculator: we have provided a caravan finance calculator. This allows you to calculate a rough estimate of what your repayments may be on certain vehicles. Just input the data – purchase price, loan term you want, our current interest rate – and a repayment estimate will be displayed. This is of course an estimate only as the calculator cannot predict what fees, charges or conditions may apply to your specific purchase and application. There is also no indication of a loan offer or approval. But it is a great resource.
Organising pre-approved finance: our consultants can organise an approved caravan loan so you are well-sorted before you start discussions with a dealer, manufacturer or seller. You simply provide the information required to our consultant and they will proceed to source you the cheapest caravan loan offer available. On your acceptance, they will then process your loan to the approvals stage. You’ll know that you have the finances and can proceed confidently with your purchase. There is no obligation to proceed with a pre-approved loan if you change your mind.
COVID-19 Lending Scenario
The coronavirus pandemic has had a serious economic impact across the world and the financial sector has not been spared. But we are pleased to advise that after some initial difficult scenarios with our lenders, the situation has greatly improved for many of our customers.
With such a demand for relief and support in the initial stages of COVID-19, many banks and lenders reacted by tightening their lending guidelines, making it slightly more difficult to source great loan deals for some of our customers. But as governments have eased restrictions, the lenders have also.
We’ve seen a much better lending scene emerge especially for no docs and low docs borrowers. No docs and low docs borrowers are those that do not have all the paperwork and financial records that are usually required in order to secure a caravan loan. This can arise due to a range of circumstances. Fortunately, some of our key lenders are now offering no docs and low docs loans so we can assist our customers with great loan deals.
Interest rates are always in the news and most people are aware that they are at historic low levels at the moment. Based on recent statements by the Reserve Bank, they are not intending to reduce rates any further. From our perspective, that means we do not expect lending rates to dip lower than they are now.
Bottom line for those seeking a caravan loan – the conditions are the best they have been in a long time, so now is the time to act and start ticking items off your bucket list.
For individuals purchasing a caravan, RV or camper trailer the most popular loan option is Secured Caravan Loans. This has a fixed interest rate, fixed monthly repayments and fixed loan term with the option to make additional payments if desired.
For companies purchasing caravans for business use, possibly as a mobile office or on-site accommodation for employees, we offer the full range of commercial finance products.
Speak with a Jade Caravan Finance consultant for a quote.
Finding a Destination
With your caravan loan sorted, your vehicle ordered, it’s time to plan your caravan trip or holiday. The choices of where to go may be determined by how much time you have, how far from home you wish to travel and if you’d prefer a touring holiday or a destination holiday.
The type of vehicle you have purchased will also influence where you go. If you want to explore into more remote and off-road locations you’ll need both a van and your towing vehicle to be suited to and set-up for these conditions.
All states and territories have a plethora of national parks to explore and many offer great camping and caravanning locations for overnight stays. Some parks provide facilities and others just parking areas. So check the relevant parks department websites for details and ensure you have a pass if required.
For destination holidays you have a wide choice of caravan and holiday parks across Australia to choose from. To browse and book there are a number of websites available including www.big4.com.au www.visitnsw.com and other state tourism websites.
Make sure you read reviews and it can be helpful to join a social media group where fellow caravanners share reviews, tips and hints. Australia has amazing places to discover by caravan so make it part of your lifestyle.
Call Jade Caravan Finance on 1300 000 003 and let’s get you out of lockdown and into a caravan as quickly as possible.
DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IS FOR GENERAL CONSIDERATION. ANY REFERENCE TO OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT POLICIES HAS BEEN SOURCED FROM AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND STATE GOVERNMENT SOURCES. NO LIABILITY IS ACCEPTED FOR ANY ERRORS IN THE PRESENTATION OR INTERPRETATION OF THE FACTS AS PROVIDED BY THESE SOURCES. WE ADVISE ALL INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES TO REFER TO THEIR ACCOUNTANT OR FINANCIAL ADVISOR FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE SPECIFIC TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
