ERPU Membership? Pro/con?

Customer1 · January 31, 2021

I'm interested in opinions on the ERPU (Escapees Rainbow Parks Unlimited) memberships. We got on the list at all three parks last April after heading home for the pandemic duration. Surprisingly in only eight months we jumped from #30 to #5 at Rainbow's End in Livingston and are now on the "hot" list.

The fast climb makes me wonder if something is going on at that location. Are the existing ERPU members jumping ship? At the two other locations we went from #39 to #27 and from #39 to #28.

We like the concept of the ERPU membership, pay a fully refundable membership fee to have our own personal site that is there for us whenever we want it and is maintained by management when we are gone. It is similar to the co-op parks in operation although maybe better in some ways and worse in others.

So for any ERPU members, what do you think? Are you happy? Would you do it again? Is there some downside I'm missing? What lead you to getting an ERPU membership?

For anyone that says, "What the heck is an ERPU?" Here is a description found at https://www.rversonline.org/00ConfSKPs.html

"Some Rainbow Parks have ERPU sites available. Sites can be leased for 5 years by an individual who then has exclusive rights to use that site in the park. There will be a monthly maintenance fee assessed to cover the cost of security and management. If a person wishes to withdraw before his 5 years are up, he can get his money back if there is someone willing to take his lot. After the 5 year period, withdrawal equals a full refund."

Edited January 31, 2021 by Customer1

Lou Schneider · January 31, 2021

I don't have an ERPU lot, but I wanted to point out with 5 year renewable leases you should expect to see a surge in availabilities every 5 years as people decide not to renew because their circumstances have changed. Livingston was the first ERPU park and the others followed later, so their 5 year cycles are different.

I have a lot in the Pahrump, NV Escapes co-op, and many of the ERPU benefits also apply to buying a membership in one of the co-ops. You get exclusive use of a space which can be your domicile, at Pair-A-Dice each site has a 10'x14' fully framed outbuilding with electricity and a 10'x10' partially enclosed covered patio extending out from the shed entrance. Most also have an external cement patio along the side of the RV. You buy into the co-op ($10k for Pair-A-Dice) plus pay the depreciated cost of any improvements made by previous owners. Many have finished off the interior of their building with drywall, insulation and a small air conditioner, turning it into a bonus room that stays comfortable during hot weather. When you leave this amount ($10k membership plus further depreciated improvements) is returned when a new member buys in, which is immediate as long as there's a waiting list, so your only expenses are the park maintenance fees (currently $1200/year or $300 a quarter including water, sewer, trash and taxes) and the electricity you use.

Edited January 31, 2021 by Lou Schneider

2gypsies · January 31, 2021

As far as jumping ahead so fast..... it may be because of Covid. Some on the list may be re-thinking it.... giving up RVing ... moving closer to family.

bigjim · February 1, 2021

Sometimes this just happens for multiple reasons. Covid may cause people to change their plans often at the last minute. I remember at least 2 instances of the same issue at a couple of co-op parks. The one I remember most is Coursegold in Cal. That had a list that I think was estimated at over 2 years at the least. What with a lot of us being old and fluid the list dropped way quicker than anyone expected. It just worked out that way. I am on the list for a couple of other places outside of escapees. One place had an openning a number of months ago but with my current situation I ended up declining for now. The other has an estimated 2 year wait but could change just as quick. That being said there are a couple I wish I had signed up for 10years ago. Heck I didn't expect to live this long.

Edited February 1, 2021 by bigjim

Will B. · February 1, 2021

Can't speak to the membership, but I can tell you that both T-Mobile and AT&T signals are very, very weak here. Been really difficult to do much of anything, bandwidth-wise.