Ed Pask NEWS RELEASE
(863)467-5800
OKEECHOBEE RV
RESORT ATTRACTS BUYERS FROM NEAR AND FAR
Silver Palms RV
Village is selling sites to Floridians as well as snowbirds, some of whom are
purchasing multiple RV sites for investment purposes
OKEECHOBEE, Fla., Nov. 17, 2010 – Like many snowbirds, Carl and Kristine Decker have looked for alternative investments that could deliver a higher rate of return than the stocks in their 401K plan.
They believe they have found a viable alternative at Silver Palms RV Village in Okeechobee, a luxury South Florida RV resort near the northern edge of Lake Okeechobee.
The Deckers were the first snowbirds to buy a site at the resort when it opened two years ago. They have since purchased two additional RV sites for investment purposes, which Silver Palms rents out on their behalf.
“When we bought our first site, our 401K was barely keeping alive,” said Carl Decker, a 63-year-old Michigan native. But if they can keep their two rental sites occupied for five or six months this winter, the Deckers figure they could make 10 to 15 percent on their investment.
“It won’t be as volatile as a stock investment,” Carl Decker said, adding that long-term, the value of luxury RV sites at Silver Palms will only go up.
Indeed, while Florida has many RV parks and resorts, very few new RV resorts have been developed in recent years, particularly at the higher end of the quality spectrum.
Less than a half mile from the northern tip of Lake Okeechobee, Silver Palms offers its guests 100-amp electrical connections, a private members lounge, a 9,000-square foot clubhouse, a 300-capacity ballroom, a resort-size pool and hot tub, and a 1,000-square foot fitness center in addition to tennis, pickleball, volleyball and shuffleboard courts. The 167-site resort, which will eventually have 512 sites, is also conveniently located within a mile of Publix, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and numerous restaurants and is an easy drive from Tampa, Ft. Myers, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Miami.
“The nice thing of this area is you have the best of both worlds,” said Bonny Ruffner, 69, a retiree from Ohio who spends the winter at Silver Palms with her husband, Michael, in their 42-foot Beaver diesel pusher. “You can take a ride and look at the sugar cane fields, the ranches and all the citrus farms. An hour and half from here you’re at the beach or the big cities like Orlando.”
Like the Deckers, the Ruffners also purchased an additional RV site for investment purposes. “To tell you the truth, my IRA account wasn’t earning any money and we were so impressed with the resort we figured we figured down the road we would benefit from it.”
Rick and Sherry Piper of Michigan, for their part, like Silver Palms’ amenities as well as the small town feel of Okeechobee, which is similar to their hometown in the Midwest. Sherry Piper said they purchased a site last winter so they could be close to friends they met at the resort.
Even Floridians are drawn to Silver Palms.
“We’re there practically every weekend,” said Rose Frey of Palm City, who owns a site at Silver Palms with her husband, Mike, who works for a restaurant supply company. “It’s more like a weekend getaway for us.”
While the Freys enjoy Silver Palms’ amenities, they also enjoy the resort’s planned activities, which take place every weekend, and their neighbors. “We get to be with the people we like to see,” Rose Frey said, adding, “There’s nothing that compares with Silver Palms.”
For more information on Silver Palms RV Village, please contact Ed Pask at (863) 467-5800 or visit the resort’s website at www.silverpalmsrv.com.