Should I Use a Broker to Sell My Campground?

What a Good Broker Brings to the Table

• Exposure to a wider pool of potential buyers, which can create competitive tension and, sometimes, a higher final price
• Experience negotiating on your behalf so you're not doing it alone
• Valuation expertise and market data across many transactions
• They handle marketing, buyer screening, and much of the paperwork

The Real Costs and Tradeoffs

A broker's advantages come with real tradeoffs worth naming plainly.

• Most campground brokers don't publish their rates. Business-broker commissions commonly start around 10% on the first million of sale price and step down on graduated scales for larger deals. Surveyed US middle-market M&A advisors report an average effective success fee of 5.7% on a $5 million sale (sources: Sunbelt Business Brokers of Texas fee schedule, 2026; Firmex/Axial/Divestopedia US M&A Fee Guide, 2024-25). Ask for the exact percentage up front, in writing.
• Listing your campground, even “confidentially,” increases the chance word gets out to staff, regular guests, or competitors before you're ready
• The process can take longer while a broker markets the campground and waits for the right buyer to surface
• You have less control over who ends up in front of you. Brokers work to close deals, not necessarily to find the buyer who fits your legacy goals.

What Selling Directly to a Buyer Looks Like

Selling directly to an operator-buyer (like EverHaven) skips the marketing process and goes straight to a conversation.

• Confidentiality is far easier to protect. There is no listing, no broad marketing, and no bidding process visible to your staff or community.
• No sell-side commission comes out of your proceeds
• You're dealing directly with the people who will actually run the campground, not an intermediary
• The process typically moves faster, since there's no wait for buyer discovery

What You Give Up Going Direct

We won't pretend there's no tradeoff. Selling directly means fewer competing offers and less built-in price discovery than a broadly marketed sale. The way to close that gap is trust: a direct buyer needs to show you their valuation math, their process, and their track record openly enough that you're confident you're getting a fair number without a bidding war to prove it.

How to Decide

If maximizing price through competitive bidding matters most, and you're comfortable with a longer, more public process, a broker may be the better fit. If confidentiality, speed, and knowing exactly who you're handing your campground to matter more, a direct conversation with an operator-buyer is worth having, even if you also talk to a broker.

Curious what going direct with us actually looks like? see exactly how our direct-buyer process works

Or if you want the bigger picture first, see the complete step-by-step guide

Whichever path you choose,