Is the RV market still growing, or has the post-pandemic boom already cooled? That is the first question buyers ask me before they shop for a luxury RV lot in Central Florida, and this year the data has a clear answer: demand is still climbing. The RV Industry Association (RVIA) counted 342,220 wholesale RV shipments in 2025, a 2.5 percent increase over 2024 with a retail value of about $20.4 billion, and Florida remains one of the strongest RV states in the country. As a US Air Force veteran and licensed Florida realtor with 25 years in Central Florida real estate, I like to start with the numbers rather than the hype. Here is what this year's market data actually says about owning an RV lot in communities like River Ranch and Westgate River Ranch.
The 2025 numbers that set up this year's market
RVIA's year-end survey reported 342,220 total RV shipments in 2025, up 2.5 percent from the prior year, representing a retail value of roughly $20.40 billion, with December shipments of 23,220 units slightly ahead of the prior December. Florida ranks as the third-largest receiving state for new RVs, taking about 5.61 percent of wholesale shipments in 2025, behind only Texas at 9.85 percent and California at 6.75 percent. RVIA's report describes the year as a steady recovery after the post-2021 normalization. That pattern matters for lot buyers: the frenzy is over, but the demand floor underneath this market sits far higher than it did before the pandemic.
Who is buying RVs now: the owner profile has changed
Ownership has also broadened in ways that matter for resort communities. Go RVing's 2025 owner demographic profile estimates 11.2 million U.S. households now own an RV, the median owner age has dropped to 49, 46 percent of owners are between 35 and 54, and 36 percent are first-time owners. Nearly 17 million households say they have a strong interest in buying an RV within the next five years. The people who discovered RV travel during the pandemic did not disappear. They stayed, they got younger, and they plan to use their rigs more, which is exactly the buyer who values a guaranteed deeded pad in a secure, amenity-rich Florida resort rather than a season-by-season rental gamble.
The trip data: more miles, more demand
The travel numbers point the same direction. RVIA surveys show 44 million Americans planned an RV trip in summer 2025, and the 2026 trajectory is even stronger: 34.6 million planned spring RV trips, up 23 percent year over year, and 37 million planned summer trips. More than half of RV travelers say they will bring pets, a quiet but real driver of resort demand, because the communities with strong pet amenities earn longer stays. When trip counts grow faster than resorts can add deeded lots, the lots that already exist become more valuable, not less.
What the Florida rental market actually looks like
Can a lot earn income when you are not using it? Yes, in many communities, but only where the resort's own rules permit it, so this is the first question I ask on any purchase. Some resorts operate managed rental programs that market and rent owner lots to guests; others restrict or prohibit short-term rentals entirely. The demand side is verifiable: RV Park Rates tracks 156 private RV parks in Florida, with a median nightly rate of $70 and a median monthly rate of $997 across those with published rates, and demand concentrates hard in the winter snowbird season, roughly November through April. The realistic outcome for most owners is rental revenue that offsets a meaningful share of association dues and maintenance, not a get-rich income stream. Any agent who promises more is selling you something. I will always read the actual rental clause with you before we talk numbers.
Two Central Florida communities that define the niche
The strongest argument for RV lot ownership is the communities themselves. Two stand out in my market, and my team works both daily.
River Ranch RV Resort. Formally Outdoor Resorts River Ranch, at 3400 River Ranch Road in River Ranch, Florida, this established HOA community sits on about 1,700 acres along the Kissimmee River in eastern Polk County, roughly an hour south of Orlando. Established in 1987, it is a community of 367 individually owned, fee-simple deeded lots with concrete pads and full hookups, and the amenity package runs deep: heated pools and hot tubs, pickleball, tennis, bocce and shuffleboard, mini golf, a full-service marina with direct Kissimmee River access and fishing, horseback riding, and a petting farm. For buyers who want the ranch-and-river lifestyle with real deeded ownership, this is the anchor community.
Westgate River Ranch Resort and Rodeo. Adjacent but separate, Westgate is the cowboy resort on the river: 3200 River Ranch Boulevard, 1,700 acres, billed as the largest dude ranch east of the Mississippi. Its Saturday Night Rodeo runs weekly at 7:30 p.m. in a roughly 1,200-seat arena, and the activity list includes horseback riding, airboat and swamp buggy rides, fishing, golf, archery, mini golf, a petting farm, and a full-service marina. Owners in the surrounding River Ranch community get a resort lifestyle with genuine destination pull, and the ownership structures here are different from a straight deeded lot, which is exactly why we review them carefully rather than assuming.
What I verify before any lot purchase
Here is where my background does the talking. As a military veteran, I run transactions the way I was trained: check everything, assume nothing, and brief the client on every risk before they commit. As an accredited investor with 25-plus years in this market, I have seen exactly which details turn a dream purchase into regret. Before we buy, we verify:
Deeded or right to use. A deeded lot is recorded with the county as its own parcel of real estate; a right-to-use arrangement is not. That single fact changes financing, resale, and asset value, and we check it first.
Rental allowances. We read the actual rental clause, not the brochure line, and confirm who manages rentals and what the split or fee is.
Vehicle size and age limits. Can your specific coach actually park on the pad and meet the resort's standards? This is the detail that shocks buyers most.
Association dues and what they cover. At the resort communities we represent, owners pay Polk County property taxes plus a community fee covering utilities like water, sewer, trash, electric, Wi-Fi, and landscaping. Know the number and know what it buys.
Special assessments, CDD fees, and exit costs. These are the numbers that never show up in a listing photo, and the ones that break budgets.
Is now a good time to buy?
Here is my honest read. The market has normalized after the 2021 spike, which means you are not paying panic prices, and the underlying demand data, record shipments, a younger owner pool, climbing trip counts, and a state that takes in more RVs than almost any other, is still pointed up. Luxury RV lots remain the most supply-constrained corner of Florida real estate: River Ranch has 367 deeded lots total, and the number of deeded lots in these resorts is fixed. When the number of lots in a community is fixed and the number of people who want in keeps growing, value compounds quietly. I would rather help a buyer find the right lot in this market than chase one during the next frenzy.
Your next move
Every buyer's situation is different, and my job is to educate you with correct information so you can make the best decision for you and your family. Whether you are exploring your first luxury RV lot, weighing rental income, or trading up inside a resort you already love, tell me about your situation and your goals. Call us at 863-270-2706, email Michelle@MCCollectiveRealEstate.com, or request a consultation at mcrequest.com. To go deeper, start with The Luxury RV Lot Investment Guide and our community pages for River Ranch and Westgate. Here to help whenever you're ready.
