SBA loans allow lower down payments BUT require more documentation and strict qualifications.
Common SBA requirements:
- 10–20% down
- Buyer must work full-time in the business
- Clean financials from the seller
- Higher credit standards
- Experience in business management
- Higher fees and longer processing times
- Personal guarantees
When SBA works well:
- Parks priced under $2.5–$3.5 million
- Parks with clean books
- Buyers with strong W-2 backgrounds
- Owner-operator buyers
When SBA does NOT work:
Buyers who want to be absentee owners
Seasonal parks
Parks with incomplete P&Ls
Sellers who “run personal items” through the business
Parks with cabins/motels without separate financials
Parks with septic or utility issues
