I will add my .02 since I just went through the process of hunting high and low until I found the Monaco that was right for me. In no particular order I offer the following:
1. You must arrive at a realistic price for what the market will bear if you have any hope of moving it. As a buyer I had a set budget and knew I wanted a Monaco so I went out to the internet and looked at EVERY diesel pusher in my price range and came up with a year range of 96-98 for a Monaco. I than priced out EVERY and I mean EVERY 96-98 Monaco I could fine on the internet that was for sale both past and present using a six month window. This gave me a very good idea of what the market was bearing in terms of price vs. quality, it got to the point that I could read down through the ad discreption and come pretty close to the asking price before I knew it. Do that in reverse and you should arrive at the fair market value for your Monaco.
2. As a private seller people are more likely to come your way than a dealer as most (me anyway) hate to deal with used car salemen. They will also expect a lower asking price than one might find on a used RV lot.
3. Cleanliness, cannot overstate this enough. Nobody wants to look at a high end coach that is dirty or stinks because it will leave the potential buyer thinking that the current owner doesn't take care of his coach. If it shows well, is clean both inside and outside (don't forget the underside) it will distract the buyer from any minor flaws it might have. Soap and water, plug in fraglance and carpet fresh are cheap.
4. Stage your coach just as you would stage a home you are trying to sell. It does make a difference.
5. All that stuff you have in your coach, get it out of the coach so the buyer can see what he is buying (assuming your not full timing in it).
6. Let the buyer know he is getting something extra for his efforts, let go the dishes, pots and pans, outside chairs, carpet, cleaning stuff, brooms, brushes etc. That is money the buyer will not have to spend at Walmart on day one (I had about $2500 worth of stuff come with my coach) and it's just stuff.
7. Be honest about representation when it comes to the condition of the coach, follow up on all contacts and have plenty of pictures to email out. Yes there will be a lot of tire kickers but that one message you forgot to reply back to might have been the right buyer.
Good luck, a 1997 Monaco Signature is still a very desirable coach if priced right and it's all about marketing your product to a target audience.
Dennis
