Getting a boat listed on Yacht World

[epiic]

I am in the process of selling my boat and have been shopping around for a broker but they all want 10% commission. That works out to $28,000.

I understand they do marketing, showings, surveys, sea trials, contracts and closings but I can take care of most that myself so I just don't feel its worth it for me.

Does anyone know of a broker that takes a MUCH smaller commission in exchange for a listing on Yacht World?

A Yacht World listing is the only real benefit I see with a listing agent...

[ctl411]

You can list here, owners sites, Facebook, Craigslist and sailboatlists. If it's priced Right and clean it should sell. But be prepared to deal with the clueless and time wasters for your savings...

[Cotemar]

List it on www.sailboatlistings.com and within a few weeks you will get brokers emailing you with great promises that they can sell your boat faster.

Then try and negotiate a better commission % and have them list it on Yacht-world for you.

We had a few brokers email us every week.

We actually ended up selling our's with www.sailboatlistings.com

We then paid a local broker a few hundred dollars to close the deal and make it a secure transaction for both parties.

[epiic]

I've already posted it for sale on www.sailboatlistings.com and have already started to receive emails from brokers. lol

[rendern]

I have used knot 10 brokers (as in NOT 10%) at knot10.com. I think they are more like 7%, but you may be able to negotiate that somewhere else as well.
-Norm

[akprb]

sailboatlistings.com

Also be prepared for an offer. Contact a documentation agent to handle the transaction and do it AHEAD of time. Have a simple purchase agreement ready and the names and numbers of local surveyors.

Some may argue you can do that yourself but a small fee for a third party who adds legitimacy and safety to the transaction may be worth it. If they maintain an escrow service all the better.

Ask for the deposit and then make the arrangements for the sea trial and survey.

10% is crazy but that being said there is work and time involved and a bit of hand holding ;-)

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

List it on www.sailboatlistings.com and within a few weeks you will get brokers emailing you with great promises that they can sell your boat faster.

Then try and negotiate a better commission % and have them list it on Yacht-world for you.

We had a few brokers email us every week.

We actually ended up selling our's with www.sailboatlistings.com

We then paid a local broker a few hundred dollars to close the deal and make it a secure transaction for both parties.

I see some of the listings going clear back to 2007,surely these boats are still not for sale? What's the deal, have the sellers just failed to remove the listing?confused:

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

I see some of the listings going clear back to 2007,surely these boats are still not for sale? What's the deal, have the sellers just failed to remove the listing?confused:

Sadly, most sellers never go back and shut off the listing once the boat has sold.

You would think www.sailboatlistings.com could setup a software reminder to remind the seller to shut the boat listing off.

[akprb]

They don't remove or they are overpriced.

One thing a broker does is steer someone who really wants to sell to what the market really is. When I was a broker long ago and if someone was serious we start dropping the price by 5k a week or so, advertise heavy, call our leads and when it hit the true market price the phone would ring. Letting it marinate for too long at a high price just gets stale.

Don't forget good old gorilla marketing. Flyers at your local clubs, small local print ads, Facebook and encourage your friends to share, manufacturers owner webpage, user groups for your model.

REALLY GOOD PICTURES of the boat being enjoyed with cool backgrounds. Staging, have the interior warm and inviting with some Target throw pillows et al. Made up bunks with nice linens, hand towels in the heads and CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN. Every locker and nook and cranny clean.

Smell, a little febreeze goes a long way.

Know every other boat like yours on the market as well. See them if you can so you can answer their questions about others before they ask. "Ya, there are two others within a 100 miles, you should look at them, one is owned by a __________, the other is the charter version with x hours. You get the idea.

Good brokers know this stuff ;-)

Gosh this is more fun writing than actually working! Good luck!

[leboyd]

(First, let me clearly state that I am not a broker or real estate agent.)

It seems to me that good boat brokers earn their money. Communicating with possible buys and then back to the owner seems extremely important. They know the laws and procedures to make the transfer smooth. They can help define the real market value for a seller, as opposed to the "I fixed it. It's my baby. It's worth 50% more than all the other boats out there.") They can help prepare the boat by explaining to the seller what repairs or upgrades affect the selling time or price the most. And many other things that you "get to do" without a broker.

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

I see some of the listings going clear back to 2007,surely these boats are still not for sale? What's the deal, have the sellers just failed to remove the listing?confused:

I tried removing my ad after my boat sold. I couldn't do it by just hitting the delete button on the website, some bad coding or something. It took an email to the website people before it was actually removed. I got calls go weeks after it sold.

[twig]

I used Sailing Texas and they help set up your ad and only charge you a nominal fee but you do the selling and showing

[boatpoker]

I've really never understood the whole percentage thing..... yachts or realty.

Broker sells a $60k boat and makes $6k
Broker sells a $600k boat and makes $60k

Same time and expenses involved, makes no sense to me.

[Hoodsail]

Sold my '84 Catalina 27 thru sailboatlistings and altho successful it did result in a number of wkend sails with potential "buyers", one who came back 2 times with her older son, who she was going to buy the boat for as a Summer activity - NOT. Also posted flyers at our local harbor masters bulletin board. No broker calls as the price was low.

On the flip side, had an excellent experience with broker, William H Shaw Jr, out of Barrington, RI. Yes he is the son of...
I do not know what his commission was, but after I told him what I was specifically looking for he brought a # of potential boats to mind and steered me away from a couple of suspect boats. He ultimately found my current boat. Granted my budget was 1/10 what is being discussed here..
good luck.

[surf_sail]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I've really never understood the whole percentage thing..... yachts or realty.



Broker sells a $60k boat and makes $6k

Broker sells a $600k boat and makes $60k



Same time and expenses involved, makes no sense to me.

True. The internet will eventually disintermediate most broker businesses (boats,h real estate and especially insurance). The % pricing structure is a holdover from when brokers had more power and added more value in the pre-internet days. Unfortunately old habits die slowly, I'm looking forward to brokers disappearing.