Is anyone else interested in historical / trending data for used boat sales?

[lonecapon]

I'm very much in the "wondering if I should buy a boat" phase of my life and every time I poke around a listing on boats.com or yachtworld, I wonder things like:

- how long a listing has been active
- whether there have been price drops
- what the last 12 months of asking prices have been for a given listing
- the actual sale price (which only seems available via something like https://www.yachtworld.com/core/memb...Membership.jsp)

Am I the only one?

[Lowcountry]

Get yourself a buyer's broker. He/she can help you get all of that information.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

Get yourself a buyer's broker. He/she can help you get all of that information.

Such info is not commonly available , it’s not in the sellers interest to educate the buyer.

[Rucksta]

yep

Did that then made an impulse decision from the heart and bought the boat that spoke to us.

Now do that stuff looking for validation.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by lonecapon

I'm very much in the "wondering if I should buy a boat" phase of my life and every time I poke around a listing on boats.com or yachtworld, I wonder things like:

- how long a listing has been active
- whether there have been price drops
- what the last 12 months of asking prices have been for a given listing
- the actual sale price (which only seems available via something like https://www.yachtworld.com/core/memb...Membership.jsp)

Am I the only one?

Nope. You're not. Yours is the third or fourth thread started on this topic in the last couple of months...

There is a website open only to brokers and surveyors that has data such as this. Ask boatpoker. He knows.

Other than that, we've all been speculating on the state of the market and what we've been seeing, but it's just that: speculation.

Here are the most recent threads:

Boat Prices
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...es-253628.html

Looking for Sale Prices of Vessels Sold
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ld-253620.html

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[carlosproa]

Boat buying can benefit from Vulcan mentality (Mr. Spock), but most of us mostly rationalized our emotional buy with lots of numbers. As much as possible take into account your spouse’s opinion and taste as this may influence the future of your boat as an active vessel or a floating reef.

[goboatingnow]

The website ( amongst others ) is soldboats.com it relies on brokers truthfully up loading pricing. In my experience it’s not that reliable

Any broker can access that data. Whether it helps remains to be seen

[Macrophylla]

As Lowcountry suggested, get a buyers broker, costs you nothing (same as RE the brokers split the seller paid commission) in addition to access to actual selling prices of similar boats over time they can find you local resources wherever the boat is located for surveying, repair work and provide contacts for financing and insurance. These folks live and breathe yacht sales every day and their expertise is especially valuable if you are looking at a class of boats that is new to you, or for specific features.

That said, unless you are looking at large monohulls/very large motor yachts it is absolutely a seller's market right now. New boat supply is constrained by supply chain issues and the greatest demand since mid-00s.

Good luck with your search!

[goboatingnow]

if the OP has engaged with the selling broker already , that broker may not consent to paying commission to that broker . In fact the selling broker is not obligated to share commission and only typically does so if the other broker brings him the sale

a broker may be paid by the seller but he has legal obligations to both parties, a good sellers brokers wants the purchasers to be happy and satisfied as he needs buyers more then he needs sellers !!

[skwanderer]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

yep

Did that then made an impulse decision from the heart and bought the boat that spoke to us.

Now do that stuff looking for validation.

100%! In the end, buying is an emotional decision, selling is a financial decision. Two very different thought processes. Certainly you don't want to get hoodwinked and be the fool, but a good buyer broker would help guide you, assuming his and your motives are aligned.

[Cadence]

I believe brokers have access to prior prices of sold boats for a subscription fee.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by lonecapon

I'm very much in the "wondering if I should buy a boat" phase of my life and every time I poke around a listing on boats.com or yachtworld, I wonder things like:

- how long a listing has been active
- whether there have been price drops
- what the last 12 months of asking prices have been for a given listing
- the actual sale price (which only seems available via something like https://www.yachtworld.com/core/memb...Membership.jsp) Am I the only one?

I spent five years researching sailboats before my purchase. Over time I saw most boats drop in price and even watch them being sold a second or third time. One particular boat moved from Mexico to San Francisco, then to Point Roberts, WA, then to Oregon, and lastly to Port Townsend, WA last year while I was working on mine. I even saw one move from Maryland to Florida and the price increased within the same year!

Follow the make/model you are interested in and take notes.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Talk Story]

Brokers can send you comps, but it is more like "I am going to make an offer; any comps?". They are not going to comp things out prior to showings or for tirekickers, and you may have to pull teeth to get them to get you comps when you are serious.

[CarinaPDX]

@goboatingnow is right: the data is on sailboats.com, a sister site for yachtworld.com, and costs money to access - intended for brokers. At least after 2007-2008 there were accusations that brokers were reporting inflated selling prices to the site. Certainly the brokers here have made heroic efforts to keep the asking prices high and the actual sale prices a secret - and there has been a big difference between the two. IIRC yachtworld.com reports last asking price, not selling price. With the financial craziness of the pandemic more recent boats in good condition are in demand and may be expensive, but that is less so for older cruising boats and especially ones that need attention. These older boats are not eligible for bank loans and so are a cash deal which makes sales sensitive to price. No doubt boats are worth more now than 2008 but keep in mind that there are a lot of old cruising boats out there and few middle class families that can afford to go cruising. My advice is to decide what you think it is worth to you and then make a cash offer contingent on survey. A few years ago I saw boats going for as little as half the asking price - it just depends how well priced they are, how desperate the sellers are, and how good a negotiator the buyer is. Good luck.

Greg

[KWISPEL]

Why are we not making a own list with buyers/selling prices on this forum?