Opinion on my ad selling Lagoon 400

[peterp]

Well I am offering my 2010 Lagoon 400 to the market. I am not going to use a Broker I am going to handle it myself cant be that hard, I am engaging a Lawyer a marine man, he will provide me with the paperwork and I will use his trust fund for deposits etc. (that's if there is one) this is his advice so far cost about A$3K. So I have just finished an ad using one of my busines's web site that I use from time to time its a simple enough task, I'd be interested in my fellow sailors on what they think of going alone without a broker, here is the link https://roadworthytyres.com.au/lagoon-400-for-sale it does look a bit odd I must say, I will list on a mainstream site as well but I thought this would be worth a try. All comments welcome you wont hurt my feelings.

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by peterp

Well I am offering my 2010 Lagoon 400 to the market. I am not going to use a Broker I am going to handle it myself cant be that hard, I am engaging a Lawyer a marine man, he will provide me with the paperwork and I will use his trust fund for deposits etc. (that's if there is one) this is his advice so far cost about A$3K. So I have just finished an ad using one of my busines's web site that I use from time to time its a simple enough task, I'd be interested in my fellow sailors on what they think of going alone without a broker, here is the link https://roadworthytyres.com.au/lagoon-400-for-sale it does look a bit odd I must say, I will list on a mainstream site as well but I thought this would be worth a try. All comments welcome you wont hurt my feelings.

I just took a quick look, it appears to be a nice boat, but out of my price range. Unless of course it actually is listed at $469.00
I'm assuming it was a typo, really asking $469,000.00?

[fcftampa]

$469.00 NO MORE TO PAY

I would prefer USD/AUD and 469k or $469000
fast and efficiant. typo

44000 BTU

that's a MONSTER of an AC
No mention of VAT for Australia (I'm not in Australia but would think it's a big issue)

Nicely equipped!
Do I get a 25% for the quick review? If also payable in crypto and price in Aus$ then it's mine

[peterp]

Thanks chris mac, and fcftampa, well that was a typo A$469,000 is the ask and I will double check the btu I think it is correct no expert on this stuff but Lagoon installed, designed to heat or cool all cabins at the same time is my understanding. I did put a note on the ad for any interested party to double check on my figures. Great feedback picked up two things for me, looks like the real Brokers job is safe. Thanks again

[StuM]

Originally Posted by fcftampa

I
No mention of VAT for Australia (I'm not in Australia but would think it's a big issue)

No GST (VAT) on second hand boat sales in Aus.



Noticed one problem: "nouds" --> "anodes".



Other than that, it looks good.

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by peterp

Well I am offering my 2010 Lagoon 400 to the market. I am not going to use a Broker I am going to handle it myself cant be that hard, I am engaging a Lawyer a marine man, he will provide me with the paperwork and I will use his trust fund for deposits etc. (that's if there is one) this is his advice so far cost about A$3K. So I have just finished an ad using one of my busines's web site that I use from time to time its a simple enough task, I'd be interested in my fellow sailors on what they think of going alone without a broker, here is the link https://roadworthytyres.com.au/lagoon-400-for-sale it does look a bit odd I must say, I will list on a mainstream site as well but I thought this would be worth a try. All comments welcome you wont hurt my feelings.

Im no sailor and don't even yet own a boat, but I do real estate photography and digital marketing.

Take more photos and make sure every window is open and light is on. Use a wide angle lens if you can. Its better for the photos to be too bright than too dark. You've got everything possible on the description, which is great, but put a few quick bullet points at the top of desirable features that draw in the customer, to entice them to read the rest.

Great looking boat though. Would love to have one similar to it one day.

[peterp]

Thanks KingGuppy, great to have a pro's advice. Hey it hasen't sold yet it's been 24 hours what's going on!🙄

[thinwater]

No comments on the ad. I think others will do a good job. Pretty boat.



This is the Blog Ad I used to sell my cat last year. I got good interest and sold it without a broker at market price.


Sail Delmarva: PDQ 32/34 Shoal Survivor--Sold


Here is the an article I published on selling without a broker. It's hard work, but can be the best way if you understand the process and are willing to put in the effort.



https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...r_12315-1.html

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by peterp

Thanks KingGuppy, great to have a pro's advice. Hey it hasen't sold yet it's been 24 hours what's going on!🙄

lol, no problem.

Sail it over to Florida and I'll take the photos for you if you take me for a quick spin in the ocean!

[Paul L]

The title should be more exciting about the boat, not No more to pay.
The menu in the upper right has non-descript entries like Page 1 and go to selling tyres.
No email contact info. Not sure if it says how to view.
Formatting the spec sheet as us seen on Yachtworld might some feel more comfortable.Youve got some really long run on sentences without any commas. That's hard to read on the web.
Hosting on a more appropriate URL might get you better web search results. Like www.lagoon400.au if you could get it.

[peterp]

Good I will get rid of that no more to pay, I will the load the ad on a commercial site in the near future I just thought I'd run it past you guys first as a practice run so to speak, must say really great response, much appreciated. I was up till 1.30 finishing so very tired hence many typos I just wanted to get it on our discussion forum.

[ranchero76]

1. Make lots quality photos of EVERYTHING.
2. Make good description of boat's current condition/extras/refit/upgrades etc.
2. Set attractive price.

All #1, #2 and #3 are extremely important.

3. List it here in "For sale" section and/or on one or few of "for sale by owners" sites, like Catamaransite.com.
4. Done!

I wouldn't even look at custom "boat for sale" sites, just doesn't make much sense for me.

[peterp]

Meant to ask I thought of having a arms length surveyor give a full report cost is around $1500 and include it in the paperwork not much in the grand scheme of things, but a potential buyer may think the surveyor is my best mate. It may be a waste of money any one think this is a good idea?.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by peterp

Meant to ask I thought of having a arms length surveyor give a full report cost is around $1500 and include it in the paperwork not much in the grand scheme of things, but a potential buyer may think the surveyor is my best mate. It may be a waste of money any one think this is a good idea?.

I think this is a good idea when the vessel is in a difficult place to view or you expect your primary customers to be from overseas. Otherwise let the buyer set up their own trusted surveyor.

[mark_morwood]

Originally Posted by peterp

All comments welcome you wont hurt my feelings.

I think you need to take off your boat owners hat and put on your marketing hat!

Every now and then someone will buy a boat, but usually what they are buying is an object that floats that lets them achieve something else, e.g. time on the water with friends & family, long term cruising, Wednesday afternoon racing etc. You might want to think about targeting your marketing to answering those questions, rather than a dry list of attributes. You still need the detailed spec sheet, and I would follow the advice above to structure it like the ones you see on Yachtworld, but I would recommend restructuring your online marketing to focus on why your boat is the right one to make the potential buyer's dreams come true.

To that end, here are a couple of concrete suggestions:

- I know you are in Melbourne, but you need to get some photos that show the boat in the sun! Think about the partner of your potential buyer looking at your website - they want to be able to picture themselves on the boat enjoying themselves in nice weather. If you can, get photos with people in them enjoying your boat.

- After some intro text and photos of the boat in use, structure the follow on as a series of reasons why your boat is the right one. Each section should have some text and photos. E.g. galley to make cooking fun and easy on the boat; air conditioning to make it comfortable on hot summer nights; reliable engines to get you home at the end of the day; good sailing characteristics to make a day sail enjoyable; ... etc

- Maybe create a spec sheet as a downloadable PDF or separate page that has all the details on it for reference

- Consider making it a more modern one page style website, that is mobile friendly. It's easy to do with almost no skills using online tools these days. Take a look at wix.com as an example of a commonly used tool that makes it easy to create a very professional looking website. Here is an example of the difference a modern looking site can make, though they haven't followed my advice on marketing :-) : https://trassigsailing.wixsite.com/svpelican

Good luck,
Mark.