How to sell your yacht in turbulent waters

Sales Tips to sell your yacht today:

We all know selling multi-million dollar yachts in the worst recession many of us have seen is not an easy task. Some not familiar with the industry would even say it’s laughable. No longer can you post your listing on sites such as YachtWorld and Yacht Council and sit back and wait for leads. No longer can you depend on the broker that credits himself as knowing everything there is about boats and rely solely on this knowledge. You would not consider hiring your cleaning lady to sell your house because she’s familiar with your home would you? The obvious answer is no, you would hire a sales professional who has the reputation and necessary tools to sell your yacht. Someone that knows the market, has the energy and drive to bring in prospects and can protect and advise you on selling one of your most prized and valuable assets.

Today’s market is value driven and buyers are looking for opportunities just as you would be if the roles were reversed. Listing your boat for sale does not make you a seller. A seller is someone that has been educated of the current market and priced their yacht to compete. A seller’s representative is aggressive providing exposure that will bring buyers to the table in a reasonable amount of time.

Are you an individual that wants to list your yacht for sale…or are you a seller?

Quick Sales Tips

•Make sure your listing agent has an assistant that can reach him or field calls. Also confirm that your broker is teamed with another broker in his office that can cover his business when out of the office. In the brokerage business, a successful broker often travels frequently so back up is very important. One-man brokerage offices can only handle one client at a time.

•Ask your broker for a report showing comparable yacht prices in the market as well as sold boat comps. If your yacht is not priced competitively in the market, it will generally not sell after other more competitively priced yachts have been sold or removed from the market.

•Ask your broker if they provide virtual tours as well as what new marketing tools are they using that are different than their competition.

•Position your yacht in a location where the yacht can be easily shown. Part of the exposure you need to sell are having showings.

•DON’T CHASE THE MARKET. Too often I look at listing that show the date the yacht went to market as being two or three years ago with significant price reductions along the way. Price your yacht to sell, not to sit.

Contact Mike Carlson and Brian Hermann to sell your yacht today.

carlson-hermann@ardell.com