Selling/Buying Your Vessel

A Yacht Sales Professional will offer you a network of contacts by making use of: broker-to-broker relationships established over years of experience; yacht multiple listing systems (MLS); and, the best electronic media, some of which is only available to members of the boating industry.

A Yacht Sales Professional will prepare a complete and accurate listing of the specifications of your boat that will be used to develop the print advertising, electronic advertising, and entry into the multiple listing services (MLS). In a matter of hours, a full description and photographs of your boat can be made available to brokers and buyers around the world, or right next door, with a central contact person—your professional broker—available to answer questions, qualify buyers, and arrange showings.

A Yacht Sales Professional will help you prepare your boat for sale by evaluating its current condition, advising how to put it in "show" condition, and recommending services specializing in whatever type of work may be required.

A Yacht Sales Professional will outline an advertising and promotion strategy that is tailored for your boat. This will include print advertising, electronic promotion, MLS systems, and boat shows.

A Yacht Sales Professional will respond to inquiries and arrange for showings, with a broker present. A seller working on his own can be swamped with unqualified inquiries, no-show appointments, people “just looking,” and maybe, somewhere in that flood, a few people ready and willing to buy your boat. A professional broker takes care of this for you, ultimately finding the buyer for your boat.

Once an offer is accepted, the Yacht Sales Professional can ease the process of finalizing a transaction. This will include:

• Preparing the maze of necessary paperwork.
• Making sure all aspects of a deal are properly conducted in a timely manner pursuant to the contract.
• Helping the buyer obtain financing with the best possible rates and terms.
• Providing the buyer with a list of recommended marine surveyors to represent him in determining the condition of the boat.
• Orchestrating the haul-out or launch and sea trial.
• Providing the buyer and seller with the knowledge to properly address the nearly inevitable yacht survey issues. The buyer will have the severity of any identified problems put in context and the names of people who may estimate costs and perform necessary repairs. The seller will get advice on how to adjust the transaction, if necessary, after survey, as well as advice about who to contact to confirm repair estimates.

Yacht Sales Professionals subscribe to, and abide by, a stringent Code of Ethics. The role that they play between the buyer and seller requires substantial ethical responsibilities to ensure that both parties are treated honestly and fairly. Without a professional broker, this ethical standard is left to chance and blind trust between unknown parties.