SouthEast Sailing & Yachts Selling Solution StrategyThere you are. Standing in front of your treasured yacht tied to the dock at the marina. Thoughts, running through your mind, as to whether it is time to move up or move out, given your current yachting and financial plans.
If you are considering selling, here is a few suggestions that you might want to think about.
Every one who has something to sell generally hopes that they can get the best price on the market for what they have. All too often sellers approach selling having not taken the best steps forward to bring them a quick and efficient, best price, sale.
The first tip is to get an anticipated value for what you have to sell and be realistic. SouthEast Sailing and Yachts can do that for you and it will not cost anything. Our Market Analysis uses the same tools as we use to establish trade in values. Sources include BUC, NADA, Multi-Listed asking prices, soldboats.com, (a broker only site) and our data-base of sold yachts.
Once you have the number, sit back and think about whether are willing to accept the value. Listing and or trying to sell and over-priced item really just frustrates everyone. Remember, that some brokers will accept over-priced listings simply to add another opportunity to their “bag of tricks”.
Cosmetics, Location and Condition: Okay, you have passed that emotional decision to put what you have on the market. There is a whole industry within the Real Estate market of staging property for a more effective and profitable sale. Staging relative to yachts can best be described as “Boat Show Condition”. First, place her in a location that is a marine center for what you have to sell. SouthEast Sailing and Yachts located at Saint Augustine Marine offers a great venue from dockage/storage and a full service boat yard that can handle anything from a survey lift to work once a survey has been completed . Secondly, clean it up! Both, interior and exterior, stage it with just enough “props” to give her a finished appearance. Give her a boat show feel! Consider exterior compound and waxing the hull and deck, prep exterior wood and remove rust stains. We can quote you here at SES-Y. It is important once you have done this to keep it up. If you are absentee, hire a service to check on your yacht and keep it clean, run the systems once in a while to make sure all is as it should be. We can handle any of your service needs.
Finally, photography, pictures tell a thousand words, if you are in an area where we can not get good photo’s, get some one who has the ability to take good photo’s, it is typically the first point a potential buyer will have to see what you are selling
Equipment Representation: Most equipment lists will finally become the working document for survey and conveyance at time of closing. So if you list an item please make sure that it works. If you note a bimini top, make sure that is not the one sitting in the garage with the holes in it, on a broken frame. If you have items that need service and or replacement fix it! Remove out of date equipment, that old Loran C is a liability. Bring safety gear up to spec. Out of date flares just becomes another note in a surveyors report. Do not over do it though, it may simply be better to remove than spend money. Dinghy’s, if it has a motor most states anymore consider it a boat and registration papers are required. No paper? Do not list it. Here is another one, today most surveyors are recommending an oil analysis, change all motor fluids, you do not want a surveyor sucking up some sludge from your motors and sending it off to have a buyer receive a nasty report of all sorts of stuff in the oil. SouthEast Sailing and Yachts works with every customer in getting it just right.
Boat Check: This is a preliminary third party survey accomplished by a surveyor for the purposes of validating the vessel. You are presenting a third party opinion. By attaching this to the marketing it provides a great opportunity for buyers to elevate their confidence level in further pursuing any particular listing. If you wish there are other services that can provide this function, Boat Chek is a good resource. SouthEast Sailing and Yachts believes in this marketing tool so strongly that we offer our Central Agency Listings docked/stored at our facility a flexible payment plan for this service.
Find a good Broker: What does that mean? Besides someone who is willing to work with you as a seller clearing the way to for a quick sale as noted above here are the highlights relative to what we offer here at SouthEast Sailing and Yachts:
Marketing: Marketing muscle with a punch!Web Presence, we maintain and manage our own website. Our Brokers have the opportunity to do the same. We currently have as many as 3-4 separate URL’s that are constantly monitored for search engine position.
Internet Driven Marketing to include:YachtWorld.com
Boat Trader.com
Yacht Trader.com
UsedBoats.com
BoatQuest.com
Marinesource.com
Ebay.com
Utube.com
Twitter.com
Magazine Advertizing:We have found that national advertizing should be left to the internet, our picks can include:
Mariner
Boat Trader
Yacht Trader
South Winds.
Latitude and Attitudes
Boat Shows: We feel that it is so important to get out in front of buyers, presenting both new and used can include:
Jacksonville
Saint Petersburg
Daytona
Atlanta
Savannah
Charleston
Miami
In House Activities:Email campaigns.
Info Seminars, and Sales Events
Judy’s famous “Stretch” and wonderful evening socials.
Well, now that we have found the customer for your boat, what is next. SouthEast Sailing and Yachts works with every buyer and seller through the process to include:
Finance
Survey
Sea Trail
Ownership Transfer
Insurance
Dockage.
Maintenance, repairs and re-fits
All done in a friendly and professional environment.
If you are looking for the right people who understand the process of selling your yacht, SouthEast Sailing and Yachts are the best to have on your
CREW! And that would be me! and you can find me most anytime at 954.821.6450 and john@jgayachting.com