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Old 12-20-2012, 07:40 AM   #17
JD
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City: New Bern NC
Vessel Name: Stella Di Mare
Vessel Model: Mainship 34t
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,702
A couple of things to think about no matter who is selling your boat.

When you really decide to sell the boat make it look like it is for sale. Empty the boat of all personal effects that do not go with the boat. Everything! Look on line and you will see boats with junk strewn all over the inside. What's that say about the care the boat was given.

Clean the boat. Wash and wax it. Will this get you anymore money? Probably not but it will make the boat attractive to the prospective buyer.

Do not use the boat if possible. It needs to be available to show at a moments notice. Besides you can't remove all personal items and use the boat at the same time. Nor can you keep it as clean as possible when using it.

Fix anything that is broken or looks bad. Would you buy a car with the seat torn or an oil leak? Not a $500 car, that's different but a $25k car. Again this goes to the care the boat was given.

Be realistic about what it will sale for. If over the last year your model boat has sold for $70 - 80k. Yours isn't worth $105k. No matter what you paid, no matter what you owe and no matter what you have added to the boat. You may get $85 or $87 because yours is unique in some way but that same uniqueness may allow you only to get $65k. A lot of brokers will take the boat at any price just to get the listing. They figure that after four or five months you will lower your price and they will get a sale. Or at least when they get a looker at your boat they can show yours then show the client what else they can get for that same amount of money. Don't fall into that trap. When we were buying we knew how long the boat had been on the market and what price it started out at and if it had been reduced at all form the first asking price or not. All of these indicate the willingness of the sellers desire to really sell the boat. Some of the boats had been on the market for 15 months and had been reduce none or very little. I looked at a few that way just to get a feel of what was out there but they fell by the way side quickly. One is still for sell after three or more years. Same price, third broker.

If your boat is for sale for three months, its been shown several times and you haven't had an offer of any kind, it is over priced for what it is. See above. Houses, cars and boats are the same as far as sell price. They are only worth what someone will write the check for. Not a dime more. And that value is affected by the perceived value that the buyer sees. In real estate it is Location, Location, Location. In a boat it is drive up appeal and first impression.

It is much like being in a Bar at night. The well dressed well presented product leaves first. It takes a bit of Makers Mark to get the rest out the door.
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Vinny

M/V Stella Di Mare
New Bern NC
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