see also: | Advertise Online | Sell with Boatshed |
” . . you never get a second chance to make a first impression . . . “
Sell your Boat
When it’s time say good-bye to your much-loved vessel you’re going to be entering a very competitive market place. To make sure you sell it within your time-frame and for the best possible price, pay attention to the following, and review – What we tell Buyers to Look Out For –
Prepare and Photograph
1. Get your boat looking as good as possible – clean, tidy and polished. Deep-clean into the corners, wash all fabrics and put everything away. If the boat is out of the water a coat of antifoul will be worth the cost. Take plenty of pictures on a sunny day showing your boat from all angles and include close-up detail shots (loo seat down, please). See the boat as a stranger might, what’s good? what’s bad? The condition of your boat is very important to a buyer and no matter how special it is, it won’t make it to the short list if it doesn’t look good in the photos you present.
Spick and Span
2. Decide what is actually up for sale and take everything off board that don’t want to part with. Make sure that all equipment is in good working order and that it smells good for inspection. Clean the bilges. Check the engine and if it hasn’t had a service for a while, get one done.
Paperwork
3. Collect all your documents together. Title deed, VAT receipts, all purchases and work/repair receipts, insurance documents, previous surveys and so on. Include a list of where you’ve taken her, to explain her engine hours and fire up the imagination. Fuel consumption will be one of the questions you’ll need to answer. Information is key and if you can produce a layout plan with dimensions you’ll be one of the few and immediately of interest.
Price Point
4. Research the market and assess a realistic price from looking at similar boats to yours. What is different/special about yours? Why is yours priced higher or lower? One factor will be where it’s located – if possible, get your boat to a marina/mooring that’s popular for boat sales and easily accessible.
Judging the asking price
The waterway magazine publisher Fluvial has a very useful interactive guide that matches boat details from its comprehensive database against prices asked by advertisers [in French].
Promote
5. Advertising. In a market of thousands, budget for a spend on this in order to be at all visible. Choose your best photos – external and internal – to show all aspects and list all the boat’s attributes. If things need fixing, say so; this is not necessarily off-putting. It’s fear of the unknown that makes a buyer wary. What they’re looking for is reassurance and value for money.
Sell
When the fish start to bite be sure to respond immediately and offer to send preliminary documents by email. Likewise, ask them what stage they’re at in their buying process – do they have finance arranged? When could they come and view?
Be prepared to welcome their surveyor and take the buyer out in the boat. Work out your negotiation tactics – it’s not always cash that wins. Sometimes an offer to include an item you’d rather keep, or deliver the boat to a mooring, will secure the price you want.
