Help selling my boat

[labatt]

OK... it looks like this Hallberg-Rassy 53 thing might be going through, pending surveys and a sea trial. In an effort to get a jump on things, I've put a site together to try to sell our Passport 40 (www.passport40.org). I'd like to try to sell her myself before bringing her to a broker. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to list the website? Does anyone see anything on the site I shouldn't say, or anything I should add? I'd appreciate all the help!

Thanks!

[Faster]

I like the program you're on!

Obviously you are pretty internet-savvy, the site looks great. Not sure I'd have listed what you paid, or that you are actually trying to recoup your original buyin.... but you do say firm, so there you are.

One warning, you may receive plenty of nuisance if not fraudulent offers to buy, subject to your forwarding your banking info...

Many of us have been two boat owners (hopefully temporarily) but I reckon few have been there with such substantial boats!

Good luck on both fronts!

[max-on]

WOW, that is an impressive job, very well done!!!! If I was in the market for a 40 ft crusier, I would call.

[labatt]

Thanks for the comments. Keep 'em coming! I was on the fence as to listing what I paid originally. I love "honest" sales - here's exactly why everything is priced the way it is - but I was on the fence about it. I've taken it off for the moment.

[Raggbagger]

Great site , great looking boat , I cant think of anything I would add or subtract . Looks like a very well cared for vessel , if it was in my budget Id be looking at her.

[teshannon]

Chris,
I think it is an excellent listing, well thought out and comprehensive. I also agree you should not include your purchase price. A lot of buyers will feel it is their right to buy it for less than you paid for it and all of the upgrades may not be of full value to them. I also think in the asking price you need to allow room for offers and not list it at your bottom line price. I know you like straight forward up front listings but finding someone who will not submit a lower offfer could be difficult. Again human nature says if he's listing it for "this" then I should be able to get it for "that". Most people will ignore or not take seriously the "firm price" in the listing. That's from a quick read, I'll spend more time looking it over today. Good luck.

[Diva27]

I've bought and sold a number of boats, both privately and through a broker (the same goes for houses. I also wrote a whole book about vacation property ownership, which included buying and selling privately. Look up The Cottage Ownership Guide on Amazon,). A few comments:
1. Agree with others: skip the "what I paid for her, what I thought I should ask." People care about what similar boats (model, comparable length, age, gear) are asking/getting. If you're going to be "firm" about the price, be prepared to have the ammunition to defend it. And then be prepared to go lower. I think telling people you can't afford to own two boats is only going to encourage the low-ball offers. And not having a broker automatically makes people want to get a "discount" for your not having to pay commission.
2. Biggest question you're going to get: recently surveyed? Your site is full of stuff, and maybe I missed this, but availability of a current survey (especially if you just bought it in 06) should be way up front. It defends the price and will encourage people who live a long way away to actually consider coming and looking at it.
3. Be prepared for legions of tire-kickers, and online queries that ask for miles of details and never get back to you. Especially because you have one of those yachts that attracts dreamers like bees to honey.
4. While you are determined to sell privately, do consider the services that a broker can offer. (And no, I'm not a broker.) They can filter the nuisance buyers for you (or at least deal with them), a good one will have an excellent sense of what market value is, can put it in the established sales promotion stream, network with other brokers (who often have clients that have them looking for a boat, and won't look at yours because there's no commission potential). Most important, they don't have sentimental attachments that cloud their judgment of what something is going to fetch. Selling privately can be done, and is done a lot, but you need nerves of steel and infinite patience with the confederacy of dunces out there. I would give yourself a horizon time for selling it yourself, and then consider going the broker route. And if a broker calls enquiring about the boat, don't bite his/her head off. You may need them in the future.
5. As has been pointed out, watch out for the internet/email scams. I was selling a racing dinghy a couple years ago when a so-called buyer from Europe got in touch and wasted a lot of my time before finally dropping the scam bomb that involved accepting a third party cheque, remitting the surplus to him, blah blah blah. You can guess what I wrote back.
6. If selling on your own, know the legal landscape of title. Know what is appropriate for the buyer in the way of holdbacks subject to a satisfactory survey. Know what problems should result in your reducing the price or agreeing to repairs at your expense.
Good luck with it all.

[JohnRPollard]

Labatt,

Nice website. I agree with other comments above particularly those regarding purchase and selling price.

Also, I would make the "Specifications" page the first page that the link connects to (and add an exterior photo to that page, as well as the interior schematic), rather than the "Why She's For Sale" page. Your story is an interesting one -- I wouldn't necessarily eliminate it -- but remember this is a business transaction and as such raw data, refit info, and pricing should come first.

As for where to list, Soundings is a good place to advertise in print media. There are also some websites that cater to For Sale By Owner (Usedboats.com ??). And I think there is even a brokerage that gets you listed in Yachtworld for a nominal fee or commission -- my fuzzy memory is they are based in Annapolis or on the Eastern Shore....

[camaraderie]

Nothing to add Labatt except really nice job on the website and I think you should heed those saying you need to leave room to negotiate...some people just won't buy without a "discount"!

[xort]

Boat US offers a free basic listing and a premium listing. They also offer escrow service and other aids in the selling process. The best service they offer is a pricing service. Send them your specs & location and they will check their records as well as boatsold records and give you a good idea of the marketplace. Free!

www.ablboats.com seems to have the best list of 'by owner' boats that I've found.

You should re-think the 'firm' pricing. Not many people will believe you! Price it 15% to 25% above market value.

I would put more sizzle on the front page. Pictures and specs should be up front with why later, inside for those who are interested.

Try to think more like a buyer than the owner of YOUR fine yacht! "I don't care what you have into it nor why you are selling it...just give me a better deal than anybody else!"