Brokerage commission

[pagoda]

We used a broker ( Boatshed Scotland) to help sell our last boat. We had spent considerable effort looking at replacements and come to understand what does and does NOT sell a boat. A well looked after boat, in clean condition at a sensible price will sell with no huge issues.
We saw a lot of boats where the owner lost interest , walked away and told the broker sell it for me. ( think beer cans lying around, dirty sleeping bags, turds in the heads...!) Many nice boats lurking about as utter dogs due to lack of interest and neglect.
The broker was pleased with the state of our boat and quite enthusiastic.
Our boat found a friendly family as new owners. 6% plus VAT. Clean and sort everything you can.

 

[V1701]

The thing with Boatshed is their brokers have to pay quite a lot of money just to use the name whether they make money from sales or not so I'm not surprised they are at the higher end of commission. I've made websites before to help sell boats or just used Apollo Duck & ebay, sometimes made a bit on what I paid, other times lost a bit. Absolutely agree pricing is the single most important thing followed by proper decluttering and cleaning, lots of recent photos and an honest description. There are good brokers but mostly I have been unimpressed...

 

[ryanroberts]

Inland is a bit cheaper than this - 4-5 is the norm. Selling narrowboats into London market is probably a bit easier maybe.

 

[Rafiki]

Try the Owners Assocoation for your boat. It really works well for some classes. I sold my last boat that way, and indeed bought the replacment through that route.

 

[richardbrennan]

I would also suggest owners association websites if you have one. Many Westerlys are sold that way and it's often the first port of call for prospective purchasers.

 

[Kelpie]

My experience with brokers, as a potential buyer, was in some cases downright embarrassing.
It's quite awkward when someone sets themselves up as the expert/professional but gets basic information wrong. In some cases it was easier to track down the seller themselves than to get an answer or a reply out of the broker.
I now consider it a positive when the seller themselves is handling the sale.

 

[Koeketiene]

Ditto.

Currently actively looking for our next boat.
Getting details from a broker akin to pulling teeth.
'Not known to us' - I am sure the seller knows, why not ask him.
'When can we view the boat' - any time I guess, just gives us a call the day before you want to view and we'll let you know if it's possible.
Arrived at the brokerage - disinterested broker hands us the keys, she's somewhere at the back - I'm sure you will find a ladder somewhere.

Now got a shortlist of 3 - two are private sales. Both of the private sales have been friendly and answered all og my questions in detail and promptly.

 

[langstonelayabout]

Now you mention it, I went to look at a boat last year & the bloke in the office just gave me a key & warned me to be careful on the ladder.

The last boat i sold was in person, but the day before the buyer's surveyor was due I called their surveyor confirming the survey and wanting to confirm his access to my boat. I was met with a hugely pompous voice telling me he'll bring his own ladder, thanks, and will get the boat's key from the yard office.

I mentioned that the yard didn't have the key. when he asked how on earth was he supposed to survey the boat I almost laughed at him. Surely he should have asked me for the key?

The call went downhill from there and as sure as eggs are eggs, the most damning (and upon further inspection inaccurate) survey report was authored and sent. The buyer, of course, withdrew. The next viewer snapped it up and is happy with it to this day.

And, oh, my boat previous to that was sold through Boatshed with a 6% fee...

 

[Lightwave395]

I've recently pondered on downsizing a bit and talked to a Solent based broker about selling. The problem I found with costs on a sub £30K boat was less the commission, more where will the boat be if it isn't already in a local marina. They ideally wanted it in their yard but if you accept it might not sell PDQ then over a few months, with the lift out, the parking rates will soon make the commission look cheap. If it took a year to sell, not impossible in this market and subsequently realised say £25K, the commission and storage coasts could (in the Hamble at least) be getting on for £5K.
They did have a boat I might have been interested in but it was on a mooring halfway down the Hamble and after three attempts at trying to arrange a viewing I gave up.
If / when I do make a decision it'll be privately, probably through Apollo Duck, I might also get a survey done prior, to help speed up the sale process and help eliminate timewasters and ditherers.

 

[jwilson]

snipped - If / when I do make a decision it'll be privately, probably through Apollo Duck, I might also get a survey done prior, to help speed up the sale process and help eliminate timewasters and ditherers.

A seller getting a survey done prior to putting up for sale can be useful, particularly if the boat is afloat and potential buyers can't see the bottom. However it does in our ( Yachts for sale at Yachtsnet - UK sailing yacht brokerage and boat sales ) experience sometimes get buyers fixated on minor issues picked up by the survey, unless you can show that absolutely everything listed as a recommendation has been done. In practice few owners do absolutely everything a survey suggests. Reading someone else's survey is not quite the same as commissioning one yourself: if a buyer commissions a survey the surveyor will normally talk the buyer through it, and discuss what is actually vital and what is "...would be nice".

 

[xyachtdave]

The last boat i sold was in person, but the day before the buyer's surveyor was due I called their surveyor confirming the survey and wanting to confirm his access to my boat. I was met with a hugely pompous voice telling me he'll bring his own ladder, thanks, and will get the boat's key from the yard office.

I mentioned that the yard didn't have the key. when he asked how on earth was he supposed to survey the boat I almost laughed at him. Surely he should have asked me for the key?

The call went downhill from there and as sure as eggs are eggs, the most damning (and upon further inspection inaccurate) survey report was authored and sent. The buyer, of course, withdrew. The next viewer snapped it up and is happy with it to this day.

And, oh, my boat previous to that was sold through Boatshed with a 6% fee...

Glad you got the boat sold!

In my opinion, yacht brokers (and second hand car salesmen) perform the same task, insulating you from the general public that....

1) Don't turn up as arranged or call to cancel
2) Do turn up (late) and kick fenders/tyres with no intention of buying. 'I'm looking at a Princess 50 with a flybridge or possibly a Hunter Horizon 26, I'm not sure which way to go yet..'
3) Think they're doing you a favour offering 40% of the asking, buyer's market etc
4) Doing a good impression of being serious but haven't actually got any money
5) Looking for a day out, free coffee and the sales experience - made to feel important
6) Spout bollocks they read online about keels falling off, the Fastnet race in 1979, your boat's anchor is rubbish, red diesel worries etc etc

Obviously you may get lucky with a YBW forum member coming to view your boat and being a gentleman, but the rest of the time the broker earns their commission.

Personally I have zero tolerance for idiots, would have given the surveyor LangstoneLA mentioned 'both barrels' on the phone and I'd imagine never be able to sell anything!

 

[Lightwave395]

A seller getting a survey done prior to putting up for sale can be useful, particularly if the boat is afloat and potential buyers can't see the bottom. However it does in our ( Yachts for sale at Yachtsnet - UK sailing yacht brokerage and boat sales ) experience sometimes get buyers fixated on minor issues picked up by the survey, unless you can show that absolutely everything listed as a recommendation has been done. In practice few owners do absolutely everything a survey suggests. Reading someone else's survey is not quite the same as commissioning one yourself: if a buyer commissions a survey the surveyor will normally talk the buyer through it, and discuss what is actually vital and what is "...would be nice".

Take your point, I was thinking more of a structural hull survey rather than an everything report, I'd be happy to demonstrate and show bills for everything else, pretty much all of which is recent or relatively so (hull is 30 years old...)