The On-Going pain about trying to sell

shemandr · Jan 27, 2014

The number of boats for sale can work for you if yours shows well. Sometimes a buyer knows what he/she wants and is just looking for the best one available. One boat I had sold because I placed it in a location where there is a bigger sailboat market. There were 5 of that model for sale within 20 miles. A buyer decided to come to see them all and choose mine.
So, I guess I'm saying move it to the bigger market and make sure it shows well.

Gunni · Jan 27, 2014

Colonial Beach is not a boat buying mecca. But you knew that right. You should move the boat to a marina near the broker (and other sail brokers - Deltaville sounds good), and close to other boats like yours. Then the brokers can take buyers aboard the boats that you are competing with and they can see why your's is priced as it is. If I was on the market for a Catalina 30 I would want one that was in the best condition. I would then negotiate with you for a reasonable and acceptable price. You need boat visits to convince people to consider yours. Good luck!

RECESS · Jan 27, 2014

You will be amazed at how far people will travel for a well constructed ad for a boat that is priced right.

Just based on your posting, I would kill the contract with the broker, that alone allows you to drop the price significantly. Show the boat yourself, you are doing this anyway. Create ads with great photos on Craigslist, Sailing Texas, Sailboat Listings, and any local sites you can. People drive when the pictures are great and the price is right.

BillOcala · Jan 27, 2014

I bought mine off of Craigslist, less expired ads. In my area, a lot of the boats on those other sites weren't really for sale anymore. (Florida)

zeehag · Jan 27, 2014

not to bust your beanbag, but my ericson 35 mII has been on market for 6 years or so, now, and still, even with lowered pricing, is not sold. i am glad i made the provision to sign her over to po of this boat when i got this formosa...is a life saving technique. in june she will no longer be mine...yaaaayyyyy....
broker, who would only gain 3000usd decided not to show it at all in the 3 yrs i used that brokerage..lol...so .....
good luck and be patient....a friend trying to sell a ct54 is having lots of problems also trying to sell that absolutely ready to cruise...as it was interrupted from continuing by death of owner.....his widow is still trying to sell..just isnt happening. more smaller boats are selling....like yours, but not the cruise ready awesomenesses...nor day sailing ericsons....

Jackdaw · Jan 27, 2014

Ask your broker what the last 5 broker-sold C30s on the Chesapeake transacted for, regardless of year or 'condition'. He will have that data. Pick the low end of that range and re-set the price there. It will be gone in a month.

Stu Jackson · Jan 27, 2014

In addition to all this good advice, I'm surprised no one has mentioned "The COLDEST winter in years!" And I don 't even live there.

Good luck.

You really oughta get over the "crybaby" issue of selling the boat. I remember your original post when you had to make up your mind. That should be behind you by now. That's why I said what I did in my first post on page one.

Documentation? Simple, go to the USCG website and read it for maybe all of ten minutes.

I understand your time issues, and those are actually more of a reality than "cry cry cry I gotta sell my boat." When we bought our boat the owner's wife cried and cried and cried. It happens.

I feel for you, understanding the situation you're in. All the best.

kito · Jan 27, 2014

I am just curious if you had any offers on your boat since June 2013. If so, would the offers been accepted if it weren't for the $3000 broker fee?

Sumner · Jan 27, 2014

Bad Obsession said:
....The last part is that I have no idea what is needed to sell a documented boat...

There are services that can do that for way less than what the broker is charging and even with him you will still probably have to pay to have it done or the buyer will. As mentioned you could do it yourself but a buyer might feel more comfortable if you had a service do it.

As I remember the buyer can be stuck with the cost. The new agent for the broker that was selling the boat we bought got things so screwed up that the broker had him pay for it out of his part of the commission. If not I think we would of had to pay it. I think it was less than $300 but we were getting the boat un-documented and changed over to a state title/registration at the same time. Here is the link to the woman who handled this for us.....

http://www.boatpapers.com/

I'm sure there are many who do this service. She saved us a bunch of money as you told us how our boat was old enough in Florida (over 30 years old) that our yearly registration is only about $12.

Maybe talk to some people that do this work,

Sum

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Warren Milberg · Jan 27, 2014

As a guy who has some experience with the boat brokerage business, I am always surprised to see how many sellers have not done the math. Sellers need to add up all the costs of current boat ownership (slip fees/yard fees/insurance/maintenance/brokerage costs, etc.) and then subtract that number from their asking asking price to figure what they will net from the sale. Many sellers fall victim to trying to recoup all the enhancements they have bought for, or added to, on their boats. As a result, they start the "sales process" by asking too much in comparison to the realistic competition. Their boats languish for months, or perhaps years, not being sold and continuing to cost their owners significant money. At that point, they become frustrated and reduce the price and finally sell the boat. They often net less in such a scenario than if they priced their boats aggressively and competitively at the outset. Having just sold a boat at the end of November and the end of the sailing season here on the Chesapeake, I believe that nice clean boats, where everything works, and is priced right, will sell quickly.

Benny17441 · Jan 27, 2014

It is not a small commission that really turns off a broker it is the handling of a slow seller. Your boat isn't showing and he is telling you why. Just chuck the few months you have left on your current slip and move the boat to Market. Like Warren indicated, it is the net amount of money that you take home that counts. Delaying a sale for a couple of hundred dollars of slip fees may not be the best decision. Another valuable comment I have been hearing and agree with is to price the boat aggressively from the beginning instead of having to lower the price later. Buyers do not usually come around twice and a quick sale may save fees and maintenance over many months. Slip fees, bottom cleanings and detailing can add up not to mention another model year to drive the price down and wear and tear on the canvas.

FastOlson · Jan 27, 2014

Warren Milberg said:
As a guy who has some experience with the boat brokerage business, I am always surprised to see how many sellers have not done the math. Sellers need to add up all the costs of current boat ownership (slip fees/yard fees/insurance/maintenance/brokerage costs, etc.) and then subtract that number from their asking asking price to figure what they will net from the sale. Many sellers fall victim to trying to recoup all the enhancements they have bought for, or added to, on their boats. As a result, they start the "sales process" by asking too much in comparison to the realistic competition. Their boats languish for months, or perhaps years, not being sold and continuing to cost their owners significant money. At that point, they become frustrated and reduce the price and finally sell the boat. They often net less in such a scenario than if they priced their boats aggressively and competitively at the outset. Having just sold a boat at the end of November and the end of the sailing season here on the Chesapeake, I believe that nice clean boats, where everything works, and is priced right, will sell quickly.

It's been several decades since I was an active broker (smaller sailboats, new and used) but Warren has really nailed it!
Further, to echo several others here, CLEAN IT UP. Potential buyers want to go aboard a clean and empty interior with absolutely no odors. Take all (all!) of your personal brick-a-brak home.
That bilge and engine need to look clean enough "to eat off of"...
I have previously sold a boat for top dollar, in the fall, and I was re-cleaning and touchup waxing parts of it for a month until it sold, at the end of September. It was work, but it paid off.
Your purchaser will be buying a used boat, but to him and his spouse it's "new."

Best of luck,
Loren

shemandr · Jan 27, 2014

Bad Obsession said:
The last part is that I have no idea what is needed to sell a documented boat. I forgot what I did when I bought this boat. I would have to be available for a survey and other things as well. It is a lot of legal paperwork that I am no familiar with.

That is large part of the reason I used a broker. I didn't want, or think I could, manage the transfer between the bank, the buyer, the yard and me. As it turned out I was making calls to the broker with the "What the heck is going on" and "Why is this taking so long?" So I was still stressed and the fact that it cost me thousands of dollars didn't help.

noanker · Jan 27, 2014

my broker asked me to move my boat to the marina he worked out of. much like you I had paid my fees in a wonderful marina. he explained to me that people come there in search of boats and if mine were there they would see it immediately. if the boat were at my marina an hour away sometimes people don't want to go there right away. so I moved it because he is the pro at selling boats...not me. as I was coming into his marina all I could think was OMG I too my boat out of paradise and brought it to a trailer park for boats. the boat was sold in three weeks. the buyer came to look at a boat that was priced 10k less than mine. he saw my boat and knew it was the one. sold.

okawbow · Jan 27, 2014

I've sold 3 sailboats on Craigslist. All were sold to the first person who looked at the boat in very short times. As others have suggested; I had the boats very clean and presentable, with no mechanical or cosmetic problems.

I think the main reason the boats sold quick: I sat down and ruthlessly decided what my absolute bottom dollar would be if I had to sell quick. I advertised at that price, FIRM. As soon as the buyers finished inspecting the boats, 2 of them paid for them on the spot, the other picked me up at the marina, and took me to his bank.

They got good deals on good boats, and I sold them as painlessly as possible.

azguy · Jan 28, 2014

I also agree, the boat needs to be staged. All of your personal stuff needs to be gone and the boat should be thoroughly detailed inside and out, it need to smell great and sparkle.

The take great pictures and price her right. The C30 is a great boat for a wide variety of people, so something on your end is wrong....

kito · Jan 28, 2014

Yes, clean it up and get your personal crap out. Make it look like it has plenty of storage instead of having stuff piled up in the v-berth etc. A clean boat means that there was pride of ownership and was taken care of. As mentioned earlier, clean up the wiring if it's exposed. That's good sign of a lazy owner when wires are running all over with no attempt to hide them.