We just sold our beloved 1993 Hunter 23.5, Grasshopper, two weeks ago within a month of listing for more than I thought we'd get, but I think I was very lucky. I had listed here and got several views but no responses, and at sailboatlistings getting only one response that became a sale three days later and closing a week after that.
We bought our 2007 Hunter 27-3 last fall through a broker. Traditionally that's a great time to buy, and we feel we got a good deal even after the expense of winter storage. I had always planned to hold off on selling until spring, which is generally a seller's market. I had asked the selling broker -- who I really trusted and enjoyed buying through, by the way -- if he wanted to handle our sale, but he said at less than $10k, his minimum commission would take a pretty big chunk, and he encouraged me to try and sell it myself.
Living in the mountains of VT -- not really near Champlain -- but sailing in CT on LI Sound, I reasoned it was a much better market to stay south. You know the old saw: location, location, location! I also went ahead and paid our yard a few hundred to leave her there over the winter. It was worth it not only because there would be a better market, but also because I wouldn't have to haul her 200 miles up I-91, then back again. Some of the construction through MA has just been horrendous, but I digress.
Initially listing in mid-May, I had been distressed by the lack of action but attributed it to the crappy weather in the northeast. I had listed at $9,999 because I thought 5-figures would be daunting, unrealistic, and dampening. Both the PO and I put a lot of love and improvements into her which I felt gave her a premium value. Still, I only hoped to get no less than $7500. With no action in sight, I decided to wait until the week after Memorial Day to see if the market would perk up -- it didn't -- and was on the verge of reducing the asking price by $500-$1000 when that sole inquiry came through.
The main thing I wanted to share is I staged the boat very well for the buyer to see. As they say, you only get one chance at a first impression. Washed and polished above, bottom paint scrubbed below. The cabin completely wiped down and Fabreezed. Even though she was on the trailer, I used a taller, auxiliary mast brace off the bow to create more headroom, then put out the cockpit cushions and pitched the Anchorshade. I removed all the gack out of the cabin -- boom, sails, lines, PFDs, etc -- then put out dishes, coffee cups, and untensils as if getting ready for a meal. I had the stereo playing light rock. I put out the owners manual and a chartbook on one of the sofas. Hell, I even put out fenders!
I wanted them to imagine themselves stepping aboard and using her the way we had. In the end, that made the difference, and he called me back 90 minutes after leaving with a $9k offer. I didn't even dicker with him and just took it. I felt like I was walking away with an extra $1500 in my pocket and, more importantly, a load off my mind... Priceless!
As I say, though, I think I was lucky... lucky to get that first inquiry. I was also lucky that I recognized how enthusiastic he was and that he was ready to indulge what clearly looked to me to be an impulse buy. I didn't get in the way!
That said, I did everything I could to help them see themselves living the dream. We loved our time on Grasshopper, and I sincerely wanted the next owner to have a slice of that same experience from his first moment aboard her.
Good luck in selling your dream!
