The On-Going pain about trying to sell

[Bad Obsession]

I am thinking that some advise would be good.

I put my boat on the market back in June of 2013. I had only two people look at my boat so far. It should be up for a fair price. My broker has been a pain to deal with and asks me to show the boat because he works 1.5 hours from where my boat is kept. He complains a lot about the location of my boat. I wanted to keep it in the same place as I had paid slip fees through April of this year.

My broker has requested that I move my boat to Deltaville. I am considering doing this in April when my slip rent is up.

I really have mixed feelings about moving it. I am dreading an April trip from Colonial Beach to Deltaville because it is two days in good weather. I got the snot knocked out of me in April when I bought the boat bringing it home from Deltaville.

Does anyone else find it weird that the broker wants me to move the boat? I haven't been exceptionally pleased with this broker. I used him because I bought the boat through him and thought that he would be okay to sell the boat. I don't want to irritate him but I feel that he hasn't done much other than putting the boat on yachtworld.

Any advise or thoughts on this?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Simple:

Either keep the boat (it's telling you something) or find a new broker or sell it yourself if you're going through all that effort. Why pay him to do what you're already doing?

 

[chuckwayne]

Ditto! find a broker near Colonial Beach who will work for his commission - ask around and try to find someone who has worked out for another seller. In the meantime, sail her this year

 

[dj2210]

When I sold my Catalina 27 it was listed with the marina. I got more calls from ads I put in than the marina did. I still had to pay the marina fee cause it was listed with them. I used sailing Texas, this site and Craig's list and it took around 3 months.

 

[Roadking Larry]

While I've never dealt with a boat broker from the selling side my question would have to be- with you showing the boat, what besides a little advertising are you getting for the brokerage fees?

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Contracts with brokers generally have a time limit. Yours is more than 6 months and other than YOU having to show the boat twice, nothing happened. Put an end to the contract as soon as you can, place adds in your area, put a sign on the boat and sell it yourself. Figure what you would have paid the broker in commission and think about taking that amount off your selling price thus maybe attracting more buyers. Good luck.

 

[31seahorse]

Two easy changes on your boat: First, the Broker (change from one to none) and Second, the price. I've heard people say that is the easiest change the owner can make on his/her boat. It won't be enjoyable, but niether is waiting for calls that don't occur.

This site is a good value for advertising your boat. Sailboatlistings Featured ads are a good value. Local boat related stores might agree to display a page with info. Having the boat in top condition is difficult during this time of year, but Buyers may be looking even in the snow!

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Find a new broker. I am in that business and I regularly travel 3-4 hours on a regular basis to show boats. Sounds like he is lazy. You are paying him to sell your boat and that includes showing it. If he doesn't want to travel 1.5 hours to show it, he is either lazy or too busy and selling boats close to home where he doesn't need your business.

 

[Ted]

There are currently 35 Catalina 30's listed for sale on Yachtworld in the US. This means stiff competition as there are many similar models for sale. Dump the broker. It sounds like he doesn't have your best interest in mind. If it is that obvious that he isn't putting in the effort to show your boat, he may not be listing/advertising it properly either. Some brokers aren't on top of their game. Find one that is or do it yourself.

 

[centerline]

i have recently been searching for a boat and what I have learned is... if a broker doesnt list the boat online and isnt willing to show it, it may as well be tarped over hidden away in a barn, if your waiting for results....

boats in a well used marina, close to the gangway, with a sign on it will bring results. as will a craigslist ad, if the boat is priced to sell....

you already know how long it can take to sell it, so figure out what its going to cost you to own it for the next ten months. and assuming you are asking a fair and reasonable price for it, reduce that price by the amount of the 10month upkeep/moorage fees you will incur. then it should sell rather quickly.... OR, keep it listed at top dollar price and expect to have it at least another ten months while incurring charges.... selling a boat is a tough market, selling it quickly is even tougher.

 

[gettinthere]

How big of a boating center is the boat currently in? I suspect the broker is right on the idea of moving the boat to a bigger market

 

[CCHer]

1.5 hours is a long haul to meet a prospective, possible customer for a 3000 commission which may need to be split. Deltaville has way more sailboater traffic than Colonial Beach as you know. Delataville is a destination for sailboat shoppers whereas CB is off the beaten track so to speak. Advise you move it there or at least get a local broker. Nice looking boat....good luck which ever way you go.

 

[Jackdaw]

Well, you boat is easy to find on YW. It looks nice, and in good shape.

Now the market. In VA and MD, there are TWENTY Catalina 30s for sale. Over 70% of them are asking less than yours. That's the problem.

You boat is almost 25 years old. In a market of 20-35 year old boats. Most buyers in for this boat are going to be VERY price sensitive, and will not place much value on the difference between a 23 year old boat and 28 year old boat, and not in the gear on board, all which will be fairly standard.

Boats in the the lower part of the range will trade all the time. Its a buyers market for Catalina 30s. I think if you want it to sell, you will have to be in the lower part of the range.

Another thing. Your brokering agency is big. The guy who sells your boat has to split that commission 2 or 4 ways. That ends up being what, 500 bucks? With 20 to choose from, I figure he shows your boat less often than other cheaper C30s than are not 'his' boats.

 

[azguy]

It's not priced right, I look at the ad and while obviously loved boat, people start at the bottom of the price range and work upwards so there are lots of places/boats that would stop them before even getting to yours.

Plus, you have to figure that the lower price boats could be had for at east 10% off asking if not considerably more...

If you want to sell the boat, price aggressively and increase the traffic....

 

[kito]

Last summer I had the "on-going pain of trying to BUY" a boat. Between being showed boats by drunken owners, seeing trashed up "live aboards" where you feel like you are invading their house and waffling sellers that are not sure about selling...it was a pain. I had cash in hand one time and the seller backed out. I seen a few where the owner had their brother-in law or sister show the boat.....couldn't answer a single question. Seen one where we couldn't understand a word he said. My advice?....dump the broker, show your own boat, keep it clean and price it correctly.
Sellers must realize these older boats most of the time cannot be financed. If you have a higher price then you can only deal with people that have money in hand. Most of them would prefer the use that money for a down payment on a newer boat that they can finance.

 

[weinie]

I doubt a broker is going to put his heart and soul into a catalina 30. There's just not much profit for him to spend his time on it.
After I "restored" my 27, I put it on sailboatlistings and craigslist at a high price to see what the people would pay. I was flooded with calls.
The trick is to take great pictures. Do it on a sunny day and get rid of all the "personalized" crap in the boat like ugly bedsheet curtains with the anchor print. Varnish the teak, make the head spotless, add a few flowers and things to add contrast, hide wiring. Don't take pics of old electronics, and a dirty engine. Hide rust stains and damaged fiberglass. A picture of the boat sailing if you can good a good shot.
It's like staging a house.
Here's my listing:
http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/34395

 

[kito]

Nice boat. Just wondering, did you get $20k for a 27 footer?

 

[Benny17441]

You went looking for him, he did not come looking for you. It is common for brokerage firms to ask boat sellers to move the boats to the Marinas they work out off. They usually rent a number of slips from the Marina and can get special rates on others so ask him what he can do for you. There seems to be quite a lot more activity in Deltaville that you can get in Colonial Beach. The quicker you sell the less slip fees you need to pay. The fact that you may have only had two prospects in 6-7 months may be a clear indication not many are willing to travel out of their way to see a single boat.

 

[weinie]

Nice boat. Just wondering, did you get $20k for a 27 footer?

No plans to sell. (Besides, I'm in for a lot more than $20K ).

 

[dive7mmwet]

Do not move boat,l
FOLKS WILL COME TO SEE THE BOAT if priced right!
Loose the broker,
lower the price OUCH IT HURTS!
BUT DO YOU WANT THE BOAT?????? YOU DO DON'T YOU???
or do you want to sell?
It comes down to a broker will tell you any hoo is take the offer it will be lower than you like! you loose the offer!! with a higher offer on the counter!! a year go's by more slip and maintenance fees, now you sell at a low prices less the broker commission OUCH! BURN NOTICE!
Markets soft but stuff is moving folks just are not pushing the trigger on local high priced boats !!ask the boat movers, boats are moving great distances if they are priced right !
Good luck!