Sellers
SELLERS INFORMATION
There is no doubt that allowing a boat to sit on the market because she was overpriced or not prepared for sale will be expensive in the long run. Monthly slip rent, mortgage payments, bottom cleaning, general maintenance, insurance payments, they all add up. In San Diego it can cost the average boat owner $700 - $1,000 per month just to keep the boat in her slip.
When considering a listing agent what input do you need?
1. Help with pricing
2. Preparation for sale
3. Exposure
4. Marketing and a sustained sales effort
1. PRICE IT RIGHT
How do I do this?
California Yacht Sales will review current pricing for comparable “sister” boats already on the market to that which you are considering selling. We will make every effort to compare your boat and her features to boats for sale using a number of MLS (Multiple Listing Service) internet sites. We will organize the information into a user friendly format that is easily understood.
We are members of BUC and will use BUC Book Pricing – this is what the banks base your boat loan value on. (BUC International Corporation provides an evaluation service for used boats by analyzing used boat sales reports received from corresponding brokers and surveyors)
It's important to price your boat appropriately. Your broker has a vested interest in getting your boat sold, so they will advise you on the price that is most likely to help your boat sell in a timely manner. Some boats can ask a premium price, but they usually need to be pretty extraordinary in order to actually actract a buyer willing to pay the premium.
2. PREPARE YOUR BOAT TO SELL
First impressions count.
A dirty boat means that the first conversation we have is trying to explain that “a buyer should overlook a poor first impression”. Not a good start.
Have the boat waxed. Have her cleaned (and kept clean) both topside and below deck. Do not overlook the engine room. Consider hiring a detailing company to bring the boat up to standard. Not cheap but a good investment in your attempt to get the best possible price for your boat.
We see a lot of Attention to Detail www.atdservices.com and Blue Moon Yacht Services http://www.bluemoonyachtservices.com/ in our marina. Give us a call, we have a list of preferred vendors and would be happy to make a recommendation.
Make sure everything works properly. No jury rigged systems. Make sure the boat runs well. Need some help? Ed Noonan, West Coast Yacht and Marine, Phil Jones, Marine Man and Alfredo Neri, Quality Marina Services are diesel mechanics that can get you going.
Make sure your boat doesn’t smell. Clean the bilge. Pump out the holding tank. Need help with odds and ends? Baron Link, Link Marine will be a great asset. Keep the bottom clean - Marcelo Jaeger with Shelter Island Diving Services is just a phone call away.
Get your personal belongings off the boat. Everything. If you don’t plan to sell it with the boat remove it. Cluttered boats don’t show well.
3. EXPOSURE
Place your boat where the most potential buyers can see it and get easy access. California Yacht Sales is located in San Diego’s largest marina, Harbor Island West http://www.harborislandwest.com/. The marina will give us preferred rates for boats listed for sale, they will work with us to get your boat into a slip that has high foot traffic. For sale signs are key to getting exposure, word of mouth and neighbors spreading the fact that your boat is for sale is a significant asset.
4. CALIFORNIA yACHT sALES IS A BROKER THAT IS GOING TO WORK FOR YOU
California Yacht Sales have been in business in the same location for 32 years. The brokerage is located in a prime, high traffic, resort water front location on Harbor Island across from the San Diego airport. We opened an office in the Coronado Cays this spring and we look forward to servicing the local boating community in the south bay.
Harbor Island West Marina is the largest marina in San Diego. We get many of our leads directly by “word of mouth” where boaters share new listings directly with each other or with their friends. We have a link on the Harbor Island West Marina website, another source of “boater direct” communication.
On Harbor Island we have a full time staff of five and two part time sales people and we are open 7 days a week. We can be of assistance in locating a San Diego slip, can offer a “Broker Rate” on new listings coming into our marina and will provide a complete service in the marketing and sales process.
In print we advertise in the San Diego Log Newspaper, 65,000 bi monthly circulation and with a “hot link” to our site to the on line edition,(200,000 hits per week to their site) .
Our primary effort is to maintain a successful online campaign. Our goal is to provide a database that is searched quickly for online inventory, to create search engine optimized friendly listings, to provide buyers with increased access to co-brokerage available boats and to integrate social media/blog design elements into an easy to use web site presence.
One vital element that California Yacht Sales provides is professional quality photographs of all of our listings. We have an in-house photographer and videographer who will help present your boat to the world in her best light. All of California Yacht Sales' new listings now come with a video walkthrough to accompany the listing on all advertising channels.
Sponsored advertisements – a sponsored ad pulls the closest matching listing associated with a search (Make, Model, Length, Year and Price) On average a sponsored ad increases the detailed listing views by 4.5 times when compared to a standard listing.
Enhanced listings – Photographs of our enhanced listings are 3 times larger than standard leading to 3.5 times the number of viewings.
40% of all of our listings are both enhanced and sponsored advertisement. We believe this gives our clients a dynamic competitive advantage over our competing broker listings.
Our listings are “indexable” and are optimized for Google and Yahoo. We have a consulting firm who manage SEO on our behalf. In addition we have a different company tasked with creating and managing a Google ad word campaign on our behalf. We are in the unique position where specific listings can be targeted by specific key words and phrases.
Your vessel would be advertised in the MLS system with all brokers having access to showing and selling the boat. There are +50,000 page views per month on our primary web sites.
Give us a call – 619-295-9669 or email, info@californiayachtsales.com