Six Top Tips for Selling Your Boat
Maybe you’re ready to sell your boat so you can upgrade to a newer model. Or maybe your family is relocating from the Emerald Coast and you need to move your boat quickly.
Whatever, the compelling reason driving the desire to sell, it’s important to consider several points as you determine how to most effectively and efficiently sell your boat so you can earn top dollar.
The Discover Boating Website identifies a few basic steps to follow when selling your boat:
- Determine if you are going to sell the boat yourself, or work with a broker or dealer.
- Make sure the boat looks and runs as good as possible.
- Research the price of similar boats taking make, model, size, and age into consideration.
- Decide on an asking price.
- Advertise your boat for sale.
- Show the boat and seal the deal.
Working with Boat Brokers and Dealers
If you understand how to sell your boat, but you really don’t want to invest all the necessary time and effort, you can always enlist the help of our professional boat brokers here at Emerald Coast Marine Group. Or, you could simply trade in your boat if you’re buying a new one, as we eagerly desire and offer top dollar for trades.
We offer both trade and consignment/brokerage options and are happy to review each with you. No doubt, our team can make the job easier for you and since we have an active list of boat buyers waiting for premium pre-owned products, we can likely sell it faster.
Preparing Your Boat For Sale
As the Discover Boating website points out, “the amount of prep work you do to your boat will have a dramatic impact on how much someone’s willing to pay for it. Remember, no one “needs” to buy a boat and it’s usually an emotional purchase.”
So if you’re hoping for someone to fall in love with the boat at first sight, you’ve got to invest time and resources to do it right.
To prepare your boat for sale, you must “thoroughly clean the boat inside and out, washing and waxing every inch of it. Even clean out those areas that are out of sight and out of mind, like stowage compartments under seats or the inside of a fishbox. If someone looks inside as they inspect the boat, you want them to see a neat, clean interior. Also remove any extra gear that amounts to clutter. This will help the boat’s deck, cabin, and/or stowage compartments seem larger at first glance.”
Amen! We couldn’t agree more. A well maintained and attractive boat will definitely be much more appealing to prospective buyers than a boat that looks like it’s seen better days.
According to Discover Boating, a potential buyer will also “be interested in a boat that functions properly. Fix any broken or malfunctioning equipment—especially powerplants (engine)—prior to attempting to sell the boat, or you can’t expect to get top dollar.”
Your sales and consignment/brokerage team at Emerald Coast Marine, in cooperation with our service department, is happy to lift this burden and handle any cleaning or detail job for you, as well as providing a service inspection to ensure everything is running in shipshape condition. We are pleased to discuss options and provide estimates for this work, based on the size and scope required for make ready.
Pricing Your Boat Right
Emerald Coast Marine Group is pleased to assist you in pricing your boat for sale. We will help you assess the NADA guides as well as provide a thorough market analysis including an overview of recent sales in the marketplace for similar products based on age, condition and hours. In addition, geography plays into pricing as certain products will have a higher demand than others. The great thing for Emerald Coast Boaters is that while we have some seasonal fluctuations, we enjoy year-round boating and boating sales.
It is important to price your boat right and our goal is to assist you in doing just that.
Marketing Your Boat
Once your boat is ready and the price has been established, it’s time to launch an advertising campaign to generate qualified leads.
For the average boater, this can be a daunting proposition, to determine when and where to position advertising for the best exposure and return on investment. Also, understanding how to properly position the boat in language that resonates with buyers and with photography and videography that best illustrates the quality of offering is key for success.
At Emerald Coast Marine, we have the capability and proven experience to advertise and market your boat effectively, and to position it on property to maximize its exposure. We welcome the opportunity to explain our robust marketing program which is superior to any dealer in the market.
Showing the Boat
To successfully sell a boat, a prospective buyer will want you to show the boat and potentially take them for a sea trial. This requirement can be challenging for many boat owners who are pressed for time and may have logistical considerations involved in boat transport and/or trailering.
Your team at Emerald Coast Marine is focused full time on selling boats and servicing the needs of prospective buyers with excellence. We can handle the presentation in your behalf, as well as organizing all the details required to legally transact the sale.
Let’s Talk!
If you’ve been considering selling your boat but aren’t really sure what you might expect or what all is involved, give us a call and let us share the options.
This no-obligation consultation is designed to provide you with a detailed overview and our best and honest recommendations for your success. We have helped hundreds of boaters just like yourself sell their boats and we would welcome the opportunity to share our expertise, answer your questions and partner with you for success.
Contact Us
For more information or to schedule an appointment to discuss boat trade or brokerage/consignment options, contacts are as follows
Destin/Niceville, FL or Orange Beach, AL
850-389-8318 or email sales@emeraldcoastmarine.com