Selling Your Yacht, Step by Step
Eight steps, and the whole of it turns on two of them: what she is priced at, and how she is presented in her first fortnight. Here is what happens, how long each part takes, and who pays for what.
The process
From Valuation to Closing
- 01
A valuation from closed sales
Week one
Not what similar boats are asking. What comparable hulls actually closed at on the IYBA MLS, adjusted for hours, refit and where she lies. You get the comparables themselves, not just a number, so you can see the reasoning and argue with it.
Where it goes wrongChoosing the broker who quotes the highest figure. Anybody can put a big number on a listing; only the market can pay it, and the boat that starts high is the boat still listed a year later.
- 02
The listing agreement
Week one
A central agency agreement appoints one brokerage to represent you, for a set term, at an agreed commission. Ten per cent is the industry standard and is shared with the buyer's broker when there is one, but the structure is settled with you at the outset rather than handed to you. The object is a sale. Nothing is payable up front and nothing is payable if she does not sell.
Where it goes wrongA long term with no exit. Ask what happens if the marketing does not appear or the calls stop, and get the answer in the agreement rather than in conversation.
- 03
Getting her ready
One to three weeks
Detail, declutter, fix the small faults a buyer will notice, and gather the paperwork: service records, manuals, warranties, registration or documentation, and any survey you already hold. A boat that shows well and comes with a folder sells faster and higher than the same boat that does not.
Where it goes wrongPhotographing her before this is done. The first photographs are the ones that circulate for the life of the listing, and they cannot be quietly replaced later.
- 04
Photography, video and the listing
Before she goes live
A full set of professional stills, drone footage and a filmed walk-through, plus a specification written properly rather than copied from the brochure. This is done and finished before the listing is published anywhere.
Where it goes wrongGoing live early to catch a weekend. The first fortnight draws roughly half the enquiries a listing will ever get, and there is no second chance at it.
- 05
Out to the market
Day one of the listing
YachtBroker.org, Yachtr.com, YachtWorld and Boat Trader with its network of sites, plus our own client list and the Fort Lauderdale and Miami shows where the timing suits. She is also co-brokered. Shared with other brokerage houses, so their buyers see her too. All of it at the brokerage's cost, not yours.
Where it goes wrongAssuming portals are the whole job. A good share of sales come from a broker ringing somebody who was already looking, which is a function of the list, not the listing.
- 06
Enquiries and showings
Ongoing
Most enquiries on a listed yacht are not buyers. Qualifying them is the brokerage's job, and an Aspire broker is aboard for every showing without exception. No lockbox, and nobody walking your boat unaccompanied. You hear about the real ones, quickly.
Where it goes wrongBeing aboard yourself. Owners talk buyers out of boats without meaning to. Leave the showing to the broker and take the call afterwards.
- 07
Offer, survey and sea trial
Two to four weeks once under contract
The offer arrives in writing with a deposit into escrow and contingencies for survey and trial. The buyer commissions and pays for the survey; you make the boat available, hauled, and the findings come back as a list rather than a verdict.
Where it goes wrongTreating every survey finding as a demand. Safety items and things that will fail this season are worth settling; cosmetics on a fifteen-year-old boat are not, and a broker who knows the difference saves you the money.
- 08
Closing
One to two weeks after acceptance
Funds through escrow, bill of sale, title or documentation transfer, lien payoff where there is a mortgage, and the keys handed over. Handled in house rather than by a form emailed to you the week it is due.
Where it goes wrongLeaving a lien or an unpaid yard bill to closing day. Anything owed against the boat has to be cleared to transfer clean title, and finding out late is what delays closings.
Who pays for what
Nothing Until She Sells
No retainer, no marketing invoice, and no bill at all if she does not sell. The brokerage carries the cost of selling her and recovers it from the commission at closing, or not at all.
| What | Who pays | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Brokerage commission | You, at closing | Ten per cent of the sale price is the industry standard and what most listings run at, shared with the buyer's broker on a co-brokered sale. It is agreed with you when you list, and where a boat or a situation calls for a different structure we will talk it through. Nothing up front, and nothing at all if she does not sell. |
| Photography, video, listing and advertising | The brokerage | Including the MLS and portal syndication and the boat shows. Not billed to you, win or lose. |
| Pre-purchase survey and haul-out | The buyer | They commission it and they own the report. You make her available. |
| Agreed repairs after survey | Negotiated | Usually settled as a price adjustment rather than work done, unless it is a safety item the buyer's insurer will require. |
| Dockage, insurance and upkeep while listed | You | She is still your boat until she closes, and a boat that stops being maintained shows it within a season. |
| Lien or mortgage payoff | You, at closing | Cleared out of the proceeds so title transfers clean. |
Straight answers
What Owners Ask First
Price and timing, almost always, and in that order. If yours is not here, ring the office and ask it.
(954) 560-2811How long does it take to sell a yacht?
Priced correctly and presented properly, boats in the liquid sizes, roughly 40 to 80 feet, commonly go under contract in 60 to 120 days. Across the whole market three to twelve months is the honest range, and the variable is almost always price rather than time on the market. A boat that has not had a serious enquiry in eight weeks is not being seen by the wrong people; she is priced above what the market will pay.
What is the commission, and what does it cover?
Ten per cent of the sale price is the industry standard in yacht brokerage, it is what most listings run at, and it is shared with the buyer's broker when there is one on the other side. It covers the valuation, professional photography and video, the specification, syndication to YachtBroker.org, Yachtr.com, YachtWorld and Boat Trader with its network of sites, co-brokerage with other brokerage houses, advertising, the boat shows, qualifying enquiries, attending every showing, negotiating, and running the survey and closing. It is agreed with you when you list rather than presented as a fixed figure: where the boat, the price or the circumstances call for a different structure, we would rather talk it through and get her sold than lose a good listing over the number. Nothing is payable up front and nothing at all if she does not sell.
How do you decide the asking price?
From closed sales, not from asking prices. We pull comparable hulls that actually sold on the IYBA MLS, adjust for engine hours, refit history, equipment and where she lies, and look at what is currently listed against her. Asking prices are public and closed prices are not, which is exactly why the closed ones are the useful half, and you get the comparables, so you can see how the number was reached.
Should I get a survey before I list?
You do not have to, and most owners do not. The buyer commissions and pays for their own survey either way. Where it earns its keep is on an older boat or one with a story to explain: a recent survey in your hand means you find the problems before a buyer does, and can fix or price them on your own terms rather than under a deadline with a deposit in escrow.
Do I need to be there when the boat is shown?
No, and it is usually better that you are not. An Aspire broker is aboard for every showing without exception, so nobody walks your boat unaccompanied. Owners, entirely without meaning to, talk buyers out of boats. Explaining a repair at length, or answering a question nobody asked. You get the report afterwards.
What if she does not sell?
Then nothing is owed. We would rather revisit the price at sixty days than let a listing go stale, because days on market is public and a boat that has sat becomes harder to sell at any price. If the market has moved against her, we will say so plainly and tell you what she would need to be to move.
Can I trade her in against another boat?
Where it makes sense, yes. A trade unsticks the deal that would otherwise wait on selling this one first, and it is often the fastest route from the boat you have to the boat you want. Ask about it early rather than late. It changes how both sides of the transaction are structured.
Start with What She Is Worth
A written valuation from comparable closed sales, back within two working days, with the comparables attached. No obligation, no fee, and no obligation to list afterwards.