The broker can help you set up a haulout and survey.

Just what does a yacht broker do anyway? If you´ve ever wondered about the details that go into buying or selling a boat and considered doing it yourself, read on. You may find it’s more work than you think. We checked in with Jim DesRoches, President of YachtSmart, Inc for a view from the other side of the desk for advice on buying and selling a boat.

As a Seller: Many of our boat listings come from sellers that have tried to sell their boats themselves. Some sellers are capable and have the time and knowledge required to do the job. Others find out that selling a boat is a lot of work. Consider this analogy. Have you ever watched a bricklayer? He picks up a brick, butters it with mortar, just the right amount in the right places, and then places it on top of the other bricks; and continues that way, till he is finished. It looks mundane and boring, and surely easy! The finished job is straight and true. Now, have you ever tried laying bricks? If so, you realize it is an art form, and there is nothing easy about it! The truth is that any job that is done well looks easy.

The job of a yacht broker is much the same. An experienced broker knows the market for your boat. They know where to advertise it, and they may even have a buyer waiting in the wings for your boat. Above all, they know how to sort out the “tire kickers” from the serious buyers, and are then willing and able to show your boat at any time necessary, and in any weather.

Once the buyer has expressed a positive interest, the broker knows how to get the buyer “on paper,” and then arranges for the many necessary and sometimes intricate steps that follow in completing the sale. First, there is perhaps the most important part, the financing commitment. Then comes a close second, the survey and sea trial, which can also mean handling the haul out with the boat yard, and arranging for any required repairs. There are other major details like making sure the boat can be transferred with a clear title, and obtaining insurance for the buyer. Sometimes shipping the boat by truck or having it delivered by a delivery captain is also necessary. The broker handles it all.

I can’t remember how many times I have heard a seller or buyer say, “That was the easiest commission you ever made.” If they only knew of the steady stream of people that came before them that I had spent hours with. And do they know how much our overhead is? In the dead of winter, when people have forgotten how to spell “B-O-A-T”, we still have to pay our office rent and phones and ad contracts, and our administrative help. But, we are there, in the event someone wants to see the boats we have listed. We have not forgotten how to spell B-O-A-T!

Are you getting a good deal on that boat of your dreams? Ask your broker.

As a Buyer: Most boat buyers use two methods to find the boat of their dreams. They either look in the local area marinas or print ads, or they look on the Internet.

This is a good way to start, but what they are missing is local knowledge and the rewards it can bring. Most brokers in an area know the boats that are for sale in their region, as well as boats that are not yet on the market, but which will likely be appearing soon. Sometimes the difference between finding the boat of your dreams or not, is having a knowledgeable broker ask someone that doesn’t even have their boat for sale if they will consider selling it. Most boat buyers have an idea of what they want. A good broker knows how to find it. Sometimes, if it is a rare type of boat, it takes time, but the broker has the ability to find out where they are.

Once the boat has been found, a broker’s work really begins. The broker often needs to find the buyer financing. And insurance, and a good yard to haul the boat, and access to surveyors to survey the boat. And what about the price? Is it a good deal? Buyers can always find out how much other boats are listed for, but they do not have access to what that type of boat has actually sold for. The broker can provide this information, and, as with the buyer, the broker makes sure the boat has clear title, arranges for repairs, and yard work if need be, and arranges for shipping or delivery of the boat.

In short, being a successful yacht broker is a full time job. Most people have to work at their jobs for a living and don’t have the time to spare to handle all of the details a good broker can. A good yacht broker earns their commission many times over.