Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Determine Your Boat's Value or be Undersold!

By John Howard

From the viewpoint of the seller of a boat or yacht, but just as well for other involved people such as buyers, brokers, and marine surveyors, finding out the monetary worth of a marine vessel is one of the most crucial but also one of the most harrowing aspects of marine life.

For the seller, pricing the boat well will make the difference between walking away with the right amount of funds to but an even bigger and more performing watercraft, or finding himself undersold and unable to retrieve its investment in full.

At first glance buyers may think that the subject is less crucial for them as there is a lot of choice of similar boats with clear prices, but make no mistake - don't become complacent and forget that not getting the best deal may mean losing tens of thousands of dollars.

For both boat buyers and sellers, it is a hard evaluation to make, especially because boat prices fluctuate a lot due to circumstances that are hard to understand, not only due to perceived value but also due to factors such as seasonality and location. It is easy to enter what looks like a great deal, only to later discover that you have been had.

Therefore, the correct amount of forethought and organization is essential before finalizing any deal and for this, you have the option of either doing the evaluation yourself, or to hire a broker. Hiring a broker is the most straightforward solution, but it remains to be proven that the broker will earn his money's worth.

But then again, doing your own evaluation is a perfectly legitimate tactic, as long as you are willing to put in some work to educate yourself. And believe it or not, many people manage to do their evaluation better than the professionals.

What you have to do if you decide to follow the self-appraisal route is to check out as many resources that you can to approximate the value of your boat based on its mode, age, characteristics and state of repair, aiming at establishing realistic minimum and maximum price levels that you would realistically be able to sell the boat for.

For this, trade magazine classifieds (whether online or offline) are a fantastic place to start. Systematically collecting and comparing ads for similar boat classes over time will give you a very good idea of offer and demand, and therefore of current price levels.

Also good are boating festivals, which are usually organized by boating clubs and yachting marinas. These shows are excellent to pick up more info on boat values, plus people who come to the shows are experts in this industry and know what they are talking about. Don't underestimate the value of a chat with the right person to accurately pinpoint the possible value of a boat - and you may even find a buyer!

New boat exhibitions are good to gauge current fashions. Fashionable items demand a better price, and you can increase the value of your marine transaction by finding out what features and accessories are currently over- or undervalued. - 16928

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