- The individual owner is interested in selling his/her yacht, not in finding the right vessel for his/her customer.
- Most owners are emotionally attached to their yacht. Their yacht represents substantial investments in time, funds and often is the source of many fond memories of cruises, outings, fishing trips, etc. It is very difficult for the owner to objectively evaluate and present his/her yacht to a prospective buyer.
- Because of the owner's emotional attachment, many owners misrepresent the vessel and/or its condition. This is often done unintentionally. Most experienced yacht buyers are aware of this and prefer to deal with a broker for this reason alone.
- An individual owner is not in the business of selling yachts. It is difficult for the seller to ascertain fair market value. He/she normally has other time commitments, limiting his/her availability to effectively market and show the vessel.
- Generally, the individual owner is not able or willing to commit the necessary financial resources to provide for the proper exposure of the vessel. In fact, he/she may not even be aware of the most appropriate channels for providing such exposure.
- The owner has only one vessel to offer. If the customer is not familiar with that particular vessel, he will not call, even though that might be the right vessel for him/her.
- The majority of vessels are sold to customers who have general outlines and goals for their purchase, as compared to those customers who are looking for a specific vessel.
- The individual owner does not have the ability to offer a "one-stop" shopping source to the buyer.
- The individual owner cannot offer the additional services that may be required to close the sale (i.e. Documentation, collection of taxes, registration, repairs, survey, outfitting and haul-out.)
- The individual owner is not perceived as an unbiased party. The broker is not "married" to any one vessel or any one manufacturer and is in a position to truly represent the best interests of both the buyer and the seller.
