Instruction
Signed brokerage agreement, proof of ownership and access agreed before advertising.
Selling With Us
Good brokerage is careful representation, not louder advertising.
We sell second hand sailing yachts and motor cruisers that we have inspected in person. We ask awkward questions before a buyer does, price against the local board and write particulars that survive a surveyor's first glance.
Fees And Terms
What Sellers Pay
| Item | Cost | Applies when | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission | 6% + VAT, minimum £2,950 + VAT | Standard brokerage sale | Charged on the achieved sale price. |
| No upfront marketing fee | £0 upfront | Standard brokerage instruction | Signed brokerage agreement and proof of ownership are required before advertising. |
| Listing pack | Included | Brokerage clients | Measured particulars, edited copy, 40-60 photographs and portal listing. |
| Valuation visit | £195 including VAT | Standalone visit within 25 miles of Lymington | Credited against commission if instructed within 60 days. |
| Skippered sea trial coordination | £180 half day or £320 full day | When a third-party skipper is required | Arranged only where the agreed terms require a sea trial. |
| Presentation day | From £240 half day | Pre-sale tidy and presentation | Excludes yard labour, lift-out, wash-off and cleaning contractor charges. |
| Buyer deposit | 10% of agreed price | After contract | Held in a client account, subject to agreed survey and sea trial terms. |
| Likely disbursements | Charged separately | When yard or third-party costs are needed | Yard labour, lift-out, wash-off, cleaning contractor charges, storage and third-party skipper costs when required. |
Preparation Checklist
Before We Advertise
- Documents
Proof of ownership, bills of sale, builder's certificate if held, VAT evidence and RCD or UKCA paperwork where applicable.
- Service History
Engine, rig, saildrive, safety equipment, gas and recent yard invoices. A thin file is not fatal, but we must say what is missing.
- Keys And Access
Companionway keys, engine key, shore-power access, marina permission and any alarm notes needed for accompanied viewings.
- Manuals And Inventory
Plotter manuals, heating notes, tender details, liferaft dates, spares and what is excluded from the sale.
- Presentation
Remove personal kit, old food, damp bedding and the box of cables nobody can identify. Leave useful tools if they belong with the boat.
- Safety Kit
Tell us what is in date, what is decorative and what a buyer should budget to replace before crossing Christchurch Bay.
Martin's View
Why Four Days Can Be Worth It
Martin would rather delay a listing by four days than publish lazy photographs, because the first serious buyer has usually looked at twenty other boats that evening and can smell uncertainty in three lines of copy. If the saloon table is covered with invoices, the heads door will not latch, the forecabin is full of winter canvas and the only exterior picture was taken in rain from the wrong pontoon, the boat has already started negotiating against itself. Better to wait for a clean cabin light, dry cockpit cushions, a readable engine plate and a set of particulars that says plainly what is good, what is aged and what still needs checking.
Timeline
Instruction To Completion
Particulars
Measured details, photographs, copy and market positioning. Weather can push photography to 8 working days.
Viewings
Accompanied viewings by appointment, with feedback given plainly and quickly.
Contract
Terms agreed, 10% buyer deposit requested and survey arrangements made.
Completion
Typical private sale window from listing to completion, although well-presented boats in the £55,000-£180,000 range often agree a sale in 2-5 weeks.
Standards
What We Turn Away
- Project boats with unresolved title, unpaid marina bills or missing VAT, RCD or UKCA paperwork.
- Boats we have not inspected in person.
- Commercial passenger vessels, houseboats, narrowboats, personal watercraft and racing dinghies.
- Listings that require us to call a boat immaculate when it is simply tidy for its age.
- Anonymous seller representation.
- Any attempt to pressure a buyer into skipping survey.
Winter Viewing Access
Leave One Working Cabin Light
We ask sellers to leave one working cabin light, a shore-power lead and the small square companionway key labelled, because otherwise a winter viewing turns into twenty minutes of avoidable fumbling while the best light disappears down the river.
Contact the office hello@theyachtnetwork.com