Why choose Allied Yachting as your Broker to help you Buy a Boat on the French or Italian Riviera

10 August 2015

Yacht Brokers are agents whom yachting enthusiasts consult to find and purchase a boat, but equally whom people hire to list, represent, and sell boats for them. Traditionally, except in some cases (like most of Italy for example), the Seller pays the commissions that the broker earns – not the Buyer, yet brokers have a duty to both Buyer and Seller in every transaction.

The Broker’s Role for the Buyer

Most pre-owned boats advertised are either a “Central” or “Direct” agency listing of Allied Yachting. As listing brokers, we know the vessels inside and out. We have been selected by the owner/seller to exclusively or non-exclusively represent him for the sale of their vessel and all inquiries are meant to go through us. If you find a boat of interest on our website or related media, you may contact the listing broker directly. You may also chose to select Allied Yachting and consult with us about all of your boats of interest, find other possible suitable yachts and let us represent you in your inquiries and transactions.

The Initial Inquiry

A professional yacht broker will listen closely to your requirements and needs and will help you determine if the boat you are calling on is the right boat for you at the best value. At Allied Yachting, we will objectively tell you about the condition of the vessel before you decide whether or not to spend your time to look at the boat. We will help you determine if there are similar boats on (and off) the market, the history of the yacht, how long it has been on the market, and the motivation(s) of the seller. Anyone can look up asking prices on boats, but it takes a nautical professional to have an intimate knowledge of current market conditions, a familiarity of similar boats, and information on recent sale prices and time on the market, industry resources not available to the public.

Obtaining a Boat Loan or Marine Insurance

You may want to pre-qualify for a boat loan before you shop. That will give you some extra leverage and breathing room when you’re negotiating prices. At Allied Yachting, we are in contact with a variety of serious specialist marine lenders and the leading insurance companies.

Making an Offer on a Pre-Owned Boat

We can help you decide on a realistic offer that increases your chances of buying a pre-owned boat for a fair and reasonable price, even an excellent deal, and with all necessary elements to protect your interests and help getting the deal completed. We will prepare an Offer to Purchase for your review and signature, clearly spelling out the terms of the sale including obligations that you and the seller will have to later agree to, and when these obligations are to be fulfilled. You can also make a good-faith deposit on the boat, which is usually placed in escrow and subject to sea trial and survey.

Formalities

Professional brokers are familiar with all the paper work requirements for their country, as well as other countries, from the initial Offer to Purchase and Bill of Sale to licensing and registration; or documentation and ownership titling, to paying tax(es) and other fees, as well as certificates of security, and other documents needed to complete a sale.

We are also capable of handling maritime and admiralty liens for the type of vessels we represent, as well as agency contracts, listing agreements, closing statements, deposit requirements and escrowed accounts to safeguard funds.

Sea Trial and Survey

The buyer of a pre-owned vessel will usually request a sea trial and the services of a marine surveyor. Buyers are responsible for paying for the surveys and for hauling the boat out of the water for inspection. As your appointed yacht broker, Allied Yachting will attend the sea trial and marine survey with you, and help you determine how to properly address the nearly inevitable yacht survey issues and put these problems in context. We will then help you estimate time and cost of correcting these issues, and where to obtain accurate quotes or eventually, a repair or refit.

The Art of Negotiating the Deal

A network of brokers and agents selected by Allied Yachting for their professionalism and their skills assist the company in most destinations along the coast to best serve today’s luxury Yachting market customers.

Thanks to their know-how, they complement our expertise to advise clients in the acquisition of their future Yacht, be it new or pre-owned and constantly estimate the values of the vessels available on the second-hand market.

Our job is necessarily requires that we have in our possession all marketing tools to access inventory, pricing and other information unknown to the public. Some Buyers believe that a professional yacht broker is going to make the vessel more expensive since we’ll earn a commission. This is generally false since we know each shipyard’s building costs and pricing of previous hulls as well as the previous sales pricing; therefore we have much more arguments to help a prospective buyer to better negotiate the purchase of a new or pre-owned yacht, even earning our commissions.

At Allied Yachting, we focus in using this position as a middleman to keep the negotiations between buyer and seller moving smoothly to a successful conclusion.

Safeguard of Funds in Escrow (Stakeholders)

Adhering to the MYBA (Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association) rules of brokerage, Allied Yachting provides an escrow account for clients’ funds, and ensures that at closing, as stakeholders, any existing loan or other encumbrances are paid off, as well as the fees of other parties involved in the transaction. This safeguard is of critical importance to the buyer and seller, and can be a potentially serious hazard in a private transaction not involving a broker.

After the Sale

Allied Yachting will also help you find moorage (or a berth) as well as yacht maintenance and repair specialists or facilities. We can refer you to sailing training, boat handling, and seamanship.

Our experience in the French and Italian Riviera waters can help you chart a course for great day, weekend or longer trips. We can connect you with boat clubs, races and rendezvous sponsored by builders and dealerships.

Plus, you’ve got a new boating friend for life.

On the other hand, we can also help you register and crew your yacht and propose our tailor-made YACHT MANAGEMENT services leaving you to enjoy the pleasures of sailing freely and without constraints.

Customer Satisfaction

For your convenience, we are also fluent in English, French, Russian and Italian.

At Allied Yachting, we definitely have all the right skills, know-how, network and contacts that enable you to get the boat you want. We are hard-working yacht brokers and we want you to be happy with your boat, so you’ll remember us when you’re ready to trade up.

Contact us if you have more questions