Snug Harbor
Veteran Member
As a broker of 20 years my experience is that asking prices are 7-10% less than what the seller will accept. That statement is assuming the boat is in the ballpark of being fairly priced and no unusual circumstances.
How do you determine what a fair price is? That can be very difficult depending on the boat. A 2004 Sea Ray 280? I can tell you with great confidence what it's worth. Many if not most of the boats discussed on this forum? Pretty difficult! And every deal is as different as the owners/sellers are different. Do your homework as suggested by other posters and try to arrive at what you believe fair value is. As someone else suggested, don't present your offer as "This is all your boat is worth". The last thing you want to do is insult the owner, you can make a low offer diplomatically. Just remember you can always increase your offer, it's hard to reduce it.
How do you determine what a fair price is? That can be very difficult depending on the boat. A 2004 Sea Ray 280? I can tell you with great confidence what it's worth. Many if not most of the boats discussed on this forum? Pretty difficult! And every deal is as different as the owners/sellers are different. Do your homework as suggested by other posters and try to arrive at what you believe fair value is. As someone else suggested, don't present your offer as "This is all your boat is worth". The last thing you want to do is insult the owner, you can make a low offer diplomatically. Just remember you can always increase your offer, it's hard to reduce it.