You’ll find a wide range of luxury yachts for sale in Florida, from motor yachts with the potential for crewed charters to catamarans and sailing yachts. Need help navigating the yacht market in Florida?
Worldwide Boat can help. We are a Florida-based yacht brokerage and charter management company. We help clients shop for and purchase luxury yachts and ultimately place their yachts into charter if desired.
Our specialty: Helping clients buy luxury motor yachts with strong charter potential. Our brokers understand the yacht charter market, and we can help you through all aspects of the sales process, from showings to financing, to helping you manage and book charters after purchase. Here is how working with a luxury yacht broker can help you navigate the sales process.
Available Yachts for Sale
How to Buy a Yacht – Steps to Take
Purchasing a yacht for sale is similar to real estate transactions. Your broker will help you search for and see boats for sale, and when you’ve identified the yacht of your dreams, your broker helps you make an offer and structure the deal. Steps to buying a yacht include:
- Showings and Selection
Your yacht broker with Worldwide Boat helps you navigate the market of new and pre-owned yachts for sale in Florida. Our brokers help you refine your search, and we inspect and review available yachts. Plus, we schedule showings. Showings are typically done in one of two ways: Via private showings or at boat shows like the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
- Make an Offer
We’ll help you find your dream yacht and submit a formal offer. Your broker prepares a standard contract to buy the yacht, and this agreement includes contingencies for all of the pre-purchase steps including a sea trial, survey, inventory and closing. As per industry standards, buyers will typically put 10% of the offer price into escrow.
- Accept, Reject or Counter
The seller will either accept, reject or counter your offer. Typically, negotiations will take place during this step, which can be negotiated by your broker. Once the seller accepts an offer, or the buyer accepts a counter, the pre-sale due diligence can begin.
- Yacht Survey
A yacht survey is a thorough inspection of vital components of the yacht, including all mechanical, electrical and electronics equipment. This will provide a comprehensive accounting of the vessel’s condition and helps your broker estimate annual maintenance costs. A haul-out is strongly recommended at this stage, which is typically paid for by the buyer.
- Trial the Yacht
The buyer schedules a time to sail the yacht for a first-hand look at performance. These trials are fairly short, about four hours, and they provide the buyer with an understanding of engine performance, cruising and maximum speeds, and the motion and stability of the vessel. Another option: Charter the yacht you’re considering for purchase. This provides buyers with an idea of the charter experience on-board, as well as the yacht’s performance. This is strongly recommended if your plan is to place the yacht into charter after purchase.
- Acceptance
The buyer will submit a written acceptance, once the vessel has been trialed and surveyed. At this time, conditional acceptance would be signed by seller and buyer, if any deficiencies are found during the survey or sea trial. For example, if a $15,000 repair was found that couldn’t be completed before closing, seller and buyer could sign a conditional acceptance for $15,000 off the agreed sales price.
- Closing
Similar to real estate closings, your broker manages all aspects of the closing. At this time, you’ll sign important documents, register and set up insurance for the yacht, and ensure a successful transfer of ownership.
Choosing a Yacht for Sale: Considerations
As yacht brokers, our specialty is helping potential buyers purchase motor yachts with charter potential. Chartering a luxury charter offers numerous benefits, including helping to limit annual maintenance and operating costs. In general, we’ve noticed these trends in the types of yachts that are successful as charter yachts:
More Spacious
In recent years, the market for larger, crewed yachts has expanded greatly. Motor yachts over 130 feet are in particular demand on the charter market. One reason is that they accommodate more guests, which is selling point for many charter guests.
What’s the Experience Worth?
The experience of owning a yacht should be your focus. Yacht charters can be profitable. But more commonly, they’re used to offset operating costs. Yachts don’t typically appreciate in value; therefore, the real value is in owning and sailing aboard your dream yacht.
Estimate Charter Potential
It’s important to accurately estimate the charter potential of the yacht before purchase. In general, yacht charters offset about 65 percent of operating costs. In some cases, that could be more. Your broker will help you estimate those costs as you navigate the sales process.
What Are Operating Costs?
Know what you can expect to invest in maintenance and operating costs per year. There are many different types of charter agreements; depending on the type of agreement, you may or may not be responsible for these costs. But in general, maintenance and yearly costs average about 10 percent of the purchase price.
Be Realistic About Time
Typically, the sales process — from your first showing, until you’ve closed on a luxury yacht – can take 3 months or more. Just like real estate, this is dependent on a variety of factors. And although your broker can speed this process up, it’s best to leave time for plenty of back-and-forth with the seller.
Find A Sales Broker You Can Trust
An experienced yacht broker is a valuable asset. Let us help you shop yachts for sale in Florida. We provide an insider perspective on luxury charter yachts and have experience working on deals of all sizes. A few ways we’re equipped to help:
- Customizing Terms: Structure your offer to receive the best value. Whether you’d like to offer cash, secure financing or need more information to understand your options, we can help.
- Get Pre-Approved: If you are pursuing financing, getting pre-approved makes your offer stronger and will allow you to move more quickly on the market. We can help you get pre-approval.
- A Wide Range of Options: There are hundreds of luxury motor yachts for sale in Florida. We help you identify the best options that meet your exact criteria.
- Chartering Potential: If your goal is to offset costs with yacht charters, we offer an expert perspective. Let us help you identify yachts with the highest potential, and understand the steps you will need to take to place the yacht into charter after purchase.
Explore yachts for sale in Florida with Worldwide Boat. Our team of experienced brokers will help you navigate the sales process. Contact our team today to learn more.
