Many individual brokers sell you one of the vessels they have listed. At Export Yacht Sales, we find the yacht that fits your needs, is in the best shape possible, and broker the best deal for you. There’s no pressure to buy, and we give you our honest opinion of any yacht you are considering for purchase. If it’s not a good deal, we tell you so; then, we work to find a better boat and deal for you.

The seller pays our commission, which is already built into the sale price. There are no broker fees paid by the buyer.

Though we are paid by the seller, we represent YOU, the buyer. We have your best interest as our focus.

Purchasing a yacht is a process, and Export Yacht Sales is there every step of the way. Here are the steps of the process, when no problems are encountered:

• You decide what you want and why, detailing your specifications, needs and desires.
• Select several yachts that interest you. This gives Export Yachts a better idea of what you like in a vessel.
• Contact us to discuss your possible purchase. We’ll help you find the right yacht for YOU!
• We draw up an offer contract and you make an offer to the yacht seller. The seller has a day to respond.
• If the seller signs the offer contract, then the buyer has two weeks (unless otherwise noted in the contract) to inspect the vessel, do a sea trial and an engine and hull survey.
• We draw up an acceptance document for the buyer to sign.
• The acceptance document is given to the seller to sign.
• There generally is a two-week timeframe before closing. During this period, the buyer secures financing, arranges for shipment of the yacht or local dock space, applies for insurance, and prepares for taking ownership of the yacht. Also during this time, the paperwork is being processed. Export Yacht can assist you, the buyer, with all of these processes.
• At closing, ownership and monies are transferred.
• After closing, we can assist you, the new owner, with any further needs you have.

Before you contact a yacht broker, you need to gather and decide on some particulars of the purchase. For example, what type and size of yacht do you want? What are you willing and able to pay? Are there any specifics you want in your vessel for comfort and style? How do you intend to use the yacht – racing, casual cruising, extended cruising, investment, charter, tax shelter, second home, liveaboard, or something else? 

Certain types of yachts are unsuitable for certain uses, and there are other considerations, such as legal, financial, insurance and other requirements that may differ by use or type/size of the yacht. For instance, some vessels are difficult or impossible to insure, as are certain skippers who lack experience or have negative information on their maritime records. Some yacht types may not be insurable or suitable for certain types of voyages or uses. Additionally, co-ownership must be planned for in advance of purchase.

Once you have detailed your needs and requirements, you can search our online database for the style of yacht you like and select a few brands that fit your budget and specifications. Then, simply contact us via email or telephone with your details and selections to discuss.

We prepare the offer for you, eliminating the confusion by using a standard contract that is based upon the Florida Yacht Brokers Association (www.fyba.com). This contract has been proven to protect the buyer and seller equally. Click here to see a copy. However, even in this contract, there are some crucial elements that should be understood. We ensure these contractual elements are clearly understood by both buyer and seller before signing.

Your deposit must accompany the signed offer contract or be in escrow with Export Yacht Sales. The acceptable deposit amount is 10 percent of the offer price.

The standard timeframe is one day – 24 hours. The owner either accepts the offer by signing the contract, counter offers by crossing out the buyer’s offer price and writing in the counter offer price, or rejects the offer all together.

A signed contract is binding to the seller. Otherwise, the seller cannot change his/her mind once the contract is signed.

Between the signing of the contract and the date you accept the vessel, usually two weeks (though more time can be requested to meet the buyer’s needs), the buyer can pull out of the deal. This time is reserved for the buyer to inspect the yacht, take it on a sea trial, secure financing, and get engine and hull surveys completed. If for any reason you change your mind, you can cancel the purchase and your deposit is returned. This only applies to the buyer.

The survey is usually an out-of-the-water examination of the vessel from stem to stern. The examiner provides a comprehensive written opinion on the condition of the yacht, which can run hundreds of pages. It covers everything imaginable from serious problems with the hull to minor notations of an out-of-date fire extinguisher. Copies of the survey report are provided to your financial lender and insurance carrier for their review. This gives them the condition of the vessel, its replacement value, and the surveyor’s determination of its market value.

There are three possible problems:

• There always could be some type of hidden or undetected defect in a yacht. Our pre-purchase efforts (i.e. inspection, sea trial and survey) should discover any problems that may exist before you sign the acceptance. If it’s possible to locate an existing problem before the sale, we put our best efforts forward to do so.
• If the sale price is a rock-bottom price, is being sold “as is” or below market value, or the seller is in distress, nothing you do before the purchase will impact the final sale price. Though the inspection, sea trial and survey are still required by lenders and insurance carriers, their results will not give you leverage to negotiate a better deal. You even may find that, if you still wish to purchase the yacht, you will have to make any needed repairs yourself. These are all things that must be considered before signing the acceptance.
• A hidden lien could be missed during the title search. We go above and beyond the normal title search to ensure you don’t encounter such problems after the sale.

Called a maritime lien, if the owner of the yacht owes any money to a person who has performed work on the boat, provided any type of services or supplies to the yacht, and hasn’t received payment for these services, they can make a claim against the yacht (a lien), rather than against the owner. The owner of the lien can bring a “in rem” proceeding against the vessel, causing it to be sold by federal marshal to satisfy the lien.

It is a document the buyer signs after a thorough inspection of the yacht, usually two weeks from the signing of the contract. This document locks in your deposit. By signing the document, the buyer is guaranteeing he/she will purchase the yacht. If you back out of the deal after signing the acceptance, the seller keeps your deposit.

Then, the seller can back out of the deal. The contract is null and void.

Once the seller receives the acceptance document, he/she will decide whether or not to accept the terms therein. If the seller finds discrepancies in the document, he/she may require they be fixed before signing the acceptance, requiring a “clean acceptance”.

The seller is not obligated to make any changes or repairs to the vessel until after the acceptance document is signed by both parties. Why? Because the buyer can still back out of the deal until that point. Also, we may be able to negotiate any problems or repairs into the final sale price.

At closing, ownership is transferred to the buyer and the sale price is given to the seller – the same as when you purchase real estate. On a standard brokerage deal, the closing date is approximately two weeks after the seller signs the acceptance.