Pages a boat broker needs for sellers and for buyers

The seller decides, so the seller reads first

Buyers go where the boats are. A broker's listings come from owners, and owners often choose a broker carefully. They study the site looking for proof that their boat will be handled well.

Open with a page for sellers. Explain what happens from first phone call to closing day, who photographs and describes the boat, how inquiries are handled and how the owner is kept informed. Describe fees as a conversation, not figures on a page.

One listing template, and photographs that carry it

Every boat page should answer the same questions in the same order: make, model and year, length, engine and hours, location, equipment and a gallery. Buyers compare boats across brokers and notice when information is missing.

Show hours and specifications as the owner supplied them and say so. Do not describe condition in superlatives. A buyer arranging a survey will check anyway, and a broker who overstated loses trust.

A buyer cannot walk the deck from another state, so they study the photographs. Show the engine bay, the helm, the cabin, the hull from several sides and the equipment that comes with the boat. Photograph in daylight, with the boat clean and the lines tidy. Our photography guide covers how to take pictures you can stand behind.

Offer documents on request: survey reports, maintenance records and the list of included equipment. Say which are available. Do not publish anything the owner has not agreed to share.

Buyers need a clear picture of the process

A first-time buyer does not know the order. They wonder when to make an offer, who arranges a survey and a sea trial, what a deposit means and who holds it.

A page for buyers can explain the steps in plain terms and point to the documents your office provides. Do not give legal or financial advice. Say that terms depend on the sale and that buyers should speak with their own advisers about contracts and money.

Where a broker loses listings and buyers

The recurring faults come from treating the listings as the whole site. Check the seller's view of your pages too.

Hand your seller page to an owner who has never used a broker and ask them to tell you the first three steps back. If they cannot, the page has not said what you do first, what you ask of them or how they will hear about interest.

Check every listing against the owner's paperwork before it goes live. One wrong engine figure damages the credibility of every other listing on the site.

• No page for owners considering listing a boat
• Listings with different fields on every boat
• Condition described with words like immaculate and flawless
• Photos that hide the engine, deck or bilge areas buyers want to see
• No statement of where viewings happen
• Sold boats removed with no record of what you have sold
• Fee wording that leaves sellers guessing

Viewings are the appointment to earn

A boat on a trailer in a yard, or afloat at a dock, usually needs an owner or broker present. Visitors ask to see a boat before they have decided anything, so the viewing request should be simple.

Add the stock number to the form so you know which boat. If you use a scheduling tool, link it. Say where viewings take place and whether the owner is there. Our marina site guide shows how a waterfront location is usually described.

Say where you work, what you list and who you are

Brokers cover a stretch of coast, a lake region or a harbor. State it. Say what sorts of boats you take: sail, power, small craft or larger yachts. Visitors with a boat outside your range will call otherwise.

Who you are matters on this site, perhaps more than on most business sites. A short page on each broker, with a real photo and the years they have spent around boats, replaces a hundred words of marketing. Broker licensing and listing agreements differ by state, so check your own state's rules before you publish.