What is a Central Agent or CA?

A Central Agent is a yacht broker appointed by the owner. The CA is responsible for promoting and marketing the yacht. This means that the yacht owner entrusts one professional to sell or charter his vessel. A Central Agency Agreement is signed between owner and intermediary stating that the owner will not sell the vessel to any person other than the person brought by the intermediary during the period of contract.

Once the broker receives the CA Agreement, the yacht is added to the company database, the company website, third party international yachting websites and details are sent to brokers worldwide. Whether the vessel is for sale or for charter, whatever the length or year, the process does not differ but the approach to marketing and finding the most suitable potential client, differs.

Why appoint a Central Agent? If the yacht has multiple listings, the potential buyers get confused.

• Why is the boat listed by so many brokers?

• The seller must be desperate so there is definitely room for negotiation

• Is there something wrong with it?

No effort made by the broker: A broker will make an effort to sell a CA boat where he is certain that his effort in promoting will be ‘rewarded’ whereas on the other hand, when a CA has not been signed, the boat may be sold by another broker therefore ‘why make an effort?’

Misinterpretation of specifications: With so many brokers promoting your yacht, the true specifications are misinterpreted. Some make mistakes, others ‘correct’ the details in order to land a sale.

Buyers arrange multiple visits to the same boat with different brokers: The buyer makes an offer to one broker and a lower offer for the same yacht to another broker. This way the brokers are forced to offer the lowest price possible and make multiple calls to the owner in order to ‘push’ for a lower price.

Endless hours spent on viewings: You have to go to the vessel every time a potential client wants to arrange a viewing. This is something that the CA does without depriving you of your precious time.

Let us do our job while you do yours!

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