Yacht brokerage

The purchase of a yacht represents a significant financial commitment and is not something to take on lightly. Aside from the obvious points – such as suitability for purpose, price and condition, and the mobile nature of yachts – extra care needs to be taken to ensure that the yacht is sold free of encumbrance with no nasty hidden surprises in respect of legal title, registration, VAT or CE-conformity. These added complications mean that many yachts sold privately frequently change hands quite innocently with incorrect title or questionable VAT. The job of a professional yacht broker is not just to match buyers to yachts, but to ensure that a buyer is fully aware of what they are buying and what all the paperwork actually means.

A professional yacht broker carries out all aspects of the conveyancing process for both buyer and seller from the beginning through to the completion of the purchase. To make a comparison with property sale, the professional yacht broker is fulfilling the task of sales agent and both conveyancing solicitors simultaneously. The key advantage for the seller and buyer is that with just one party controlling the purchase, time is not lost in communications between conveyancing solicitors and the level of communication given to both parties is significantly improved.

Grabau International is an ABYA-registered professional yacht broker working to the ABYA Code of Practice. This code requires that a broker is professionally qualified, carries professional indemnity insurances and holds all client monies in dedicated client accounts written in trust with their bank.