Selling your yacht on the Côte d’Azur
An honest valuation and fair presentation to reach the right buyers.
Key takeaways
- Selling your yacht well is less about wide advertising than reaching the few genuine buyers.
- It starts with an honest valuation: a fair price sells faster than an optimistic one.
- Brokerage rests on the MYBA sale agreement, deposit escrow and survey conditions.
- The Côte d’Azur — Cannes, Antibes, Monaco — concentrates buyers, surveyors and professional networks.
Reaching the right buyers
Selling a yacht well is less about wide advertising than reaching the few genuine buyers — and presenting the boat honestly to them. For any given boat those buyers can often be counted on one hand at a given moment: the work is to identify them, convince them of the quality of the file and bring them to the sea trial. The Côte d’Azur, from Cannes to Antibes and Monaco, remains one of the most active buyer pools in Europe.
Valuation: what your yacht is worth
It starts with an honest valuation: what your yacht is really worth today, not what it once cost. It draws on recent comparable sales, the real condition, the maintenance history and current demand for the model. A boat presented with accurate condition, a fair price and a complete file sells faster and cleaner than a dressed-up one: too high a price simply ages the listing and weakens your hand in the negotiation.
Preparing the boat for sale
A clean, well-kept, well-documented yacht sells better. An up-to-date maintenance log, a tidy hull and exterior, and an honest inventory reassure the buyer and shorten the negotiation. It is better to handle small known faults before listing than to have them surface at survey, where they always cost more in trust than in repair. Good photos and a careful video do the rest: the first viewing now usually happens on a screen.
What a yacht broker does
A yacht broker does far more than post a listing. They set the valuation, build the file (maintenance history, inventory, photos and video), market the boat across the professional networks where buyers actually are, screen serious enquiries, run the viewings and lead the negotiation through to signature. Brokerage rests on MYBA sale agreements, with deposit escrow and survey conditions that protect seller and buyer alike. On the Côte d’Azur that work draws on a dense network from Cannes to Antibes and Monaco.
The steps of a sale
- Valuation — a market price set on real comparables.
- Building the file — history, inventory, photos and video.
- Targeted marketing — professional networks and qualified buyers, not mass advertising.
- Viewings and sea trial — arranged only for serious enquiries.
- Offer and MYBA agreement — deposit in escrow, subject to survey.
- Survey and transfer — release of conditions, balance and change of flag.
Fees and commission
Sale brokerage is paid on commission, due only on the day the boat sells: the MYBA standard in the Mediterranean is around 10% of the sale price, shared between brokers where two are involved. You therefore pay nothing until the sale completes — the broker’s interest is aligned with yours: the best price within a reasonable time. It is all set out clearly in the listing agreement before the boat goes to market, with no hidden fees.
The right price and the right time
A price aligned with the real market draws viewings; an over-ambitious price lets the listing age. Season matters too: presenting a boat in spring or around the Cannes Yachting Festival in September shows it when buyers on the Côte d’Azur are most active. We time the marketing push to those peaks when it serves the boat.
Our advice
Sell on facts, not on hopes. An honest valuation, a complete file and a fair price beat an ambitious listing that wears out over the months. Tell us everything about the boat, and we present it to the right buyers, at the right price and the right time — with a clear listing agreement and no surprises along the way.
How long does it take to sell a yacht?
It depends mainly on price relative to the market and the boat’s condition. A well-presented, fairly priced yacht usually finds a buyer within a few months; an over-ambitious price ages the listing and often costs more in the end. Season matters too: spring and the **Cannes Yachting Festival** in September concentrate active buyers.
What commission does a broker charge to sell?
The MYBA standard in the Mediterranean is around **10%** of the sale price, shared between brokers where two are involved. The commission is due only on the day the boat sells: you pay nothing until the sale completes, and it is all set out in the listing agreement beforehand.
How is my yacht valued?
The **valuation** draws on recent comparable sales, the real condition of the boat, its maintenance history and current demand for the model. The aim is a fair price — neither undervalued nor inflated — because that is what draws viewings and shortens the negotiation.