Determining values over the last three years has been very difficult for surveyors, sellers, brokers and buyers. Asking prices are a starting point, the seller sets the asking price. When a broker is involved he will do a market study and suggest a price, but it is the seller who determines the asking price. But sellers, brokers, and surveyors do not set selling prices, only buyers. Sellers are usually optimistic and all brokers are optimistic or else they would do some other kind of work, buyers will only buy when they see good value.
Surveyors will give an opinion of value, but they are more practical than any other party in the sale. They will compare prices reported on soldboats.com which they pay to access, they will compare with other boats they survey, they will ask and compare with other surveyors, they will study what boats have been on the market and for how long, and outright ask what the selling price is in the agreement. During the worst of the boat market last year, I asked a surveyor how he determined the value and he said the agreed selling price was the only true market value. The surveyor will also be more impartial as he gets paid wether the sale proceeds or not.
Tucker Fallon
