Every customer is unique, but all share one common goal…to maximize the selling price of their aircraft and to do so in the shortest time possible.
In order to accomplish this goal, the seller must know the value of the aircraft they wish to sell. This is an area where Northwest Jets excels. Before listing a client’s aircraft we prepare a detailed marketing analysis that provides a prospective seller with a very accurate estimate of the likely value of their aircraft under current market conditions. This analysis is based on our ongoing market research.
Our research is based on three principle factors that provide us with a snapshot of the market. These are continuing follow up with the owners of all aircraft for sale regarding their price expectations, on actual transaction pricing for recent comparable aircraft, and upon regular contact with all aircraft owners in that market so that we’re aware in advance of what aircraft will be coming available in the near future.
Insuring that a prospective customer is fully informed regarding the actual value of the aircraft is essential to making an informed decision. Pricing an aircraft too high means it will likely remain on the market far longer than necessary and a good offer may be declined based on inaccurate information. Pricing it too low means that a seller will likely leave money on the table.
Aside from insulating a seller from a time-consuming and often frustrating sales process, accurately determining the value of the aircraft is the broker’s chief responsibility when representing a sales client.
For all these reasons, selling an aircraft for the best possible price requires more than placing an ad in an aviation publication then waiting for the phone to ring. A knowledgeable broker that specializes in a particular make and model of aircraft will always be preferable to a jack-of-all-trades.
Aside from expertise, a reputable brokerage company should uphold certain ethical standards in its business dealings with clients. In order to better serve our clients, Northwest Jets has adopted the following policies.
Straight Talk
Northwest Jets only accepts brokerage listings on aircraft that are truly for sale and priced at realistic levels. The bane of an honest broker’s existence is the competitor who tells a prospective seller what he wants to hear rather than what he needs to hear. Typically, when an unscrupulous broker lists an aircraft for a price that he knows is unachievable, it’s with the intention of gaining control of the aircraft, then wearing the seller down over time, until the seller accepts a lower price that could have been realized in far less time if only he had received good advice from the beginning. Some brokers who pursue this dishonest policy also use a “loss-leader” approach on such aircraft. That is, it allows them to advertise the higher priced aircraft, generate sales leads from their advertising, then sell that prospect some other aircraft that is priced more realistically. The seller who listened to bad advice is the loser. We always try for the most ambitious possible sales price for our clients, but that price must be achievable.
Compensation
Northwest Jets is your advocate and yours alone. Our goal is to maximize the price the seller receives for his aircraft. We do not accept commissions from anyone but the seller. Nor do we pay “finders-fees” or other forms of compensation to a client’s employees in order to secure a special advantage.