The difference between the luxury property and yacht markets

Article by Camilla Jones 9 July 2025

Tavis Standen from Standen Estate Agents and Standen Marine has over 20 years’ experience as a real estate agent, earning his stripes as an up-and-coming agent in Sydney’s North Shore. 

He once worked at Ray White Lane Cove for a little over 10-years and was listed as the number six agent for Ray White after a decade-long career at the group.  

In 2015, Tavis ventured out to start his own business, Standen Estate Agents. In his first month of trade, he sold over $40 million worth of properties.  

“We had achieved many record results for my clients whilst I was at Ray White and so the local community was very generous and supported us when we opened the doors to Standen. We literally hit the ground running,” he said. 

“We were very busy and together with my incredibly talented team, we created a premium brand which attracts a lot of waterfront home buyers and sellers.” 

Tavis said that after a first very successful month of trade, he quickly identified a market gap for a prestige agency that specialised in achieving premium prices for premium property. 

“If we were selling properties for $20-$30 million on the waterfront of Sydney, it was pretty obvious to me that many of our purchasers would soon be looking to buy a boat to go with their new house. 

“So, we started Standen Marine not long after launching in 2015,” he said. 

“What we didn’t anticipate is that we would start selling some of the largest super yachts in the country that are well over 100-feet, which can be valued at tens of millions of dollars.” 

He now runs two successful divisions, Standen Estate Agents and Standen Marine, with offices in Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane.  

Tavis and his team have broken Residential Sales records across Barangaroo, the Lower North Shore, Longueville, Riverview and Lane Cove. 

“We are market leaders in prestige property, securing the record sales over the past few years for the most expensive house sold in the 2066 postcode (for $23.5 million), the most expensive strata apartment sold in the 2066 postcode (for almost $14 million) and the most expensive townhouse sold in the 2066 postcode (for nearly $4 million),” he said. 

But Tavis admits there are more similarities than differences between the luxury real estate and marine markets. 

“We find that with both luxury properties and luxury yachts being premium products, they both attract a certain client that are looking to improve their and their family’s quality of life and they are often very time poor people,” he revealed. 

“So, what they’re really wanting to achieve out of their luxury home or their luxury yacht is quality time with their family and friends.” 

For these high-end clients, who include the likes of Hollywood A-listers, technology giant CEOs and global music and entertainment stars, Tavis says it’s all about creating a “bespoke solution”. 

“We treat no client and transaction the same. We sit and look at the objective the client is looking to achieve and we tailor a complete strategy from scratch on every transaction that we do,” he said. 

“It’s very similar to a house — no two houses are identical. In the superyacht and the luxury yacht market, there’s no two boats that are identical either.  

“Particularly in the space that we work in, they are mostly custom-built yachts and they offer such different qualities and different offerings, you really need to spend a lot of time understanding your client.” 

To cater to the clients’ needs, it’s important to understand what they’re looking for, what they’re going to be using the super yacht for and whether they’re going to be spending a lot of time traveling onboard. 

Other factors to consider is whether the client is looking for something just to spend and entertain guests onboard for a day on Sydney Harbour or whether they’re looking for a super yacht to take them to the Whitsundays and spend weeks at a time traveling around the islands or even overseas.  

“They’re quite different, you’ve really got to spend a lot of time trying to find what the clients are looking for.” 

At the centre of these successful clients’ lives is the need to provide for their families and create a comfortable and luxurious space for quality time together. 

“It’s all about family, every time — inter-generational family as well. What they are looking for is a private space where they can spend quality time with their loved ones which they can’t find in restaurants or at a holiday home,” Tavis revealed. 

“It’s the epitome of luxury when you can afford to buy yourself and your family a super yacht and have your mum and dad, your grandparents, your wife or husband and kids all together for a week in your own private space. 

“You are able to tailor your own food menu, right down to selecting the chefs who prepare the food for you and your guests — you’re in a complete private space without distractions.” 

According to Tavis, these clients can’t find that level of privacy in any other setting because of their high international profiles. 

“I’ve worked with a lot of television stars, movie stars and CEOs — the majority of my clients are extremely high-profile people and I take their privacy very, very seriously,” he said. 

“You have to pinch yourself sometimes at the clients you’re looking after and doing business with. We are truly privileged to have them select Standen look after them and their families. 

“When you’ve got the biggest names globally staying at the biggest casinos and hotels in Sydney and then spending time on your yachts in the afternoon, it’s pretty incredible.” 

For Tavis, no day is the same in his field and he and his team gets to work with some unique clients. 

“The experiences that we are creating for these people, the excitement and the experience for their entire family is extremely rewarding.”