Boats under offer...

[stownsend]

Morning All

We've been interested in a couple of boats but when enquring with the brokers, they have informed me the owners have withdrawn them from the market but within a short period they are marked as Under Offer for a few weeks then disapear, is this a marketing ploy by the brokers to show they are getting boat sales ? Is this normal pratice ?

Cheers

Stu

 

[gjgm]

Morning All

We've been interested in a couple of boats but when enquring with the brokers, they have informed me the owners have withdrawn them from the market but within a short period they are marked as Under Offer for a few weeks then disapear, is this a marketing ploy by the brokers to show they are getting boat sales ? Is this normal pratice ?

Cheers

Stu

I am not quite sure the timeline in your cases, but when you make an offer on a boat, and it is accepted, the boat is withdrawn from sale, yes. There will then be a period where surveys/trials are done, at which time the boat remains under offer.If all goes well, the sale completes.
Bear in mind that boat sales isnt like Tescos where the internet gives you the latest update;the broker may not even mark it as under offer at all.
Lastly, the boat might be on with several brokers; you dont know that the one you are talking to is the one who is successfully selling it elsewhere.

 

[stownsend]

Particularly on the one occasion, we were confirming the viewing date / time and was told that it was now off the market as the owner has spent quite a bit on her and had decided to keep her. It was only on with the one broker but the next day went under offer. I have contacted the broker but have not had a response.

Cheers

Stu

 

[Seajet]

In looking for a house lately, it has become obvious that places under offer or even sold are advertised as such by the estate agents, presumably to say 'look we can sell houses' and 'the market isn't as bad as everyone says'...

I'm sure boat brokers will be doing the same, considering the state of the market.

Obviously there's still the point that deals may fall through for whatever reason, though even if spotting the perfect house or boat an 'under offer' sign is pretty much game over to most people I'd think, and enquiring about it would make one look 'too keen and with reduced haggling power' !

 

[gjgm]

Particularly on the one occasion, we were confirming the viewing date / time and was told that it was now off the market as the owner has spent quite a bit on her and had decided to keep her. It was only on with the one broker but the next day went under offer. I have contacted the broker but have not had a response.

Cheers

Stu

Ah, I see. You could be right then. You dont know if someone who had previously seen it, then came back, or whether the broker is suggesting he has personally sold it, when no such thing has happened.

 

[Richard10002]

The question seems to be " why would a broker mark a boat 'under offer', when the seller has withdrawn it from the market."

One answer is that they want to make it look like they are selling boats - this is most likely.

Another answer is that the seller hasn't withdrawn it, and it is under offer - cant see why a broker would have any reason to mislead in this way, so this asset is unlikely.

 

[wklein]

Does it really make a difference? If the broker has been messed around by the seller changing his mind and had to go through the legwork of making an advert and suchlike why shouldn't they try and get a bit of positive advertising out of it?

Doesn't really affect you as a buyer does it?

 

[theoldsalt]

My complaint is that when a boat is shown as "under offer" the broker refuses to forward any further offers even though they may be higher.

When I have queried this the say the boat is "sold subject to survey". Then why the hell don't they say that instead of making us think that offers may be welcome.

The response I have had is that brokers do not like to show a boat is back on the market having a sale fail through a bad survey. But that is usually obvious when you can see the survey marks on the antifouling.

Even though a deposit is paid when an offer is accepted it doesn't prevent buyer or vendor from withdrawing, so to me "under offer" doesn't mean "sold".