looking at boats with agents..

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Wansworth

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Going to see various boats next week;I have a good of their equipment and stuff so a question of having alook and seeing if if one is what I want.How much time can I reasonably spend just sitting contemplating whether I have found the one I am looking for and pondering,do agents expecta prospective buyer to just sit about thinking or should the buyer be visibley interestred in whether the pipe work is double clipped etal...
 
If the agent is worth their salt, they will understand and smile as you check away then sit & ponder; the more time you take, surely the more sign of interest you're showing ?

If they tut and look at their watch, that would cause me to take twice as long, even if I'd decided against the boat; they're earning money and supposed to be assisting the sale...
 
mogy said:
Going to see various boats next week;I have a good of their equipment and stuff so a question of having alook and seeing if if one is what I want.How much time can I reasonably spend just sitting contemplating whether I have found the one I am looking for and pondering,do agents expecta prospective buyer to just sit about thinking or should the buyer be visibley interestred in whether the pipe work is double clipped etal...
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In my limited boat buying experience, the brokers were quite happy for us to spend plenty of time sitting around pondering. A few just told us where the boat was, gave us the keys and a ladder and left us to it. Never could decide whether that was good practise, or they were just being lazy.

Again, in my limited experience, many boats you can say "No" to in the first two minutes. Others will have you scratching your head and wondering, but one or two will say "Yes" almost immediately. It's the head scratchers where you'll want to spend time, but if you soldier on and find one which is love at first sight, you'll have wasted your time and the broker's on the rest.
 
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As an ex-broker I would always open the boat up for the prospective purchesor and stay a few mins before deciding whether they were likely to stay a long time or not and whether I needed to be there.

Some left within minutes .. you lock the boat up securely.
Some wanted time but asked questions .. you stay and answer them.
Some clearly needed time to concentrate on various aspects .. I would leave them to it letting them know I would be back in 20 mins or see them in office if finished prior to that.
 
I went to see a boat at Foxs with a friend.They pointed us in the right direction and left us to it.We spent about an hour on the boat and when we went to get off they had taken the ladder away.(It was a fin keel West Storm)We could not raise anyone in the office on our mobiles but fortunately our shouting got someone's attention in the adjoining Seldon Office,My friend did buy the boat.
 
The broker's job is to find a buyer for his clients' boats. A good one will respond to your needs as a potential buyer - so long as you are straightforward and polite - as I am sure you are!
 
Tranona said:
The broker's job is to find a buyer for his clients' boats. A good one will respond to your needs as a potential buyer - so long as you are straightforward and polite - as I am sure you are!
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This is absolutely correct.

I am a broker and the best advice is to be straightforward. There is no need for games of any kind. Brokers tend to be as in love with boats as you are and enjoy talking about them anyway.

My usual approach is a chat with the buyer on the way to the boat to find out what he needs, having already given a full set of details.

I always say that I will give a basic tour when we arrive and then leave for 20-mins half an hour. That way the buyer can get a feel for the boat without any pressure.

Then if he wants to find out more we will go into detail (I have done this for up to 5 hrs!) and that will include sail systems, engine details, instruments, accessibility for system maintenance, ships papers, vat documents etc.

If she is not for you on first impressions then just say, the broker will thank you for it, and most of us recognise the need to view many different types of yacht before you decide.


Some people pretend to like the boat and spend hours on board with no intention at all of buying. Others love it and then pretend to hate it in order to reduce the price.

We can usually spot them a mile off. :D

The best thing to do is to remember this is not like a house sale with an estate agent type relationship. Estate agents hand over to two sets of solicitors once the offer is made. The yacht broker on the other hand is going to be working with you all the way through the legal process until handover- so it pays everybody to be straightforward.

A good broker will also help find the right boat for you by listening to your feedback on boats you view, so tell him straight so he can offer you boats that suit.

Good luck and have fun.
 
mogy said:
Well all sounds encouraging and will keep it in mind. The boats I have ear marked have well known agents so all should steam ahead without problems.
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My experience with brokers (well known or not) has been disappointingly negative, so I would urge a degree of caution and advise that you check everything that is said can be backed up with some kind of evidence/proof. In other words, don't take everything you hear as a statement of fact. I am sure there are some very good brokers out there, so maybe I've just been unlucky so far...

Hope all goes well.
 
I have had a similarly negative experience... But have recently listed my boat with Jonic above, and it's been a remarkably different experience!

John has systematically worked through everything, and wouldn't even list her until he had a copy of all the paperwork that he was satisfied with... Which I can assure you, took some effort on his part!

So, while some can be less than robust, there are others like Jonic above that make sure both seller and buyer are well cared for.
 
So far my experience varied depending on the country, but I must say that British brokers are the best and the most professional.

I dealt too with:

Dutch agents: they do not care about following up, so they have definately lost an opportunity for a sale with me

French brokers: They do not care about following up too. Also I was proposed alternative boats quite far from the specs I provided.

Italian brokers: God save us from the paperwork and the 5% buyer's fee! One even told me that I could not see a boat until someone else did who was booked to see it in two weeks from our conversation. ???.

Spanish brokers: here is where I found my current boat and where I had the worst experience ever. Very kind, but when it came to actually handle the exchange of documents and payment: U N B E L I E V A B L E! An absolute nightmare.

In conclusion, if you buy through a broker in the UK it is likely that you will have a positive experience.
 
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Try buying in Croatia ... the photos are modified, or of another boat, the descriptions are vague, the location and history is kept a secret until the visit, they don't want you talking to the owner in case you 'do a deal' and cut the broker out, the boats suggested are way off the brief provided, pressure is applied to buy fast as the current 'offer price' is only available for a fast sale etc. etc. etc... there are some good ones out there but buyer beware.

...... I'll be able to complete the picture when we actually export the boat. Anyone know a good psychiatrist? :eek:
 
haydude said:
So far my experience varied depending on the country, but I must say that British brokers are the best and the most professional.


In conclusion, if you buy through a broker in the UK it is likely that you will have a positive experience.
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Having dealt with a range of brokers in the UK, I couldn't disagree more! The UK brokers were ridiculously slow to respond, some took two or three e-mail reminders to actually reply! Most were over a week to reply and others still have not, months down the line! I often wondered how brokers have the front to take a commission based on the lost sales they must rack up!

Having explained the situation very clearly, I wasted a journey from Turkey to the UK, to see a boat that bore very little resemblance to it's description! Worse though, was the damage, neither described nor photographed!

And then there are those "misleading" brokers, who can never actually supply a photograph despite repeated promises!

Despite all the reasons to use a broker (like safety and security of deposit, professionalism etc) It turned out that one "Respected Broker" from the UK is just acting as a "marketing" agent for some greek bloke. Later on you get told, "no, no, you deal with dimitris about money and all that, I'm just doing marketing"
 
mogy said:
Going to see various boats next week;I have a good of their equipment and stuff so a question of having alook and seeing if if one is what I want.How much time can I reasonably spend just sitting contemplating whether I have found the one I am looking for and pondering,do agents expecta prospective buyer to just sit about thinking or should the buyer be visibley interestred in whether the pipe work is double clipped etal...
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Most agents have other things to do than watch you pondering and many dont even accompany you. It's your money, you take as long as you wish. I even slept over night on one boat to settle the decision in my mind.

Forget the double clips. Such trivia is dealt with after purchase.
 
As 'standard' brokers have been mentioned as well as agents, I must say I was stunned by a 'broker' recently.

Someone - a complete novice - who had made contact with me via these columns had spotted a boat of interest, and I offered to call and get the info' as I am experienced with the class.

I rang the broker, " have you got the inventory please ? "

" No mate "

" Well you must have some details, has she got an anchor for instance ? "

" Dunno mate, but if you need anything we've got a secondhand chandlery "

" Well what about the trailer, is it braked ? "

" Dunno, but it came here on it from a boatyard just the other day, they felt we were better qualified to sell her "

" But she's been with you for over 6 months, and before that wasn't in a boatyard but X marina where I saw her "

- Strangely enough the punter did not bother travelling the width of the country to see this boat...

I wish I could get a job as a broker, I'd make damn sure to have the details at my fingertips - what exactly was this character taking money for ?!
 
mogy said:
Going to see various boats next week;I have a good of their equipment and stuff so a question of having alook and seeing if if one is what I want.How much time can I reasonably spend just sitting contemplating whether I have found the one I am looking for and pondering,do agents expecta prospective buyer to just sit about thinking or should the buyer be visibley interestred in whether the pipe work is double clipped etal...
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You can take as long as you like. The broker should at least go over to the boat with you. open up and run through the basics and then leave you to your own time. Bearing in mind that if the boat is under 15k there is not a lot of commission in it to keep them hanging around so dont expect them to jump through hoops, however as the asking prices start going upwards then expect a little more attention.
We sold our last boat through Wooden Ships in Dartmouth, Peter acccompanied every viewing and nine times out of ten called me to: check the boat was at her mooring and to ensure that she was clean tidy and suitable for viewing (she always was). Boatshed who also listed the boat also called me prior to every viewing and again accompanied every one.
Boatshed also have a fairly good system for photographing all aspects of the boat plus they send the vendor an appraisal every month. (How many viewings, how many internet viewings, how many details sent, and how many potentials spoken to).

Five years ago we viewed a boat that was on a swinging mooring in Chichester harbour, the broker found somebody to take us out to the boat but unfortunately forgot us (two hours later) a local ended up bringing us back whilst towing some old rot box up to the marina. Not impressesd with that broker (we had previously booked in the visit as well)
To be honest I have been largely surprised by the smaller brokers who seem to mirror what a lot of people say here: Lack of ethusiasm, poor repsonse time to enquiries, lack of knowledge of what they are selling and in some cases only one or two photos.
 
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I'm sure like any profession the vast majority are good and rest; well....!

Just remember the broker is working for himself. He wants to sell the boat as quickly and for as much as possible as they are on commission. He is definetly NOT working for you. Take as long as you want, if you feel rushed, then walk away, there will always be another boat.

If you get to a stage of buying; check everything and I mean everything; and get them to demonstrate to you that it works. If they can not show you that it works, price gets re-negotiated.

In todays market the buyer is in the driving seat without question.

Have fun; they say its one of two of the happiest days of your life!
 
Boat44 said:
I'm sure like any profession the vast majority are good and rest; well....!

Just remember the broker is working for himself. He wants to sell the boat as quickly and for as much as possible as they are on commission. He is definetly NOT working for you. Take as long as you want, if you feel rushed, then walk away, there will always be another boat.
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That is not always true.

I am a professional accredited yacht broker. I am engaged by the seller but I HAVE to work for the buyer in order to work for the seller.

I want to sell the right boat at the right price to the right person and to complete all the legal work correctly for the buyer as much as the seller.

I built my business on the basis that buyers come to me for advice, if I do not think the boat is right for them I will tell them and have and will point them in the direction of other boats that I have no financial interest in.

Granted not all brokers will be the same but a lot will be.
 
Boat44 said:
I'm sure like any profession the vast majority are good and rest; well....!
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Profession? I think that classifies as a stretch for the deffinition! Member of an approved body, suitably qualified, something about code of conduct etc!
If recollection serves me correctly there are 3 professions left in the UK, Doctors, Solicitors and Engineers!
Can't see boat broker or estate agent in there!
 
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