Negotiating a price

jon and michie said:
.....but I will point out I wouldn't want to offend/insult the seller/broker with my naivety either.
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I think most of us would overvalue the selling price of our boats so some level of realisation of true value will come to the seller during the process. If you are early in the process you will offend so don't worry too much about it.
Best negotiation is to have at least a couple of boats you really want and vie them off against each other.
Best of luck
 
Well what can I say other Thank you to all of you for the opinions so far - it is very much appreciated.
Right what I will say is that I have a budget of around 30k - I have been looking for a sports type boat similar to the maxums, bayliners and bavaria 's etc of around 9 to 10 metres long and diesel engined
one proviso stipulated by my wife (can someone tell me what swmbo stands for?) is that it has to have a nice interior and not something that has been decorated from an 80's pub.

I know there is hundreds of boats out there - so with my budget of 30k I have been trawling the net on boats between 20 and 40k the higher priced region seems to get a better boat obviously with a view to get the price down ( I do bear in mind as with houses that it is not monopoly money so I am realistic on this.
I looked at a boat in Newcastle at the beginning of the year which on the pictures needed a little interior modifications but in the flesh needed tons of work doing and after seeing a previous survey none of the recommendations had been done which I spotted straight away and come to the conclusion the current owner wanted rid and to recoup as much as his money back.
I have seen a bayliner 2855 in France which was a very good price but due to work and time constraints I could'nt get over to see it before it had sold - the broker had emailed me all the receipts going back over 10 years and everything the owner had done from antifouling etc he paid a company to do.
I am hoping to get to the Southampton boat show next month (providing I get off the oil rig in time) and then pop around the south coast to Torquay and hopefully view a couple of boats when I am down there.

I am not in a rush to buy but at the same time I am thinking that as the season is coming to an end that it becomes even more of a buyers market so owners/sellers don't pay for wintering.

thanks so far and sorry for all the waffling

Jon
 
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jon and michie said:
Well what can I say other Thank you to all of you for the opinions so far - it is very much appreciated.
Right what I will say is that I have a budget of around 30k - I have been looking for a sports type boat similar to the maxums, bayliners and bavaria 's etc of around 9 to 10 metres long and diesel engined
one proviso stipulated by my wife (can someone tell me what swmbo stands for?) is that it has to have a nice interior and not something that has been decorated from an 80's pub.

I know there is hundreds of boats out there - so with my budget of 30k I have been trawling the net on boats between 20 and 40k the higher priced region seems to get a better boat obviously with a view to get the price down ( I do bear in mind as with houses that it is not monopoly money so I am realistic on this.
I looked at a boat in Newcastle at the beginning of the year which on the pictures needed a little interior modifications but in the flesh needed tons of work doing and after seeing a previous survey none of the recommendations had been done which I spotted straight away and come to the conclusion the current owner wanted rid and to recoup as much as his money back.
I have seen a bayliner 2855 in France which was a very good price but due to work and time constraints I could'nt get over to see it before it had sold - the broker had emailed me all the receipts going back over 10 years and everything the owner had done from antifouling etc he paid a company to do.
I am hoping to get to the Southampton boat show next month (providing I get off the oil rig in time) and then pop around the south coast to Torquay and hopefully view a couple of boats when I am down there.

I am not in a rush to buy but at the same time I am thinking that as the season is coming to an end that it becomes even more of a buyers market so owners/sellers don't pay for wintering.

thanks so far and sorry for all the waffling

Jon
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Well Just to let you know, the boat I bought this year fits all of those criteria (diesel, 9m, Furnishings, Sports cruiser etc) its 10 years old, was in very good condition, it is an American make so normally cheaper than the Targa, Sealine etc and got it under your budget from a broker. So I think your target and aspirations are very achievable. :)
 
I am not in a rush to buy but at the same time I am thinking that as the season is coming to an end that it becomes even more of a buyers market so owners/sellers don't pay for wintering.

thanks so far and sorry for all the waffling

Jon
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Mid January with a nice layer of ice on the pontoon and darkeness closing in at 3.00 PM is the ideal time to go hunting for any sportsboat.
Lazy sunny days are long gone and optimistic asking prices are but a distant dream for the seller :)
 
Thank you for your replies so far
I have looked at sealines before and myself and her indoors prefer a boat where in the interior there is a bed at the fore section of the cabin and not have to make it up every night - like the bayliner 2855 for example
I have narrowed down a few boat models but just trying to find the right one.

thanks again
Jon
 
I sell specialist used sailing yachts but in our business the following is true:

You ABSOLUTLEY can offend with insulting offers.

I have seen on many occasions owners instructing us to no longer deal with certain buyers who offer well below current market averages.

I have this week had three buyers chasing the same boat. A really good one too.

Two made (stupid) low offers with the usual "list" of things they wanted to do which they then deducted off the asking price backed up with the usual "I'm looking at lots of other boats blah blah blah".

One made a sensible offer close to the asking price.

The owner instructed us to not even negotiate with the other two and ignore them.

The sensible offer secured the boat and we instructed the others that a better offer had been received.

Immediately one who said he couldn't possibly go above his first low offer wanted to match the accepted offer.

Sorry, too late we said.

He lost a very good boat and his wife who also loved it would have been furious with him.


Most brokers will have boats priced correctly in the first place and do not build in any fake % over market average as it is a total waste of time.
 
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Good post...
I never really understood this macho stance where a lousy offer could be expected to result in the seller desperately holding onto the would be buyer's deck shoe pleading with him not to leave the marina.
 
jon and michie said:
Thank you for your replies so far
I have looked at sealines before and myself and her indoors prefer a boat where in the interior there is a bed at the fore section of the cabin and not have to make it up every night - like the bayliner 2855 for example
I have narrowed down a few boat models but just trying to find the right one.

thanks again
Jon
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You said in post 13 that there would only be two of you on board. In this case on a boat like the Sealine, you sleep in the separate cabin and leave the bow set up as a dinette. There would be no need to make the bed every night.
 
jonic said:
I sell specialist used sailing yachts but in our business the following is true:

You ABSOLUTLEY can offend with insulting offers.

I have seen on many occasions owners instructing us to no longer deal with certain buyers who offer well below current market averages.

I have this week had three buyers chasing the same boat. A really good one too.

Two made (stupid) low offers with the usual "list" of things they wanted to do which they then deducted off the asking price backed up with the usual "I'm looking at lots of other boats blah blah blah".

One made a sensible offer close to the asking price.

The owner instructed us to not even negotiate with the other two and ignore them.

The sensible offer secured the boat and we instructed the others that a better offer had been received.

Immediately one who said he couldn't possibly go above his first low offer wanted to match the accepted offer.

Sorry, too late we said.

He lost a very good boat and his wife who also loved it would have been furious with him.


Most brokers will have boats priced correctly in the first place and do not build in any fake % over market average as it is a total waste of time.
Click to expand...
I would certainly take you to task on the last comment about correct price - not for what I have just bought, or perhaps if they paid any attention to the presented condition of some of the carp they are attempting to sell.

So you had three parties interested, and one was offering the right money for your client. Would he have been so keen to send the other two away if the third was not there ?

I set out the price I was considering in some detail before I placed an offer to two brokers ad one private seller all for similar boats, and yes I did depress a bit it below what I would pay, just as a vendor increases above what he will accept. However, this clearly explained how I assessed the value in reasonable detail, without acting in a manner that would offend the vendor, but giving him a gentle but appropriate reality check. One is now sold the other isn't. Both had sat around for a considerable period prior to my interest, and due to issues with the VAT status and presentation I expect one will continue to sit around. Indeed the reason I bought Coolavin was because the Broker was sensible enough to realise what I was offering was the best bet for her owner - he came back with an offer I accepted without further negotiation.

As for the other candidate ...

How long does it take for rain water sitting in an awning to turn into a garden pond of green water ?

How often does a shite-hawk eat his limpet on you boat and drop the shell into said pond ?

When I removed the flybridge awning at least 6 limpet shells fell out. And this boat is still advertised way over its likely sale price, and the broker knows full well what her presentation is.


For the OP looking at the boat he is considering he will need to imagine himself in the vendors position within a couple of years, as this type of starter boat will either make or break his boating ownership. Finding a boat now that won't take him 2 years to sell on could be essential, so paying a bit more for a name such as Sealine or Fairline would pay dividends later.
 
Thank you for the opinions quite a balanced view over the last few comments - where I am at as superheat6k as said in the latter of his comment is that yes it is going to be a starter boat but at the same time I am trying to get the best I can with the budget I have and as there is only the 2 of us I don't really envisage trading up in the future (unless the lottery came up which I doubt) but maybe this is my naivety.

thanks again
Jon
 
neale said:
You said in post 13 that there would only be two of you on board. In this case on a boat like the Sealine, you sleep in the separate cabin and leave the bow set up as a dinette. There would be no need to make the bed every night.
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Very true Neale and I do know where you are coming from as they are nice boats maybe I might consider as a wild card if you like if the other don't come up trumps.
thanks again
jon
 
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