Remote buying.

I brought a car from a manufacturers dealership remotely without seeing it.

It turned out to have many faults, after I spoke with them for advice the local dealership put them right and billed the other one direct. I believe it was several thousand £ and that was maybe 20 years ago.

W.
 
we bought our usa liveaboard boat 'subject to survey' remotely and when we reversed our locations and came home to uk tried to do same but was gazumped on boat one day before we flew back, too late to revise travel plans so came anyway and bought another within a few weeks. most of the 'viewing was online and saving/enlarging pics to study, followed by multiple emails and phone calls to brokers with specific questions. not ideal but ok in the end.
 
pessimist said:
Since I have no intention of traveling to view boats until a vaccine is available but would still like some sailing as soon as possible SWMO and I have been discussing the possibility of remote buying. The plan would be to request as many photos. of the boat as possible, send the owner a detailed questionnaire and (if satisfactory) make offer and commission survey.

Reasonable plan or lock down madness?
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Honestly doing this myself. Which is great because even if I actually went to see it, it wouldn't make a difference. The only reason I'd go to see a boat is to ensure that it has the type of keel you want and can you move around the boat adequately.
 
What's the upside to buying now? Is it likely to sell in the near future?

I can see the downside - maybe it's not the boat the pictures make it seem, maybe prices will fall further, maybe you have to pay berthing / storage costs for it without ever even having seen it, maybe it will deteriorate in the coming months, maybe there's a small risk of damage or loss, etc.

It is exciting though, and gives you something to look forward to, something not to be underestimated in present times.
 
A couple of our clients have requested this now and we are in discussions with a leading independent surveyor who has set up to do virtual viewings on behalf of buyers, whereby he attends the boat and conducts a conference or face-time call in real time with the client. Not as a survey, but as an initial viewing and opinion of the general presentation of the yacht. He has permitted access to most of the marinas we have boats in, as long as he follows protocol and has no members of the public with him. If the boat is already out of the water and the client wishes to proceed, the boat could go to contract as we already have digital procedures in place to conduct the whole conveyancing process online and with Royal Mail special delivery. The boat could then be surveyed and the sale completed.

So in theory, if the marina permits access and the boat is already ashore for survey, it can be done.

Most of our yachts have walkthrough videos and detailed high-end photos so I suspect we may use this method before the marinas open up again.

At the moment I can't even go to my own boat :(

Stay safe everyone.
 
jonic said:
A couple of our clients have requested this now and we are in discussions with a leading independent surveyor who has set up to do virtual viewings on behalf of buyers, whereby he attends the boat and conducts a conference or face-time call in real time with the client. Not as a survey, but as an initial viewing and opinion of the general presentation of the yacht. He has permitted access to most of the marinas we have boats in, as long as he follows protocol and has no members of the public with him. If the boat is already out of the water and the client wishes to proceed, the boat could go to contract as we already have digital procedures in place to conduct the whole conveyancing process online and with Royal Mail special delivery. The boat could then be surveyed and the sale completed.

So in theory, if the marina permits access and the boat is already ashore for survey, it can be done.

Most of our yachts have walkthrough videos and detailed high-end photos so I suspect we may use this method before the marinas open up again.

At the moment I can't even go to my own boat :(

Stay safe everyone.
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I rather suspect this may be the way of the (hopefully immediate) future. Good to hear that someone is being proactive.
 
I agree with Jonic: Yachtsnet had one client last week with a surveyor ready to go and do a viewing for him, but the boat was in a locked boatyard and no access at all.
 
On the flip side, we have been able to get boats listed too.

We have a client who we sold a yacht to last year who did the ARC and planned to stay another year in the Caribbean and maybe go up to the States. However, with a young family he has rightly decided to cut the trip short and we were in communication with him from the Caribbean whilst he made his very difficult decision. Fortunately, he and a number of others we know have been able to get their yachts shipped home with Peters and May next month and BA flew them and other stranded cruisers home from Antigua.

We have found a marina in the UK who have agreed to take the yacht once she is unloaded, again with no members of the public involved, just their own authorised staff following all protocols. So as long as the ship is still able to load and sail, all should work out ok.

We have been able to temporarily use our old photos but re-write the new upgraded spec online with the owner and get the boat listed for him. Boat Details - John Rodriguez Yachts

Already we have enquiries from interested parties, and who knows we may be able to set up some sort of virtual viewing with this one too.

So, it's not easy, but with a bit of thought and co-operation all round, it is possible to keep the wheels turning (to a degree) without any face to face contact.

Out of interest for those on here, I have had a sharp increase in enquiries from Italy. I get the sense that once this is all over people will want to take that blue water trip they were thinking about and these scary times may kick start a lot of ideas and trips.

I also think that people may be a lot nicer to each other!

Stay safe and support the brilliant NHS.
 
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