Under offer?

[bumblefish]

Purely hypothetically, if I saw a boat and wanted to make an offer, how close to the asking price should I offer? She is probably very slightly over priced. This is my first attempt at purchase of a proper boat, so I am a complete novice.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bumblefish.net>Bumblefish</A>

 

[Colin_S]

You will probably get a lot more useful answers than this, but in my experience of haggling over price the one thing to always remember is that you can always raise your offer if it's rejected but, if it's immediately accepted, chances are you could have got it cheaper.

With a boat it's likely to be an offer 'subject to survey' which will give you a chance of reducing your offer if the survey throws up issues.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[sailorman]

to start with u have to make an offer, "subject to survey" .
if u start low, u can always raise it
if high u cant go down

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[billmacfarlane]

Try to find other boats of the same make and compare them to the one you're interested in buying. But the bottom line is as it always is when haggling - only pay as much as you think it is worth to you.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[FullCircle]

Try 30% at least under the asking. If you are comparing what other boats are 'selling' for or merely what they are asking.
It depends, as you can raise the game quickly and efficiently over the course of a day/days haggling with the broker,giving him time to relay offers and comments. Its a lovely game, and one which the English are not noted for their liking of. I must admit its the bit I like best in a sale/purchase.
If they are easily mortally offended, they probably won't give away much when the survey shows a bit of work or worn outness. I had that prob years ago with a boat I was looking at seriously. Made offers which the owner insisted was within a 100 quid of asking (36000 quid!) price, and then offered to knock of 250 quid (eventually)against rampant osmosis......
There are now more boats than moorings, 40% of which are 'for sale' (seriously or speculatively) at any time.
Choose wisely with your heart and survey....and bid low.


Jim

<hr width=100% size=1>Jeanneau 35 - only 13,272 lbs displacement, not even 6 tons,what a lightweight!!!

 

[Joe_Cole]

I'm not sure about these rules of thumb. If you offer 30% less on a boat that is being offered at a sensible price you may well have the door shut in your face; you'll certainly loose the credibility which you will need as the sale proceeds. (In my view it is well worth while trying to build a good working relationship with the seller; if you proceed in a way which may be seen as playing "games" it does not help)

Mind you, if the boat is overpriced, certainly offer 30% less!

It may not help you, but I think the best thing to do is to offer what you think it is worth!




<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[bumblefish]

When I said it was possibly over priced I meant by about 500-1,500 on a 27,000 total, sterling that is, I have seen many boats of the type in question and they all have their individual postive points. This one is well equipped and in good condition, my only reservation is not to pay too much. But as someone has said, and as applies to all things, it is worth what someone is prepared to pay.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bumblefish.net>Bumblefish</A>

 

[LittleShip]

You will already know what price the seller is wanting, and you will know if its within a percentage of what you want to pay, don’t make an offer.
If you are interested in the boat, ask if you can have a survey carried out and use the survey to negotiate the final price. If everybody was to knock 30% off the asking price, the price of boats would go up by 30%.
Negotiate a price and don’t expect every seller to drop from the advertised price, if a boat is worth £50,000 It’s worth £50,000 and that’s it.
People will not give away assets unless they really have too.
Enjoy whatever you decide on and you will one week after you have purchased find another boat that may seem a better bargain, THAT’S LIFE !!/forums/images/icons/wink.gif


<hr width=100% size=1>
I wish I'd been born rich instead of good looking ?

 

[Vara]

In that case offer £25,500 subject to survey and work down from there.

PS. regards to all at Shoreham.


<hr width=100% size=1>If it cant be fixed with a lump hammer don't fit it

 

[capsco]

you must be pretty good at valueing boats if you can do it to between "£500-£1500" ????

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[mirabriani]

Agree with Jimdew. Lots of good advice here
The trouble is, when you decide upon and then see, the boat of your dreams
It all goes out of the window, you dream of nothing else until she is yours.
Beware!

Regards Briani

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Koeketiene]

Rules of thumb:

1. Know how much you can afford
2. Work out how much it would cost (roughly) to get her just like you want her.

- If it's more than you can afford - walk away now.
- If it's less than you can afford - make an offer 10-15% below asking price. Boats tend to be more expensive than you think (things also take longer than you think).

Good luck.

PS: wish I followed my own advice - very much a case of "do as I say, not do as I do".

<hr width=100% size=1>Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills.

 

[webcraft]

We have friends who recently lost a boat they really wanted because they couldn't bring themselves to pay £2000 over what they had decided to offer. They could have afforded to pay it, and they regretted not increasing their offer afterwards. The boat was a bit of a one-off, and they have since bought something quite different.

We paid maybe £1000 more than we really should have done for our boat in terms of condition and equipment but . . .

- We liked the boat and could tell she was basicly sound

- She was a three hour sail from her new home port. Others were a two week cruise or £1000 road delivery

- We didn't think the owner would budge, and he was not prepared to do the 'subject to survey' thing - it was take it or leave it

We could have been hard nosed and refused to pay the asking price because we thought it was 'too much' - but we would then have had to buy much further afield with all the attendant costs. We are glad we just bit the bullet and paid the asking price - no regrets, but if we hadn't bought her there woujld have been.

I guess all I am saying is what others in this thread have said - a boat is worth what you are willing to pay for it. There is no formula as to how much you should offer - just suck it and see, but as someone else pointed out there's no point in antagonising the current owner with a derisory initial offer.

(And when you do buy it, just say goodbye to your money and never, ever think of it again - once it is gone it's not your problem any more, just go sailing)

- Nick

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com>http://www.bluemoment.com</A></font size=1>

 

[fastjedi]

Step 1
Assuming your yacht is for pleasure and relaxation purposes only. Buying the wrong yacht at a bargain price is rarely the right decision..... you will be reminded every time you use it! Buying the right yacht at a fair market value is a much better decision. In particular, look for things that are difficult or uneconomic to repair, for example spars that have lost their finish. When you find the right yacht it will smile at you!

Step 2
Work out how much more you need to spend to get you out on the water. This can make a huge difference to the total sum. At this end of the year you may decide to add any storage costs through to the spring too.

Step 3
I always like to understand the sellers position before deciding on a first offer. This helps to understand weather a low offer is likely to be recieved as a welcome relief .... or an insult. (I have been known to refuse subsequent more reasonable offers in the "maybe zone" if I don't like / trust the potential buyer) At this end of the year I would expect to settle at about -10% (-15% on a good day)

Step 4
Sounds daft but ... It's easy to reduce the price further as the result of survey findings ..... only to remember you really do have to spend the money after buying it! I used to do it with cars ... "Mmmm, needs a new set of tyres mate, and a bit of work on that wing" and when you get it home "Bugger, I'm going to have to buy new tyres"



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[wooslehunter]

Also depends on where it is & how long it's been on the market. If it's in a posh yard that's charging loads per month storage then a quick sale will be worth a few quid knock down.

Bear in mind also that for boats advertised privately at a comparable price to broker advertised boats, the broker fee is an instant discussion point - 8% ish.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Birdseye]

Lots of different issues. First of all - are you only looking for one model of boat or is this one of a number that could suite. If the former, then you need to be sensisitve to his reaction to your offer (I'd say 10 to 15%), if the latter then you can make a "take it or leave it" offer (say 30%). You can often get an idea of how long it has been for sale, and how desperate he is. You can help yourself here by waiting till January when few boats are being viewed.

How cosmetically attractive is it? A boat which has green mould on the decks (harmless but unsightly on grp) can be marked down because lots of people will be put off. Is it on the Solent, or somewhere where he will get fewer lookers like the North West? Is he giving up altogether, in which case he will often take an offer simply to get rid, or is he going on to another boat - in which case he may try to take equipment with him.

The key thing is to be cold, calculating and prepared to walk away. Dont make friends with him - you dont do that with a steak, do you?

<hr width=100% size=1>this post is a personal opinion, and you should not base your actions on it.

 

[bluedragon]

It also depends on the price band. I've found that almost always I would need to spend a few thousand pounds to get a yacht into the condition and inventory level that I want (most owners either don't see the issues any more, or don't want to!!). On a £10,000 boat this may be 30%...on a £30,000 boat this may be 10%. Putting a low bid in first does often lead the buyer to tell you what he'll really settle for. Key to all this is doing your market research and finding out a) how quickly this type of yacht sells (is it a "sought after" model?) b) the price/condition of others for sale and what their owners will "take".

<hr width=100% size=1>