Buying Season

[The Gravy Boater]

So I've read that narrowboats become more scarse and the prices go up as the cruising season starts.  I guess this would make sense but is it really much of a thing?  Apollo Duck has been hovering around 900 available narrowboats for the last couple of months and I've actually seen a lot of boats being discounted, perhaps because existing owners have switched boats and are still trying to get rid of their old ones?

 

As you may surmise I'm trying to beat a broker/owner down on a price a bit, but he's standing firm.

 

And hello everyone, by the way.

[matty40s]

There has not been a 'season' as far as narrowboat sales go for several years now.....the last couple of years has seen a few weeks downturn at Christmas/New Year, but even that didnt happen this year.

The only way you will beat a broker/owner down is if the boat has been on sale for a while/is vastly overpriced/owner is desperate to sell.

A sensibly priced decent boat will probably have several people viewing on the first few days and sell for near or actual asking price within a week.

[The Gravy Boater]

7 minutes ago, matty40s said:

A sensibly priced decent boat will probably have several people viewing on the first few days and sell for near or actual asking price within a week.

Thanks for that.  The boat in question has been on for a while but then again the weather there has been horrific so maybe the viewings have been low.  It's kind of worth the asking price to be honest... so I may just go hard on anything that shows up in the survey.

[matty40s]

If it's been on a while then it's either overpriced or theres something not right with it.

If you think it's worth the asking price then why are you hankering after a fire sale??

The weather hasnt stopped viewings or sales as far as I've seen.

 

[The Gravy Boater]

2 minutes ago, matty40s said:

If it's been on a while then it's either overpriced or theres something not right with it.

If you think it's worth the asking price then why are you hankering after a fire sale??

The weather hasnt stopped viewings or sales as far as I've seen.

 

Full disclosure now... are you a broker? ?

[WotEver]

33 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

I've read that narrowboats become more scarse and the prices go up as the cruising season starts.  I guess this would make sense but is it really much of a thing?

Nope. 

[matty40s]

Nope. I paint em and mend em, and like to keep an eye on the market.

[Dr Bob]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

 

The only way you will beat a broker/owner down is if the boat has been on sale for a while/is vastly overpriced/owner is desperate to sell.

A sensibly priced decent boat will probably have several people viewing on the first few days and sell for near or actual asking price within a week.

I agree. We have been looking to buy a bigger boat and sell ours over the last 4 months. Anything really good sells in a week. There are lots of overpriced boats on Apollo Duck with peeps jumping on the 'sellers' market. Lots of boats just stuck for 4 months or so. Ours is going on the market in the next few weeks (we have found our next one!) and the broker I am using to sell seems to know his stuff (he helped us find the new one) - so if the one you are going for is priced right then go for it now....otherwise you will loose it. There are a lot of buyers out there now.

[The Gravy Boater]

You're right Fozzie... errr, Dr Bob... I shall offer something very close to the asking price and see how it goes.

[The Gravy Boater]

The number of narrowboats on Apollo Duck just dropped from 985 to 885 in the space of two hours... I'm assuming some admin just deleted a load of sold boats.  Ooofff.

[TheBiscuits]

6 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

The number of narrowboats on Apollo Duck just dropped from 985 to 885 in the space of two hours... I'm assuming some admin just deleted a load of sold boats.  Ooofff.

Nah.

 

All the sellers have just decided that it's nearly Easter so they can go boating again.  All those boats will be back on the duck next October with another year's cruising on them but without any further maintenance done.

 

The other explanation is that all the owners have just cancelled their cruises or their trip to Thailand and are going to explore the beauties of Brum once again ... bunch of vir-Wussies!

Edited March 1, 2020 by TheBiscuits

[The Gravy Boater]

Makes sense.  So is that where boaters traditionally go on holiday... Thailand?

[TheBiscuits]

Just now, The Gravy Boater said:

Makes sense.  So is that where boaters traditionally go on holiday... Thailand?

Not this year I'm guessing.  There will be some cracking discount deals all over the world this summer for anyone who is prepared to sit in a long haul aircraft for 24 hours with 200 random other people ... and hopes that one of them doesn't sneeze.

[restlessnomad]

I too think its easier to push for a discount in winter(end of season) than summer, but the specific boat you have seen might have an owner who thinks his pricing is correct(plus the winter will be over in a month or so)

[mrsmelly]

5 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

So I've read that narrowboats become more scarse and the prices go up as the cruising season starts.  I guess this would make sense but is it really much of a thing?  Apollo Duck has been hovering around 900 available narrowboats for the last couple of months and I've actually seen a lot of boats being discounted, perhaps because existing owners have switched boats and are still trying to get rid of their old ones?

 

As you may surmise I'm trying to beat a broker/owner down on a price a bit, but he's standing firm.

 

And hello everyone, by the way.

A correctly priced boat will sell very quickly. Longest ever I have had one for sale over the years is about a month. I have sold at every time of the year without problem. My last boat I sold was put for sale in the January and sold within a couple of weeks. 

Edited March 1, 2020 by mrsmelly

[blackrose]

15 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

 

Wrong thread

Edited March 2, 2020 by blackrose

[LadyG]

On 02/03/2020 at 07:47, blackrose said:

Wrong thread

That's never stopped you before ....?

[The Gravy Boater]

Well I didn't buy the boat in question in the end having found a better one that the broker had already comissioned a hull survey on... took away a lot of the risk.  They even came down on the price a bit prior to an internal survey.  If everything works out I should be living aboard by the end of the month. 

 

The numbers on Apollo Duck - which are rising again - seem to bear out what folks have been saying here.

[Alan de Enfield]

17 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Well I didn't buy the boat in question in the end having found a better one that the broker had already comissioned a hull survey on... took away a lot of the risk.  They even came down on the price a bit prior to an internal survey.  If everything works out I should be living aboard by the end of the month. 

 

The numbers on Apollo Duck - which are rising again - seem to bear out what folks have been saying here.

You need an independent survey IN YOUR NAME.

Have you actually bought it yet ?

 

If the broker commissioned the survey your risk is not reduced - particularly if it is a Broker near Northampton, where boats have been known to sink after getting a good survey.

[system 4-50]

A lot of boats are owned by old people (me included). Over the next three months it may be that a number of them no longer take an interest in boats.  Some of their boats might come onto the market?

[The Gravy Boater]

4 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

You need an independent survey IN YOUR NAME.

Have you actually bought it yet ?

 

If the broker commissioned the survey your risk is not reduced - particularly if it is a Broker near Northampton, where boats have been known to sink after getting a good survey.

Nope... deposit and offer subject to internal survey.  Remedial work is being done at the seller's expense based on what came out of the hull survey.  Hull is fine, it was a weed hatch and prop issue.  Same surveyer will be checking the work done.

[Thinkingallowed]

On 01/03/2020 at 21:52, TheBiscuits said:

Not this year I'm guessing.  There will be some cracking discount deals all over the world this summer for anyone who is prepared to sit in a long haul aircraft for 24 hours with 200 random other people ... and hopes that one of them doesn't sneeze.

Small business class cabin is the way to go.

[matty40s]

3 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

A lot of boats are owned by old people (me included). Over the next three months it may be that a number of them no longer take an interest in boats.  Some of their boats might come onto the market?

Also a lot of boats owned by people funding their lives by stocks and shares.

[mrsmelly]

I reckon boat sales are going to go through the floor with this cold virus scare?

[Dr Bob]

We accepted an offer on our boat 3 days after it went on on the market (last week) - first couple to view it - so it must have been  priced right.

A boat has to be the safest place to be at the moment.