Brokers prices

[larkshall]

Hi all,

 

just curious, but brokers advertise boats at a price, say 50,000,but no self respecting potential live aboard user is going to pay the asking price. What do you offer?

 

I know that a survey will give you further bargaining power later in the process, but curious as to what kind of figure you should offer as an opening gambit, asking price less 15%?

[Lady Muck]

I think it depends on a combination of factors. The boat; as in how long it has been for sale; the broker, (I've heard some will not budge on price at all and others are happy to reduce it), and the survey.

 

We (self respecting liveaboards) paid only £1000 less than the asking price, but it was a fair price and the surveyor (who valued it) agreed with us.

[Djuwenda]

Hi all,

 

just curious, but brokers advertise boats at a price, say 50,000,but no self respecting potential live aboard user is going to pay the asking price. What do you offer?

 

I know that a survey will give you further bargaining power later in the process, but curious as to what kind of figure you should offer as an opening gambit, asking price less 15%?

 

The survey does not necessarily give you greater bargaining power I'd say: by the time the boat is out of the water and surveyed, you'll have spent not far from a grand. The seller knows this and will have that his advantage.

 

try and get the boat as close to the price you want to pay for it as you can before shelling out your survey.

 

 

Also most brokers contract specify that the seller hss to make good all hidden-non advertised defect that would show up in the survey. This rule does not work very well at such since the seller always has the right to pull out from the transaction at any stage.

 

This is another good reason to do your bargaining earlier on in the process before you have any money tied in.

[larkshall]

Thought as much,

 

Just its strange how many brokerages vary in price, eg some are so expensive its not even worth the trip to view the stock. I wonder about the prices owners want.

 

(Feeling jaundiced seen some candidates for the scrap yard on sale for 35,000).

[bottle]

All the above and make your offer subject to survey, so if the boat does need work and you still want it, you can then do a bit more barganing.

 

Good luck.

[bramley]

when i bought my last boat it was up for 28500...

 

i offered 19000,

 

then 21000,

 

then 22000, and they sold it to me for 22000

[Chris J W]

From my experience with just one broker, the price is based on a combination of the sellers asking price combined with a realistic view from the broker.

 

I got mine for 3k less than the asking (in hindsight, could have gotten more with the various niggles I've had, but they've been evened out) but the broker, even with his %age, still said I'd gotten a damn good deal.

 

One of the boats I was looking the broker said that the owners would not budge from the asking price at all (50ish ft, 25ish year old, cruiser, some fitout TLC obviously required - about 35k if I remember) but he thought it was at least 5-7k overpriced.

 

Above all, though, always make an offer "subject to survey" - that way you've some 'ammunition' to help you get the price down if you need to.

[Maverick]

Just to add my experience. I once viewed a quite nice 25 footer at sawley with an asking price of £19,950 which was way to much for my budget at the time. Having found out it had been with them a good while and had had a previous buyer pull out at the last minute after having a survey done, I made a silly bid of £16,000 for it.

 

I was called back 2 days later and told the seller wanted closer to his asking price. 2 weeks later the boat was advertised on a well known website for £19,000. I emailed the seller and offered £16,000 again only to be turned down.

 

I later found out from Sawley that the boat eventually sold for £16.500.

 

The moral of this story is it all depends on how long someone has been trying to sell their boat and how desperate they are to get shut of it.

 

Its a great gane to play if you get it right but equally dissapointing if you miss out for the sake of a few hundred quid more.

[larkshall]

That seems typical....

 

I've looked at buying privately, but owners seem to be even more unrealistic about prices... Did you get a boat?

[BlueStringPudding]

Hi all,

 

just curious, but brokers advertise boats at a price, say 50,000,but no self respecting potential live aboard user is going to pay the asking price. What do you offer?

 

I know that a survey will give you further bargaining power later in the process, but curious as to what kind of figure you should offer as an opening gambit, asking price less 15%?

 

Offer what you can afford. We did - and it was ludicrously lower than the asking price. Yet it was accepted because of the sellers own circumstances - turned out he needed a quick sale and hadn't had any offers at all.

 

Then we shaved a few more grand off the price after a survey.

 

I think what a seller will accept is dependent on a lot of personal factors to them - including whether there have been better looking bargains for sale at the brokerage at the time that they're trying to sell their boat.

[larkshall]

Offer what you can afford. We did - and it was ludicrously lower than the asking price. Yet it was accepted because of the sellers own circumstances - turned out he needed a quick sale and hadn't had any offers at all.

 

Then we shaved a few more grand off the price after a survey.

 

I think what a seller will accept is dependent on a lot of personal factors to them - including whether there have been better looking bargains for sale at the brokerage at the time that they're trying to sell their boat.

 

 

Probably true.... Have you noticed how brokers have stayed out of this conversation...I know some read the board... Perhaps they should be reminded that 2% of 20k now is better than 2% of 30k at some indeterminant date downstream?

[Scotty]

Always take a camera with you when viewing a boat.

It's amazing how quickly you forget what you've seen, some things show up on a photo which you might have forgotten to even look at yourself.

And there's always the option of getting an opinion from 'the board'

[carlt]

Probably true.... Have you noticed how brokers have stayed out of this conversation...I know some read the board... Perhaps they should be reminded that 2% of 20k now is better than 2% of 30k at some indeterminant date downstream?

In my experience, any offer, however ridiculous, is put to the vendor and it is up to them to accept or refuse. Whilst not defending brokers (bit too close to estate agents) I think they would rather see the back of a sticking boat but are hampered by a stubborn owner with an unrealistic notion of it's value.

[BlueStringPudding]

Always take a camera with you when viewing a boat.

It's amazing how quickly you forget what you've seen, some things show up on a photo which you might have forgotten to even look at yourself.

And there's always the option of getting an opinion from 'the board'

 

Very true - that's what Kev and I did and there were allsorts of things we saw afterwards on the photos that we'd not really noticed when on the boat. Plus take pictures of inaccessible places, under the sink etc. You'd be surprised what you find! (And what the chaps and chapesses here spot for you too... some of my narrowboat viewing photos may well still be in the gallery here...?)

[Maverick]

That seems typical....

 

I've looked at buying privately, but owners seem to be even more unrealistic about prices... Did you get a boat?

 

 

I eventually paid £13,000 for a 30 footer privately. and 7 months later I sold it privately and bought another privately.

 

I did lots of looking and brokeridge prices did not reflect the true value of the boats on offer and I found it much easier to talk to the owners than an agent who knew sod all about the boats.

[larkshall]

Hmm I note all these comments.. (especially under the sink one !!!!).

 

Its a pity I cant just commission someone to do some of the legwork around the system ie compile a shortlist. I'm not lazy, but boy how many miles i could clock up.....

[Maverick]

Hmm I note all these comments.. (especially under the sink one !!!!).

 

Its a pity I cant just commission someone to do some of the legwork around the system ie compile a shortlist. I'm not lazy, but boy how many miles i could clock up.....

 

All part of the fun and the learning curve.

[Chris J W]

Hmm I note all these comments.. (especially under the sink one !!!!).

 

Its a pity I cant just commission someone to do some of the legwork around the system ie compile a shortlist. I'm not lazy, but boy how many miles i could clock up.....

 

I know what you mean!

 

I don't drive (a sin these days, I know!) so was restricted to London based marinas for ease of access - and after reading many of BlueStringPuddings tales of woe (sorry, BSP!) I was dreading the "hunting and looking" phase. But when one of my many searches discovered VC Marine at High Line on The Iver with a boat I really liked as well as a decently priced range of other boats, I was lucky in deciding that theirs would be my main focus - and bloody glad I did, and I can't praise VC Marine enough.

[charles123]

I know what you mean!

 

I don't drive (a sin these days, I know!) so was restricted to London based marinas for ease of access - and after reading many of BlueStringPuddings tales of woe (sorry, BSP!) I was dreading the "hunting and looking" phase. But when one of my many searches discovered VC Marine at High Line on The Iver with a boat I really liked as well as a decently priced range of other boats, I was lucky in deciding that theirs would be my main focus - and bloody glad I did, and I can't praise VC Marine enough.

 

Chris

 

I noticed some time back that some of the lowest priced boats advertised are found on VC, good for the buyer but maybe not for the seller, but realistically priced in my opinion never the less

 

Charles

[sarahavfc]

good for the buyer but maybe not for the seller, but realistically priced in my opinion never the less

 

Why? If a boat is realistically priced then more people are likely to be interested and there is a greater chance of a sale, just less chance of the buyer being able to knock a lot off the price - which is fair enough. Most buyers aren't stupid, they know the difference between something that is realistically priced and something that isn't.

 

I sell the odd boat myself and if someone wanted a silly amount of money for it, I wouldnt want to sell it. I have to pay to advertise the boat and if it doesn't sell I am left with a bill for advertising, I've spent time and effort advertising, showing people round the boat, its been on our moorings, etc. It's in my interest to have a reasonably priced boat on my books. I suppose for the large brokerages this isnt an issue and they can afford to have boats sticking around hoping someone comes along with more money than sense.