So how busy can a boat broker really be?

fwebster said:
I certainly can't speak for others with regard to photos, but I did ask our dealer about the absence of detailed photos of boats. The answer was reasonable........they have to load them into their website which then loads to yachtworld.com and another they use. They have space limitations and website speed issues with lots of pictures on a boat. They post 3-4 representitive photos on their site and usually have lots more available if a buyer is serious about learning more about a particular boat.

So there is more to it than just taking pictures.........apparently.
Click to expand...

Not buying that one. I work in the IT industry and I am currently working on a system which will load 40,000+, yes 40,000+ 3-5 MB images in seconds. Databaseas are built for this now a days.

And, on top of that disc space is cheap, boats are not.
 
Long ago I owned a wonderful little Shamrock 20' cuddy cabin. This boat had many wonderful features, the most interesting was that it was a full inboard. In fact, that is Shamrock's trademark feature.

After listing this pristine little boat for sale, I got lots of calls. Many callers asked what type of outdrive it had. Some would ask what my bottom line price was (before even seeing the boat). After a while I would just hang up.

One day I got a call from a guy who knew all about the boat and had been looking for this exact model. The boat sold within the week.

Maybe you were one of the guys that I hung up on?
 
I'm not selling you anything, Greg. I'm telling you the answer the dealer gave to me.

But, remember, he is in Podunk, Fla. has no IT guys on staff and must contract all his website work to someone else who hosts his site for him, if that is the right terminology.


And a final point: Your comment to Frank C was:

"So if I hear you correctly I should volunteer my budget, let them know I have secured funds and I am ready to buy today? I thought the first rule of negotiating is to give as little information as you can while getting as much back as you can? Why would I offer my budget?

Me: "I have $150k to spend"

Broker: "heck, we would have taken $130K but lets take his $150K"



Sometimes it is what you don't say that is important in the buyer/ broker relationship.

Sometimes I help people buy boats and the way I do it is to bracket the search based on specific listing prices and on the average listing prices on all comparable boats on yachtworld. We don't call or look at those that are significantly over priced. On a first visit or phone call, I will never ask "how much?", "why is the boat for sale?", "how motivated is the seller?" or "what do you think I can but the boat for?" In fact, I carefully avoid discussing pricing. At this point, I am more interested in finding the absoute best boat on the market that fits the needs and budget of the buyer. Often the first discussioin of pricing comes when we call t he broker and say "I'm ready to buy X boat." Doing it this way gets the broker off his usual game and I"ll guarantee you that the seller is going to hear......"They are hard to read, but they are serious". You never find out how motivated the seller is or what he will take for the boat until you sign a contract and write a deposit check. Even if you cut the sellers feet off with a low offer, if the boat is seriously for sale; he will counter thus putting the boat in play.


I know that in today's information age, it is our tendency to analyze the hell out of a purchase like a boat, but unfortunately, these are all negotiated transactions and there are no crib notes or devine message going to give you totally accurate price guidance as if it were a car purchase with guidance based on 100 similar cars sold at last weeks auction. Only a first hand inspection, in person, will tell you if you want to go further. Perhaps that isn't convienent, and perhaps it adds to the cost of a search, but it is certaily the best way to qualify a boat and to convince the broker/seller that you are a serious buyer.
 
Sea Gull said:
Long ago I owned a wonderful little Shamrock 20' cuddy cabin. This boat had many wonderful features, the most interesting was that it was a full inboard. In fact, that is Shamrock's trademark feature.

After listing this pristine little boat for sale, I got lots of calls. Many callers asked what type of outdrive it had. Some would ask what my bottom line price was (before even seeing the boat). After a while I would just hang up.

One day I got a call from a guy who knew all about the boat and had been looking for this exact model. The boat sold within the week.

Maybe you were one of the guys that I hung up on?
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" I'm not selling you anything, Greg. I'm telling you the answer the dealer gave to me."

Agreed, that was not directed at you, it was directed at the broker/industry if that is their reply.

I never ask for a bottom line price nor do I offer one if I am the seller, so it's doubtful I ever called you.

We recently purchased a center console and I tried to learn as much as I could on my own. But, in some cases I had to ask some stupid questions. For one I know little about outboard engines. The buyer that answered my questions and was available to show the boat that day got a quick sale. Plus, an educated seller is a good quality IMHO. It tells me they know their product, and most likely took care of it.

I had to teach the buyers of our last boat all about cruisers and outdrives as they were moving from a pontoon boat. Yeah, it was a pain and took a while but in the end they said doing that made the decision to buy from me easier. And I wasted a lot of time on tire kickers, but unlike you I was not financially in a position to hang up on prospective buyers.
 
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When I bought my SeaRay. . .there were alot of pictures on Yachtworld. The broker wasn't in the office. . .but they got me in touch with him within 60 minutes. My opening line was "I will be in the area, and would like to see this boat". I saw the boat for the first time 60 minutes later.

Later, when I was really serious, the broker brought the purchase contract to the boat yard where I was painting another boat.

It was that level of service that made the sale happen.
 
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These replies are great and informative but I think you are missing my point. How difficult is it to reply to an initial website contact/inquiry email and how difficult is it to answer a phone call? How difficult is it to know just a little bit about the boat/product you are selling? Gas or diesel, get that one wrong, are you kidding me? Give me the keys to a boat you are not even sure where it's slipped? Are you kidding me? No followup with me at all afterwards?

Man, I must be an odd person as I am hearing a message here that says this is acceptable from a broker because of me, it's the potential buyers fault for not approaching the broker exactly the right way. Give me a break.

There was another one this winter where we were going to be in the area and asked if we could stop in to see the boat. The broker was "busy". 5+ more brokers on staff, not one offered to show the boat. They unlocked it and told us to help ourselves. I should note all of these boat we looked at with this poor level of service are still sitting for sale.
 
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comsnark said:
Later, when I was really serious, the broker brought the purchase contract to the boat yard where I was painting another boat.

It was that level of service that made the sale happen.
Click to expand...

That is the difference between a good broker and a so so broker. Service is what it is all about.
 
I have a broker story too… before I purchased my current and 14th boat, we seriously considered buying an aft cabin. Thank God we didn’t but that’s another story. After spending 2 full seasons putting 300+ hours on our previous boat, I had a very precise list of requirements. One of them was that the swim platform needed to be at least 36” deep to accommodate our hard bottom dinghy. I didn’t want a lift. I didn’t want davits. I wanted to pull the damn dinghy up onto the swim platform. I was certain of this, and it was a deal breaker. Therefore, this was a critical piece of information in helping me select the model that I wanted to buy. This is not a measurement that is easily found on the manufacturer’s website, nor is it found in any standard specs that I could ever find.

I called a particularly high strung broker in New Jersey to inquire about a boat he had for sale. My first question after identifying the boat I was inquiring about was “what is the depth of the swim platform”

He barked back, “that is the stupidest question that I have ever heard!”

He went on to tell me that I could not be a serious buyer with such a stupid question, I didn’t know what I was talking about, and I was wasting his time as he “sells 9 out of 10 boats that he shows”.

I said “well that’s funny, because I buy 9 out of 10 boats that I look at. Goodbye”

Click.
 
mrsrobinson said:
These replies are great and informative but I think you are missing my point. How difficult is it to reply to an initial website contact/inquiry email and how difficult is it to answer a phone call? How difficult is it to know just a little bit about the boat/product you are selling? Gas or diesel, get that one wrong, are you kidding me? Give me the keys to a boat you are not even sure where it's slipped? Are you kidding me? No followup with me at all afterwards?

Man, I must be an odd person as I am hearing a message here that says this is acceptable from a broker because of me, it's the potential buyers fault for not approaching the broker exactly the right way. Give me a break.

There was another one this winter where we were going to be in the area and asked if we could stop in to see the boat. The broker was "busy". 5+ more brokers on staff, not one offered to show the boat. They unlocked it and told us to help ourselves. I should note all of these boat we looked at with this poor level of service are still sitting for sale.
Click to expand...

Greg,
I understand how you feel, I've felt the same way from time to time, but what I've found is that unless you are serious about buying when you contact the broker they are going to spend as little time as possible with you. They have to make a living too. They are not there to education you about a boat that might not even be for sale when you are ready to buy down the road or you plan on purchasing from somebody else. I'm not saying they should not return calls or emails. As to the 5+ other brokers on staff are you willing to sign a buyers broker agreement with them? If not why would they waste their time on something they may not get paid for.:huh:
 
festivus44 said:
I said “well that’s funny, because I buy 9 out of 10 boats that I look at. Goodbye”
Click to expand...

That made me laugh! I think the real problem here, is one that I face all the time, I hope this is not too off topic, but people fail to listen, I mean really listen. There is a lot to be heard from that is said and not said. I know I am one of the guilty ones, I think I know what is being said before it is said, but I REALLY try to fight my tendency everyday so that I can really listen.

Ryan
 
Another perspective... Use a broker as a buyer's agent. Find one who will work with you and help you find the boat you are looking for. We have a good working relationship with a local broker who took the time to answer 10,000 questions and helped us move from 23' to 28' and on to 37' when we were ready. We still keep in touch, and he'll tell the right person about our 37'er when we find the next one.
 
Ok, so I will print off all my bank statements, my retirement account statements, my 2007 tax returns, give them my social security # and my mother's maiden name, tell them my favorite pets name, find a boat that interests us without making a single phone call or sending a single email, walk into the brokers office, hand him a cash 10% deposit, tell him I will buy the boat within 30 days, now will you answer some basic questions? Is that how it all works?

Oh, and per one reply if while trying to sell Mrs. R someone calls with what I think is a basic question I should hang up on them? Please. Life must be real good for you if you can do that.

Count me out then, looks like we will be in Mrs R for quite some time. I am going to have to respectfully disagree with the message some of you are trying to deliver. There is no excuse for not replying to an initial email/phone call or sending me 1, just 1 photo of a boat in a timely fashion.
 
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I was treated like that as a new boat buyer.

Buying new is even tougher, because it is not like there is a SeaRay dealer on every block. There was ONE crownline dealer in the state of NJ.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Which is why I ultimately bought used.
 
Greg,

You are being foolish...everyone knows that you do not have to give your favorite pet's name......Now stop screwing around and buy a boat. BUT you cannot buy mine...you ask too many questions!
 
I'm reading this whole thread and I'm a little confused... Are you looking for the broker to sell you a boat? or are you trying to find out what kind of boat you want?

i've shopped two ways 1) tire kicking and just seeing the different layouts and boat types etc... boat shows are perfect for this. 2) I know the boat I want and i'm just hunting for the right one.

On two, I took FrankW's advice (finally) and it was about as difficult as buying a loaf of bread. The broker was just a paper shuffler. All I needed him to do was take my offer to whomever made the final decision. If it was a dealer, "The man" came out to size me up and make small talk. I made my offer, set the terms, and put down money. that was it. Before taking Franks advice, I relied on the broker to tell me what the lowest price was, what they would throw in, payment terms etc... As soon as I changed my way of thinking about the whole thing, It actually became FUN.

Just like Frank told me, don't discuss price until you are ready to sign on the dotted line. Every broker and dealer would throw out numbers from frustration, just to see my reaction to the number. It was really amazing to me how a change of attitude totally reversed the tables. I found that the moment you throw out a number, the deal is done. They are either going to blow you off, or you just paid too much for a boat.

If i'm tire kicking, I just tell them. they throw me the keys and point me in the right direction. That's all i want. If I'm ready to make an offer on something I want, I just need them to hand me a contract. I'll fill it out.
 
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I bet if the seller knew this they wouldn't be too happy and pull their listing.
Sounds like a gatekeeper.

I sometimes don't understand why sellers use brokers.
When I was looking, seriously looking, there were all kinds of games being played.
 
If Frank W would just write a damn book on boat buying, everyone would buy it, and boat buying would be fun for everyone.
 
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