HUMPH
Well-Known Member
- Nov 4, 2009
- 7,618
- Boat Info
- 2003 410DA
2009 Walker Bay 13’
- Engines
- CAT 3126TA's 350HP/
50HP Honda
The good thing is that most EVERY boat is for sale...
The bid stops
- Thread starter Russ Calasant
- Start date
The good thing is that most EVERY boat is for sale...
Gofirstclass
Well-Known Member
When I bought Beachcomber I had a '96 330 Dancer that had to be part of the deal. When I first told the selling broker that he said they were not interested in my trade. I thanked him and hung up.
He called a few days later and asked me about my trade. I gave him an honest appraisal of the condition and he asked me what I wanted for it. I told him I would only negotiate on the difference price between what he wanted for his boat and what I wanted for my trade. I love to negotiate, used to do it for a living, and know how the game works. I gave him my first figure and he laughed, said "thank you" and hung up.
He called a few days later and we got down to serious negotiations. I had a difference price in mind that I wanted to reach, but knew that if we reached it I would be absolutely stealing his boat from him. We went back and forth for about 2 months before he stopped coming down. At that point we were within $10K of where I wanted to be on the difference price. I knew I was going to drop about $50K in additions the boat plus the cost of shipping both boats, but I also knew that at $10K apart I was getting a good deal (even considering the shipping) compared to what similar boats were priced at on the west coast.
I let the negotiations sit for a week then called him back and said I would take it at that price. After two surveys and two sea trials it was mine. I've never looked back and wished I hadn't spent the extra $10K, but that's just me.
We've put over 150 hours on it since I got it and loved every minute of it.
He called a few days later and asked me about my trade. I gave him an honest appraisal of the condition and he asked me what I wanted for it. I told him I would only negotiate on the difference price between what he wanted for his boat and what I wanted for my trade. I love to negotiate, used to do it for a living, and know how the game works. I gave him my first figure and he laughed, said "thank you" and hung up.
He called a few days later and we got down to serious negotiations. I had a difference price in mind that I wanted to reach, but knew that if we reached it I would be absolutely stealing his boat from him. We went back and forth for about 2 months before he stopped coming down. At that point we were within $10K of where I wanted to be on the difference price. I knew I was going to drop about $50K in additions the boat plus the cost of shipping both boats, but I also knew that at $10K apart I was getting a good deal (even considering the shipping) compared to what similar boats were priced at on the west coast.
I let the negotiations sit for a week then called him back and said I would take it at that price. After two surveys and two sea trials it was mine. I've never looked back and wished I hadn't spent the extra $10K, but that's just me.
We've put over 150 hours on it since I got it and loved every minute of it.
Russ, the discussion so far has been about "negotiations", but I would like to approach it from another angle. In post #26
That seems like a lot of deferred maintenance to me. I would keep looking until I found a boat that did not require that much work. When I was shopping, I looked at what seemed like every 450EB in south Fla. Market conditions had all the sellers at approximately the same price whether there boat was in bristol condition or a PO$. I finally found a very clean boat with low hours that was captain maintained for the price that someone wanted for something out of "Animal House". Just my humble opinion.
Good luck and Happy New Year, Art
That seems like a lot of deferred maintenance to me. I would keep looking until I found a boat that did not require that much work. When I was shopping, I looked at what seemed like every 450EB in south Fla. Market conditions had all the sellers at approximately the same price whether there boat was in bristol condition or a PO$. I finally found a very clean boat with low hours that was captain maintained for the price that someone wanted for something out of "Animal House". Just my humble opinion.
Good luck and Happy New Year, Art
Carver370
Well-Known Member
- Mar 30, 2007
- 1,928
- Boat Info
- 2000 Sea Ray 400 Sundancer - Diesel
- Engines
- T-3116 CAT - 350 HP
I am only going by what soldboats is showing here:
Length Year Codes Listed US$ Sold US$ Location
37' Sea Ray 37 SUNDANCER 1997 P U TG FG 72,900 (07/11) 70,000 (08/11) RI, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U SG FG 109,500 (02/11) 100,000 (06/11) IN, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 107,500 (06/11) 76,000 (09/11) IN, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 99,900 (09/10) 87,000 (09/11) IN, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 84,900 (04/11) 80,000 (06/11) MD, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 74,900 (05/11) 52,500 (05/11) WA, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 67,500 (11/10) 59,000 (07/11) MA, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 59,999 (07/10) 31,500 (09/11) MD, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 56,000 (09/10) 41,000 (06/11) CT, USA
37' Sea Ray 370 Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 29,999 (05/11) 27,000 (08/11) CA, USA
37' Sea Ray Sundancer 1997 P U TG FG 64,500 (08/10) 56,000 (03/11) FL, USA
I am a little unclear on what you are asking my opinion of, but if its if 109K would be a good number to list the boat for with a broker I'd say thats pretty high and if you are saying if asking 89K without a broker involved is a good number its a little different question.
If you look at the list above it will give you a good idea of what boats like yours are actually selling for in various states of condition.
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douglee25
Well-Known Member
I'd echo what Carver said above in regards to your pricing... it seems high for the sale of yours. Why not see what you and Dale (is that the name) could put together and look at the difference in pricing at that point? Dragging out the sale of your current boat will ultimately cost you more money for storage, depreciation, etc.
Doug
Doug
Russ Calasant
Active Member
Nice story, thanks for sharing it.
Russ Calasant
Active Member
Art, I agree but im surprised at a lot of the boats I see. Who lets the cockpit vinyl get so bad it all needs replacing? I've also seen a lot of bottoms that are just flaking paint, showing gel coat. Exposed fiberglass under the swim platforms that are water soaked. Not real big issues if tended to. Engine rooms that look like they have never been cleaned let alone detailed, simple things. Exposed connections, surface rust, the list goes on. Some may consider it anal but ask the guy that buys my boat what he thinks! All it takes is money or a bit of effort and a bit of money. There is a huge difference between owning and properly maintaining a boat but I guess that's another topic that's been discussed. Happy New Year Art
Russ Calasant
Active Member
I think you missed the point. First I would not put it on the open market at 87k but if I did and then entertained your offer of 50k by responding with a counter offer and we went back and forth for a couple weeks while both negotiating say in 1000 increments where would we end up? If I didn't want to end up there I would not have engaged.
That being said, in this case it does not go both ways. This seller has nothing to do with buying my boat. Do you sell the same way you buy? Most people don't, are you saying it wouldn't be "fair" if I negotiated better than the guy that bought my boat?
If a price is firm it's firm, negotiations are all different, it's a matter of finding out what this seller had in mind. If I made an offer that was accepted right off the bat would you think I paid too much? I was surprised that we got so close and he stopped but to be clear let's not loose sight of the threads purpose (question)- to get others opinions and how they negotiate or would expect to.
Thanks for your input
Russ Calasant
Active Member
Vandal, as you see the sold prices, I am more interested in the relation between the selling price vs the sold price. I know where my boat is in the pack. It's not the same boat as the 1996 your friend bought. Actually this was not about my 370 at all!
Russ Calasant
Active Member
Doug, im not sure what you are referring to with Dale and as I have said I am not concerned with the sale of my boat. Although some of this info helps when I do sell her this is about me buying a boat not selling.
Russ Calasant
Active Member
I was asking your opinion about the two different approaches, one with broker and one without passing savings on to the buyer. I was not reffering to the particular numbers. When i actually put my 370 up for sale i will use a broker but if she is found word of mouth prior to that then i would offer for less. That is what i was asking your opinion about. I would not expect you to know the condition or equipment on my boat to be able to evaluate it. However I am interested in the relationship between asking and selling prices.
They are helpful but how do you know the condition and equipment? And of course we can't know the motivation of either seller or
buyer in each case.
tdschafer
Well-Known Member
Scott,
I don't recall the specifics but I believe the generality of the question here was about a 10-15% price reduction. I don't recall Russ offering 57% or almost half of the asking price. I think at that point the seller wouldn't even respond. I had Craiglist Yahoos e-mailing me how they "just sold their boat for $27K and had cash in hand-what was my bottom line?". These guys never even got a response from me regardless of where we could "end up". I think that is the jist of what Russ is saying here. The seller engaged in the negotiation and Russ assumed, albeit wrongly, that they would meet somewhere in the middle. I think he was asking if we would have had the same assumption that he had, which was reinforced with each go between over the two week period. I don't recall him asking us for the value of his current boat or should he bend over and give it away before the engine is replaced. That has been covered in another thread.
WazzuCMGrad
New Member
That's exactly how I ended up with my 180SP. Went way low to see if they were a distressed seller; was told their price was firm, waited a week or two then drove all the way to see them and opened the negotiation in person. Had a deal within an hour; it wasn't what they were hoping to get, and was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but we both ended up in the right place.
Have faith; maybe a face-to-face meeting (over dinner, perhaps) would be all it would take. Go "dutch" if you must to break the ice...
Good luck!
Russ Calasant
Active Member
Thanks, glad it turned out well for you. Unfortunately I do not have access to the seller directly.
Russ Calasant
Active Member
gregkjones
New Member
My take on this is the seller doesnt want to sell THAT much if you are within 6K or so. Yeah the buyer can come up 6K "if it isnt that big a deal" but what I think alot of sellers forget is the buyer isnt saddled with carrying costs while he looks for boats. That is in stark contrast to the seller, who could be spending thousands a month to hang on to the boat while he haggles over a few thousand dollars. Here in Cali, slips in Newport Beach for a boat that size are going for $1300/month easily. Add to that insurance and maintenance and you could end up losing alot of money trying to eek out that last few thousand from a buyer. I know when it comes time to sell my boat I will fire sell it before I sit around and haggle for 6 months in an attempt to save what will amount to almost nothing when its all said and done. Perhaps the OP should bring up the issue of carrying costs to the broker, who could then talk to the seller and convince him that the difference in money isnt too bad if he can unload the boat quickly. I know this issue is brought up in realstate all the time and it works if the subject is brought up respectfully and carefully.
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Lord Farringdon
New Member
- Feb 19, 2010
- 515
- Boat Info
- 2005 Sea Ray AJ, Raymarine C80.
- Engines
- 285 HP, DP-G Duo Prop Stern Drive
The broker should certainly be working hard (in his own interests) to make this happen. If he hasn't already made the seller aware of this then he should consider another line of business. But, have we considered the possibility that the seller has stopped negotiating on the basis there is another buyer out there that the broker has now presented as a better bid?
spfortjohn
New Member
That might be the problem. Is there a way to look them up and contact them. I did that when I bought mine. Boats lose value everyday so the longer he holds on to it the more it cost them. Storage, maint, interest etc
tdschafer
Well-Known Member
Scottie,
My post, #55, sums up why this thread was started as validated by Russ in #58. I don't feel he's complaining about the discount or lack there of. He was asking if we would have had the same assumptions he did over a two week negotiation that was working toward a mutually agreeable point when it abruptly was ended by the seller. I sense NO animosity on Russ' part and actually believe he is going to wait a little and still try and work out something with the seller. I could be wrong but that is the jist of what I have ascertained in the body of this thread. It seems that when you reach an impasse like this it is better to let it sit a little and sink in. This way BOTH sides can come back with more grounded expectations and possibly work out a deal.
It probably didn't help that this transpired over the holidays as one's general stress levels tend to be elevated already.
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